Today’s post was written by Matthew DiBiase, an Archives Specialist from the National Archives at Philadelphia (who in his spare time doubles as a podcaster and sports history author).
The documents featured here are from the Interim Report of the Boston National Historic Sites Commission (led by Congressman and future Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr.) to the Congress of the United States submitted on June 16, 1958 (images 1 and 2 are the first two pages from the Interim Report submitted by the Boston National Historic Sites Commission).
The report recommended that the National Park Service create a National Historic Park embracing portions of the traditional setting along the route where the battles of Lexington and Concord took place (these recommendations later resulted in the establishment of Minute Man National Historic Park on September 21, 1959 (image 3 is the summary from the Interim Report. Image 26 is a photo found in the Interim Report of the famed Minute Man statue located at Minute Man National Historic Park).
Record Group 79-Records of the National Park Service-Eastern Office-Division of Design and Construction-General Correspondence-PH-3512-NAID 37489672-Box 5-HC1-80635654-Folder RG-The Lexington-Concord Battle Road-Boston NHS 1958.
Historical Background of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
The political tensions between the British Parliament and the American colonies had reached a critical mass in April 1775. The British Government’s crackdown in response to the Boston Tea Party had only exacerbated the tensions. The Massachusetts colonial assembly called for local militias to train and arm themselves for future hostilities. The militias secured arms and amassed supplies of gunpowder in the town of Concord (18 miles west of Boston).
When the word was received that 800 British troops would march on Concord to seize the supplies stored at Concord riders (like Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott) were sent to alert the surrounding countryside and Patriot leaders about the British march (image 14 is found in the Interim Report and shows the routes taken by Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott on the nights of April 18-19, 1775).
Shortly after sunrise on April 19, 1775, the British forces reached Lexington and found 77 men of the Lexington Militia arrayed on the village green blocking their path (image 15 is found in the Interim Report and shows the route of the British march towards Lexington on April 19, 1775. Image 16 is found in the Interim Report and shows the route of the British final approach towards Lexington on April 19, 1775. Image 20 is found in the Interim Report and is a photograph of Lexington Green where the Battle of Lexington was fought on April 19, 1775).
After refusing to disperse and after a mysterious shot was fired by an unknown shooter, the British forces fired upon the Lexington Militia killing eight men and wounding many others (images 4 and 5 are of pages 58 and 59 from the Interim Report which details the Battle of Lexington. Image 21 is an illustration of the battle contained in the Interim Report which shows the battle of Lexington).
The colonials retreated and the British made their way to Concord (images 17, 18, and 19 are found in the Interim Report and show the route of the British march towards Concord after the Battle of Lexington took place) where they found a force of 400 Minutemen at the Old North Bridge at Concord (images 6, 7, 8, and 9 are pages 64-67 from the Interim Report that details the battle of Concord. Images 22 and 23 are illustrations of the battle of Concord found in the Interim Report. Image 25 is a photograph of the Old North Bridge found in the Interim Report).
Illustrations of the battle of Concord. found in the Interim Report.
After a fierce battle the British began to retreat—all the way back to Boston where they were continually harassed by colonial marksmen shooting at them from concealed positions (images 10 and 11 are pages 68 and 69 from the Interim Report which detail the British retreat from Concord back to Boston and the Patriots’ harassment of that retreat. Image 24 is an illustration found in the Interim Report of the British retreat).
The British lost 73 dead, 174 wounded, and 53 soldiers were listed as missing. American losses were lighter (images 12 and 13 are pages 92 and 93 from the Interim Report that details the aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the casualty figures from both sides.
The British forces were now penned in the City of Boston while American colonial forces occupied the surrounding areas, besieging the City of Boston.
With these opening battles the American Revolution had begun on a very auspicious and audacious note.