When British troops plan to destroy American ammunition at Concord, Massachussetts, the Boston Committee of Safety learns of this plan. It sends Paul Revere and William Dawes to alert the countryside and gather Minute Men.

On April 19, 1775, Minute Men and British troops meet at Lexington, where a shot from a stray British gun leads to more British firing. This shot has been dubbed “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.’

 The Americans fire only a few shots; several Americans are killed. The British march on to Concord and destroy some ammunition. They soon find the whole countryside swarming with militia. At the end of the day, many are dead on both sides. The Revolutionary War has begun.