The Battles of Lexington and Concord
Part 2: The Fighting Begins

The militiamen there, under the command of Captain Isaac Davis, had been warned, and they seized the high ground, taking up position on a high ridge that overlooked the rode into Concord. They were ready for the British.

British soldiers searched houses in the town and farms on the outskirts, looking for the guns and ammunition that were supposed to be there. They found it suspicious that they didn't find very much.

It wasn't until they were leaving that the Americans fired. The resulting battle convinced the British to retreat from Concord, and they were harassed on their way back to Boston. The casualties numbered in the hundreds.

It wasn't as though the Minutemen had won great victories. In fact, Britain still controlled much of Massachusetts, New York, and other colonies. They still had the American militiamen vastly outnumbered, in manpower, gunpower, and money. But the Battles of Lexington and Concord proved that the Americans were willing to fight and die for what they believed in. The Declaration of Independence was just around the corner.

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Social Studies for Kids
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David White