19th April 1775: Battles of Lexington and Concord mark the start of the American Revolutionary War

Tensions between the American colonies and the British government had been escalating due to questions over taxation and British interference in colonial affairs. With the introduction of the Intolerable Acts of 1774, leaders of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress called for local militias to train for possible hostilities. Meanwhile, British forces under General Thomas Gage had learned about a stockpile of arms in Concord, Massachusetts. To prevent the use of these supplies, Gage ordered a detachment of around 700 soldiers to march from Boston to Concord. They were also tasked with arresting colonial leaders, including Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were believed to be hiding in Lexington. Early in the morning, colonial riders including Paul Revere and William Dawes warned the local militias about the British advance. As the British troops arrived in Lexington, they encountered a small group and, although the exact events that unfolded are unclear, a shot was fired that initiated the first skirmish of the war in which eight Lexington men were killed, and ten were wounded. Arriving in Concord, the British found the stockpiled weapons had been moved. They were repelled by the militias, and forced to retreat to Boston under heavy fire. Together the battles resulted in 73 British troops being killed, 174 wounded, and 26 missing or captured. Meanwhile the militias suffered 49 killed, 39 wounded, and 5 missing. Consequently the events at Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of open rebellion and led to the establishment of the Continental Army under the command of George Washington.