Reason for the Conflict at the Battle of Lexington
General Thomas Gage, the military governor of Massachusetts, was aware that the Colonists in the Province of Massachusetts Bay were preparing for conflict, including the production of arms and munitions and the training of militia, including the Minutemen. On April 14, 1775, General Thomas Gage received instructions from Secretary of State William Legge, the Earl of Dartmouth, to disarm the rebels and to imprison the leaders of the rebellion. General Thomas Gage therefore sent British troops, the hated 'Redcoats', to capture the patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock who were reportedly staying in the village of Lexington. Other British troops were sent to Concord to seize the arms and ammunition which led to the second conflict in the Revolutionary War - the Battle of Concord.

The Battle of Lexington - The Midnight ride of Paul Revere
Following the 1773 Boston Tea Party and the passing of the punishing '1774 Intolerable Acts' the colonial patriots started to prepare for likely conflicts with the British. A leading patriot, Paul Revere, began serving as courier for the communication network organized by the Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence in 1774. In the early hours of April 19, 1775 Paul Revere, along with two other messengers, were sent to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the movements of the British Army and their intentions to capture them. The patriots managed to escape the British but the presence of the British soldiers resulted in the first shot of the Revolutionary War being fired.

The Battle of Lexington
The British and the American colonists were in a face-off position on the green. There were over 100 spectators. Neither side wanted the situation to escalate and were ordered not to fire. No one knows who fired the first shot of the American Revolution - but many believe that it was an onlooker. Shots were exchanged by both sides resulting in the deaths and wounding of both American and British troops. The Battle of Lexington ended with the retreat of the colonists who were vastly outnumbered by the British. The British marched out of Lexington and made their way to Concord to seize arms and ammunition and capture any rebels that resulted in the Battle of Concord.

The Importance and Significance of the Battle of Lexington
Significance of the Battle of Lexington: The significance of the conflict was that it was that this was the first battle in the American Revolutionary War.