The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They took place on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (now Arlington), and Cambridge. The battles marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen American colonies.
The battles began when British Regulars marched from Boston to Concord to seize a cache of weapons that the colonial militia had stored there. The British were met by militiamen in Lexington and Concord, and a series of skirmishes broke out. The British were ultimately forced to retreat to Boston.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were a significant victory for the Americans. They showed that the colonies were capable of resisting the British, and they inspired other colonies to join the fight for independence.