Which 1775 Massachusetts conflict is commonly identified as the first battle of the American Revolutionary War?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord are commonly identified as the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.

Fighting began on April 19, 1775, when British regulars marched from Boston toward Concord to seize military supplies. At Lexington, British troops encountered colonial militia, and the confrontation produced the first deaths of the war. The British continued to Concord, where colonists resisted at the North Bridge.

The British column then faced repeated attacks during its retreat to Boston. The clashes transformed an escalating political crisis into open warfare. News spread rapidly through the colonies, helping mobilize militia forces and prompting the Second Continental Congress to organize a continental military response.

The phrase “shot heard round the world” is associated with the opening exchange at Lexington, although the exact first shot cannot be established with certainty. Bunker Hill followed in June 1775, but Lexington and Concord came first chronologically.