In the early morning hours of 19 April 1775, General Thomas Gage sent troops into the countryside outside of Boston. Gage’s orders that day were to proceed:
“with utmost expedition and secrecy to Concord, where you will seize and destroy all the Artillery, Ammunition, Provisions, Tents, Small Arms, and all Military stores whatever.”
General Gage had no way of knowing that with these orders, he had set in motion a series of events that would forever alter history. This was to be just another in a series of raids and attempted raids where the British were endeavoring to gain tighter control over war materials that the colonists possessed, as part of their duties as the militia. Gage understood the gravity of this particular undertaking, as preparation for this particular raid had been underway for almost a month prior to that fateful day. The British Regulars that departed Boston that fateful morning, were some of the finest troops at Gage’s disposal. Gage was not leaving anything to chance.
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