BATTLE // April 19, 1775

Boston campaign

Name: Boston campaign
Start: 1775-04-19
End: 1775-04-19
Location: Boston campaign

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Overview

The Boston campaign was the opening campaign of the American Revolutionary War, taking place primarily in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The campaign began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, in which the local colonial militias interdicted a British government attempt to seize military stores and leaders in Concord, Massachusetts. The entire British expedition suffered significant casualties during a running battle back to Charlestown against an ever-growing number of militia.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Boston campaign opened the American Revolutionary War in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Beginning with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, colonial militias interdicted a British attempt to seize military stores and leaders at Concord, Massachusetts. The British expedition suffered significant casualties—recorded at 1,505 on the British side—during the fighting. The campaign established early that colonial forces, drawn from local militias numbering between 7,700 and 16,000, could contest and inflict serious losses on a professional British force of 4,000 to 11,000 troops, setting the terms of the wider conflict that followed.

Tactics

The British expedition attempted to seize military stores and leaders at Concord. Colonial militias interdicted this force and then engaged it in a running battle back toward Charlestown, with the number of militia growing throughout the retreat. The fighting was sustained over this withdrawal route, with the colonial force continuously increasing in size as the British column moved.