FACTS ABOUT LEXINGTON AND CONCORD

1. The phrase “the shot heard ‘round the world” comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Concord Hymn” from 1837.
2. “One if by land and two if by sea” comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” from 1861.  The British could have marched across the neck of Boston (by land) or used boats to cross the bay and then start marching (by sea).
3. Dr. Joseph Warren (a radical leader who was later killed fighting on Breed’s Hill) sent Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock who were hiding in Lexington and to warn the militia in Concord that the British were coming. What Revere actually yelled was:  “The regulars are coming out.”
4. Neither Revere nor Dawes made it to Concord. They were joined on the way by a young doctor named Samuel Prescott who was returning from a date with his girlfriend in Concord.  The three ran into a British patrol.  Revere was captured, Dawes was unhorsed and had to walk back to Lexington.  Prescott was the only one of the trio to reach Concord.
5. It is still unclear who fired the first shot at Lexington. One strong possibility was a colonist (not in the group gathered on the green) sniped at the British.  Another possibility is a jittery British soldier opened fire.
6. There were 77 militiamen led by Capt. John Parker facing the British at Lexington. About 25% of the men were related to Parker who was a French and Indian War veteran.  Eight were killed and ten were wounded.  One of the wounded was a slave named Prince Estabrook.  The British suffered only one soldier wounded.
7. The British expedition was a total failure. Adams and Hancock were not captured.  The military supplies and weapons they were trying to capture in Concord had already been removed to safety.
8. The war might not have begun if just the British had opened fire at Lexington. It was the decision of the militia at Old North Bridge outside Concord that started the war.  Those men opened fire on a unit of British regulars, killing several, and creating the momentum for the rest of the day.
9. The force sent to Concord would probably have been wiped out if not for a relief force that met it in Lexington on the way back. This reinforced army could have been cut off before it reached Boston, but a large colonial force led by Col. Timothy Pickering let it pass by.  Pickering was blamed for his inaction.
10. The survivors of the march to Concord had marched 40 miles in 21 hours by the end of the day.
11. Both the British and the militiamen were armed with muskets. The colonists used few, if any, rifles.  The muskets were accurate to only about 80 yards.  73 British were killed and 174 were wounded.  The colonists lost 49 dead and 41 injured.  It is estimated that only 2% of shots fired by the militia actually hit a British soldier.

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