1. Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill

2. Preparing for Trouble
After the Intolerable Acts, patriots in New England prepare for a fight.
New England militia train and drill for months.
British Gen. Thomas Gage
worries that war with the
colonists may be coming –
and soon!

3. Sounding the alarm
Loyalists told Gage that patriots are hiding weapons in Concord, 20 miles from Boston.
Gage sends 700 British troops to
capture the weapons on April 18,
1775.
Paul Revere and others
spread the word that British
soldiers are coming.

4. Lexington – Apr. 19, 1775
About 70 minutemen gather in Lexington to stop the British from reaching Concord.
The two sides stand facing each other, then a shot rings out.
The British soldiers
open fire and charge.
The patriots lose 8 men
and retreat.

5. Concord – The same day The British find very few weapons in Concord.
Frustrated, they head back to Boston.
Minutemen hide behind houses,
walls, trees, and barns –
shooting at the British for the
entire 20 miles.
About 275 British troops are
killed or wounded.

6. Bunker Hill – June 17, 1775
About 1,000 patriots take control of Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill outside of Boston.
Gen. Gage sends 2,200 British troops to capture the hills.
The British charge uphill, and the Americans fire at very close range.
The British lose over 1,000 men.
The patriots retreat when they
run out of ammunition.

7. Lessons Learned
The British learned the colonists were willing to fight.
The colonists learned the British were not invincible.
Congress turns the patriot
volunteers into the Continental
Army.
George Washington is named
the Commander of the Army.