What happened as British soldiers hurriedly march back to Boston while being attacked by colonial militia men?
British General Gage learned that the colonists had stored supplies and ammunition at Concord, MA, some 20 miles from Boston. On 19 April 1775, he sent 700 of his troops to seize the munitions and, if possible, capture and arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Gage had received information that those two “rebels” were hiding out in Concord. Warning the Americans that the British were marching to Concord were the trio Revere, Dawes, and Prescott, of the famous “Midnight Ride.” When British Major John Pitcairn arrived at Lexington, which was on the way to Concord, he found 70 American minutemen (actually, they were almost all farmers) in battle formation at the town square. Pitcairn ordered the Americans to disperse but when they didn’t move after the second order to do so, someone fired a shot. It is not known if the shot was fired by Americans or British. The British easily cleared Lexington and marched on to Concord. He found more Americans arming the bridge into the town so Pitcairn
