In 1775 British Prime Minister Lord North offered a reconciliation plan, but it was rejected by the Americans, and the colony of Massachusetts was declared to be in a state of rebellion. The newly appointed governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, whose appointment stirred further animosity in that he was a military man, took it upon himself to preempt any possible hostile action on the part of the overheated Bostonians and their friends in the Massachusetts countryside. Loyalists in the area kept General Gage informed of events.
When General Gage's spies learned of the quasi-military preparations being made by the patriots, he issued orders to his officers to arrest rebel leaders (he knew who many of them were) and directed his troops to march to Concord to seize the military stores being gathered there. On the night of April 18, 1775, the patriot line of communication discovered General Gage's intentions, and Paul Revere, Dr. Samuel Prescott, and William Dawes were to be signaled with lanterns in the Old North Church about the British advance across the Charles River: "One if by land, two if by sea." Revere and the others rode off to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who fled to avoid arrest.
Early in the morning of April 19, General Gage's seven hundred troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith were marching toward Concord to capture stores when they encountered a group of American Minutemen under the command of Captain John Parker arrayed on the town green at Lexington. The British commander ordered, "Disperse you damned rebels!" Someone fired a shot, and a brief skirmish broke out, leaving eight Americans dead and ten wounded.
Minutemen—colonial militia-continued to gather ahead of the British line of march, and they removed most of the supplies from Concord before the Redcoats arrived. The British destroyed most of what was left but were forced to retreat back toward Boston. All during their retreat, more Minutemen arrived along the route and harassed the British, firing from behind fences and trees and inflicting heavy losses. General Gage sent out a relief party to aid the beleaguered soldiers, but more than two hundred were killed or wounded. The American Revolution had begun.
It was clear that once the shooting had begun in earnest, it would very difficult to turn back and find grounds for reconciliation. George III declared, "Blows will decide!" how it would all turn out.
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