Which 1775 event is recognized as the first military engagement of the American Revolutionary War, commemorated during America250?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, commemorated during America250.

Fighting began on April 19, 1775, in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord. British soldiers marched from Boston to seize colonial military supplies and arrest prominent Patriot leaders. Local militia gathered at Lexington Green, where the first shots were fired, though historians still debate who fired first.

The British continued to Concord, but colonial forces had moved or hidden many supplies. After a confrontation at the North Bridge, the British began a difficult retreat toward Boston. Militia units from surrounding communities repeatedly attacked the column from behind walls, trees, and other covered positions.

The clashes transformed a political crisis into open warfare. The fighting also helped bring thousands of colonial militiamen to the outskirts of Boston, where the conflict continued in the Siege of Boston. The better-known Battle of Bunker Hill followed in June 1775, but it was not the war's opening engagement.