250 Years Ago: News of the Battles of Lexington and Concord

On April 21, 1775, The New-Hampshire Gazette and Historical Chronicle published an article titled “Bloody News,” reporting the first hostilities of what would become the Revolutionary War. On April 19, 1775, British troops fired on the men of the Lexington Company who had already begun to disperse, beginning an unplanned and bloody battle. The descriptions and reactions to the battle can be found in the pages of the colonial newspapers available through our Chronicling America* database of historical American newspapers.

The night before, word was quickly spread to the colonists of the coming British invasion, the most well-known rider that night being Paul Revere. By the time the British troops arrived in Lexington in the early morning hours of April 19, minute men and militia had already assembled on the Lexington Green and word had spread to Concord. While no one knows for sure who fired the first shot, now known as the “shot heard ‘round the world,” witness accounts agree that the British fired onto the retreating militia men.

A letter in the Virginia Gazette described it as “a scene, the most shocking that New England ever beheld.”  Elijah Sanderson wrote in the New-Hampshire Gazette and Historical Chronicle, “I heard one of the Regulars, whom I took to be an Officer, say, damn them we will have them, and immediately the Regulars shouted aloud, run and fired on the Lexington Company, which did not fire a Gun before the Regulars discharged on them.” Witness accounts of many other members of the Lexington Company followed, stating that they had begun to disperse, “with their Backs towards the Troops” when they were fired upon.

The British then continued to the town of Concord. The militia that had gathered there retreated over the North Bridge to await reinforcements. The British had hoped to find stockpiles of supplies and weapons in Concord, but instead found very little. The troops set fire to the few supplies that they did find. The militia, seeing the smoke, thought that the troops were setting fire to the town and advanced.

At the North Bridge, the colonial militiamen fired onto the British troops for the first time causing the troops to retreat. After that the British faced colonial militias along the road all the way back to Charlestown as they retreated. One letter published in the Virginia Gazette noted, “It has been a most distressing day with us, but I pray God we may never have reason to be called to such another.”

However, the battles at Lexington and Concord marked only the beginning of the war. The following month, in May 1775, both sides began preparing for war as the British sent reinforcements from England and the Continental Congress began official military preparations.

Additional Resources:

• Minute Man National Historic Park. April 19, 1775.
• American Battlefield Trust. Lexington and Concord.
• Headlines and Heroes. “250 Years Ago: News of the First Continental Congress.”
• George Washington Papers. The American Revolution: A timeline of George Washington’s military and political career during the American Revolution, 1774-1783.

*The Chronicling America historic newspapers online collection is a product of the National Digital Newspaper Program and jointly sponsored by the Library and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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