By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard 'round the world.
On this day in 1776, the American Revolution began with the battles at Lexington and Concord. A British force from Boston was searching for stockpiles of arms and ammunition. They were confronted by militia on Lexington Green at 5 am. A few hours later, at the North Bridge near Concord, colonial militia engaged the British for the first time, killing two. As the British withdrew to Boston, about 4000 militia engaged them along what has come to be known as Battle Road. By about 7pm, the British were back in Boston, and Boston was under siege by the colonial forces. Near the reconstructed North Bridge is the inscription of a verse (above) written about the fighting there.
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