It was through the battles of Lexington and Concord, which were fought on the 19th of April, 1775, that the American Revolutionary War came to be. The intolerable tension between the British authorities and local American residents and colonists were on the rise, most especially in Massachusetts. One fateful day in the area of Town Green, a confrontation had occurred. A gun shot went off and that was that. The American Revolution was born, and it was battle after battle between Great Britain and America. It wasn’t until the year 1783 that the American forces formally attained their independence. The 10 facts that everyone needs to know about the battles of Lexington and Concord are as follows, so scroll down and enjoy!

Fact 1: The battle of Lexington, although barely a battle than it was a brawl, was still significant nonetheless due to the fact that this was the onset of the Revolutionary War. When the British had finally arrived, there were only roughly 80 of the American Militiamen inside the town being led by Captain John Parker. The much larger British force was led by Major John Pitcairn.

Fact 2: The whole encounter wasn’t even one filled with violent intent! In fact, the whole battle was a complete misunderstanding! For some odd reason, a gun shot went off. As to which side the shit came from and as to how it all started, no one has a clue. After that gunshot things started to get a little..messy.

Fact 3: The battle of Lexington was a showdown between 700 red coats, and 77 armed colonists. Talk about being outnumbered! As for the injuries? While majority of the colonists fled, around 8 were shot. Only one man from the British force was injured.

Fact 4: That very gunshot is famous in history, for it was the very first shot that went off and started the American Revolution. It’s said to be “the shot that was heard all throughout the world”. Ralph Waldo Emerson even wrote about the moment in his poem entitled “Concord Hymn”.

Fact 5: After the men had retreaded, the British began to scour and loot the city of Concord. They were met with little resistance, and began to search for ammunition and weaponry to replenish stock.

Fact 6: The Americans waited on the outskirts of Concord and began to observe the British troops. Slowly, the numbers within the American forces grew, as more and more locals as well as militiamen made their way to the site and offered their services. Soon they were a match for the British.

Fact 7: It was at the North Bridge of Concord where the Americans seized British troops and defeated them in battle. Word quickly spread of the Americans and their triumph over the North Bridge. Confidence renewed, the Americans marched forward. British commander Colonel Francis Smith feared that the British were unprepared, and fearing the sheer size of the American force, signaled a retreat.

Fact 8: During the British retreat all the way back to Boston, the Americans continued to harass and pick off the soldiers. A total of 73 British men were lost during the journey, with 73 severely wounded. As for the American side, 49 Americans passed away with only 41 wounded men.

Fact 9: Keeping it in the family: Captain John Parker’s men were a lot closer to him than you’d think. This is because 25% of the men were related to him! Yes, brothers, uncles, cousins, and nephews were part of his troops.

Fact 10: Two days after the battle of Concord, there was roughly 150,000 militiamen that surrounded Boston.