Lexington and Concord | A250 Mini Documentary
On April 19, 1775, the world changed forever. British troops marched on Lexington and Concord to arrest Patriot leaders and seize hidden munitions—but they were met by a determined militia and the rising spirit of American resistance. From Paul Revere’s midnight ride to the tense standoff on Lexington Green, and the fierce fighting at North Bridge, this mini documentary captures the explosive beginning of the American Revolution.
0:04 On April 14th, 1775, in Massachusetts, British commander Thomas Gage received a letter from Lord Dartmouth ordering him to arrest and imprison the principal actors whose proceedings appear in every light to be acts of treason and rebellion. He told Gage force be repelled by force.
0:27 To that end, Gage moved to arrest the Patriot ringleaders, including John Hancock and Samuel Adams, and seize the military stores hidden at Concord. He ordered an expedition to carry out his plans under the cover of darkness. On the night of the equally hundred redcoats assembled to march on Lexington and Concord.
0:48 But American spies watched their every move and word quickly spread. Riders William Dawes and Paul Revere galloped through the night, warning villagers that the regulars are coming. Church bells and shots rang out through the countryside, warning of the British. As Hancock and Adams fled from Lexington,
1:09 the town’s militia under John Parker assembled on the common. After a false alarm, they turned out again with the arrival of the British advanced guard of six companies of light infantry under Major John Pickering. Ominously, the redcoats loaded their weapons. The British officers ordered the colonists to lay down their arms and disperse.
1:34 Some complied, but most refused. A shot was fired and the two sides unleashed a volley. The British reloaded, fired another volley and thrust their bayonets. Screams pierced the air. Americans lie dead and several were wounded. The British gave a triumphant huzzah
1:55 and marched off to Concord. The British arrived in Concord with the emerging dawn and searched the town for arms. Meanwhile, hundreds of minutemen from Concord and surrounding towns took up positions in the surrounding hills. As the militia saw smoke rising from the town, they marched on North Bridge, where British troops awaited.
2:17 They exchanged volleys and withering American fire poured into the British ranks. Several redcoat officers and soldiers were killed, and they broke and ran. The Americans pursued the British column as it fled Concord. They fired at the harried British troops from behind rock walls, trees and fences.
2:39 Dozens of British fell along the way. The retreating British fought their way back to Lexington, where they were ambushed and killed, and several more officers were hit. A relief brigade of 1000 British troops, with artillery from Boston under General Hugh Percy appeared and killed several Americans,
3:00 but hundreds more militia swelled the American lines and drove the enemy relentlessly back to Boston. The fighting soon broke into desperate hand-to-hand combat with muskets and bayonets in homes and farmsteads. Many were slaughtered on both sides. The British finally fought their way back into Boston
3:21 as the sun was setting on April 19th. The British suffered appalling casualties in the battles of Lexington and Concord. While the Americans proved they would fight for their sacred liberties, British reinforcements soon arrived in Boston Harbor, and New England mobilized for war as thousands joined the colonist army.
3:43 They would soon meet again at Bunker Hill. After the shot heard round the world, the colonists were at war with the world’s most formidable empire.
