250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord

America’s Birthday is coming up on July 4, 2026. There will be year-long celebrations to mark this momentous occasion. The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) will be beginning their year-long-plus commemoration of the 250th on April 18, 2025. This date marks the 250th anniversary of the battles at Lexington and Concord. These battles are often referred to as the start of the American Revolution. The celebration will extend through the semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026.

The 250th birthday is referred to as the semiquincentennial or bisesquicentennial. As these names are a challenge to say, most people refer to the occasion as the 250th. The next major milestone will be 50 years later and is referred to as the tricentennial.

The battles at Lexington and Concord were fought on April 19, 1775. This was the first
military engagement of the Revolutionary War, which took place in Massachusetts. The goal of the British in this incursion was to confiscate gunpowder and weapons from the colonists and arrest leaders, including Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Francis Smith led 700 British regulars on the mission. A group, including Paul Revere, worked together to warn of the British soldiers’ advance. This notification allowed the militia, including the minutemen, to assemble and be prepared to repel the British.

The battle began around 5 am in the Lexington Green. The British and a militia of 70 men led by Capt. John Parker faced each other across the lawn. When the British advanced, Parker gave the order to disperse. There were shots fired and eight militia members died or were mortally wounded.

The fighting continued and more militia arrived as the British advanced to Concord. In Concord, 220 British soldiers were dispatched to secure the North Bridge. Around 400 militia men approached the bridge. This caused the British to fall back across the river. As the militia advanced, the British opened fire and the militia returned fire, causing the British to retreat to the town. The militia’s barrage is often referred to as “the shot heard round the world.”

After the major engagement, the British decided to return to Boston. This retreat turned into a rout, as the British traveled, the militia men fired on them from cover. There were casualties on both sides, with approximately 49 militiamen killed, 39 wounded, five missing or captured and on the British side, there were 73 killed, 174 wounded, and 53 missing or captured.

Even though the battles at Lexington and Concord are considered the start of the revolution, there were significant events that had already happened before the battle, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Massacre happened on March 5, 1770, and the Boston Tea Party date was December 16, 1773.