Battles of Lexington and Concord

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first two battles of the American Revolutionary War.

Background
On the night of April 18th 1775, Lieutenant Colonel Smith marched with 700 British soldiers to Concord on a mission to disarm the rebels. Using a plan devised by Paul Revere, Robert Newman climbed to the top of the Old North Church and lit two lanterns to alert patriots that the Redcoats were coming up the Charles River; thus inspiring Longfellow's famous verse, "One if by land, two if by sea." The battles of Lexington and Concord that followed would start the American Revolution. The first shots of the battles were fired on the Old North Bridge, and a statue currently stands near it to commemorate the minutemen forces that fought.