Independence Day: 7 important victories in the American Revolution

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Thursday, July 04, 2024

The Battle of Concord – April 19, 1775

The 1775 Battle of Lexington, which began the American Revolution, as depicted in a 1910 portrait by William Barnes Wollen. | Wikimedia Commons

The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first official battles of the American Revolution, taking place when colonial forces offered resistance against British troops in Massachusetts, who had been searching for a cache of weapons.

After dispersing a small militia force in Lexington, around 700 British soldiers marched to Concord, where they encountered approximately 2,000 minutemen, who violently harassed the column until it withdrew from the area.

“The relatively low casualties of the Battles of Lexington and Concord proved they could stand up to one of the most powerful armies in the world. News of the battle quickly spread, reaching London on May 28,” noted History.com.

“By the following summer, a full-scale war of independence had broken out, paving the way for the creation of the United States of America.”