Which battle is generally regarded as the first military engagement of the American Revolutionary War?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord are generally regarded as the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War.

Fighting began on April 19, 1775, in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, and nearby communities. British troops marched from Boston to seize colonial military supplies, but local militia confronted them at Lexington. The clashes continued during the British withdrawal toward Boston, as colonial forces fired from behind walls, trees, and buildings.

The battles did not immediately produce American independence, and many colonists still hoped for a political settlement. However, the bloodshed transformed the dispute between Britain and its North American colonies into an armed conflict. The events also helped persuade the Second Continental Congress to organize the Continental Army.

Bunker Hill, fought two months later, was a major early battle but not the first. Yorktown came much later, in 1781, and is remembered as the decisive final major land engagement. The opening battles therefore occupy a special place in the story commemorated by America250.