American Defenders of Land, Sea & Sky

Lexington Green
Lexington, Massachusetts

By 1775, tension between the colonies and the mother country had reached the breaking point. General Gage, who was in charge of the British troops in Boston, learned that Samuel Adams and John Hancock were in Lexington--about 20 miles from Boston. Hearing that the colonists had hidden a large collection of weapons in nearby Concord, Gage sent a detachment of soldiers to seize the rebel leaders and destroy the stores of ammunition.

You probably know the rest! Sons of Liberty Paul Revere and William Dawes rode to warn Adams and Hancock of the impending British attack by way of the Charles River--the most direct route. Just as the sun was rising on April 19, 1775, British soldiers reached Lexington. A straggling line of colonists was already waiting on the green--armed with muskets! Although leaders on both sides issued stern warnings not to fire, a shot suddenly rang out! The Minutemen stood motionless. To this day, no one knows which side fired the first shot, but it was followed by a volley of shots by the Redcoats. Eight Minutemen were killed and several others wounded. This first skirmish on Lexington Green signaled the beginning of the American Revolution!

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