Thomas Gage and Lexington and Concord
Thomas Gage General Great Britain Thomas Gage became the Commander-in-Chief of North America, a temporary position, in 1763. Gage was responsible for the increase of British troops in New York and Boston. This eventually led to the Boston Massacre, although at the time of the massacre, Gage was back in England. When he returned to North America in 1774, he was made the Governor of Massachusetts. In April of 1775, Gage was given the order to attack the town of Concord and not only retrieve the stockpile of armaments there, but also to take Samuel Adams and John Hancock into custody. Fortunately, they were forewarned and were able to escape.
On April 19th of 1775, in the towns of Lexington and Concord, American and British troops fired on each other. 700 British soldiers were sent to suppress the rebellious colonists. That was the night that Paul Revere made his famous ride. In the end, 49 colonists
Lexington and Concord were killed and 39 wounded. There were 73 British killed and 174 wounded. Those opening shots at the battles of Lexington and Concord have come to be known as the “Shot Heard 'Round the World”. Those shots began the war for independence that lasted 8 years. Ready to join in the uprising, the Sons of Liberty in New York overthrew New York’s Colonial Government.
