Which battles are generally regarded as the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War?

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

The fighting took place in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize military supplies, but colonial militia confronted them at Lexington and later fought during the British retreat.

The clashes transformed the political dispute between Britain and the colonies into open warfare. The conflict continued until the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, followed by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

The battles occurred more than a year before Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. America250 commemorates the 1776 declaration, while the broader Revolutionary War story began with these 1775 engagements.