the first shot of the revolutionary war was fired on april 18, 1775.
the first shot of the revolutionary war was fired on april 18, 1775.
when was the first shot of the revolutionary war fired?
april 18, 1775
the phrase comes from the opening stanza of ralph waldo emerson's "concord hymn" (1837) and refers to the first shot of the american revolution at the old north bridge in concord, massachusetts, where the first british soldiers fell in the battles of lexington and concord on april 19, 1775. historically, no single shot can be cited as the first shot of the battle or the war. shots were fired earlier that day at lexington, massachusetts, where eight americans were killed and a british soldier was slightly wounded, but accounts of that event are confused and contradictory. the north bridge skirmish did see the first shots by americans acting under orders, the first organized volley by americans, the first british fatalities, and the first british retreat.
shot heard round the world
some witnesses among the regulars reported the first shot was fired by a colonial onlooker from behind a hedge or around the corner of a tavern. some observers reported a mounted british officer firing first. both sides generally agreed that the initial shot did not come from the men on the ground immediately facing each other. speculation arose later in lexington that a man named solomon brown fired the first shot from inside the tavern or from behind a wall, but this has been discredited. some witnesses (on each side) claimed that someone on the other side fired first; however, many more witnesses claimed to not know. yet another theory is that the first shot was one fired by the british, that killed asahel porter, their prisoner who was running away (he had been told to walk away and he would be let go, though he panicked and began to run). historian david hackett fischer has proposed that there may actually have been multiple near-simultaneous shots. historian mark urban claims the british surged forward with bayonets ready in an undisciplined way, provoking a few scattered shots from the militia. in response the british troops, without orders, fired a devastating volley. this lack of discipline among the british troops had a key role in the escalation of violence.
battles of lexington and concord