The Shot Heard from Around the World

On April 19, 1775, British soldiers marched towards the towns of Lexington and Concord, with the intentions of capturing the Colonists' weapons and Revolutionary leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams. The colonists heard the British army's plans however, and began to fight two bloody battles against them. Although the British soldiers seemed to gain the upper hand in the Battle of Lexington, the colonists soon began to ambush them when they were attempting to leave Concord and head to Charlestown, killing numerous soldiers in the process. By the end of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, both sides suffered many casualties, though the British Army's losses were greater than those of the Colonists. As a result of the Colonists' victory in those battles, this would soon mark the beginning of the Revolutionary War.