On the night of april 18, 1775, general gage sent 700 men to seize munitions stored by the colonial militia at concord. Henry clinton british army officer, born 1730 wikipedia. On the night of april 18, 1775, he dispatched nearly 1,000 troops from boston. Were 72 people killed resisting gun confiscation in boston. The battles of lexington and concord are generally considered the start of the american revolution. General gage did not send british soldiers to lexington but to concord, massachusetts, in order to capture the military supplies that the british believed the rebellious colonials had stored there. General thomas gage and 4000 troops were dispatched to boston accused of treason lord north compromises, 1770. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the kingdom of great britain and its thirteen. Terms in this set 21 why did general thomas gage order british troops to march to concord in april 1775. General sir henry clinton, kb possibly 16 april 1730 23 december 1795 was a british army officer and politician who sat in the house of commons between 1772 and 1795. Firle place, firle, sussex, is where the gage family had been seated since the 15th century. Having already learned of the orders, colonial leaders fled boston to avoid arrest.
General gage sent out troops to lexington to capture colonial leaders john hancock and samuel adams. In an effort to restore law and order in boston, the british dispatched general thomas gage to the new england seaport. Both sides had to deal with resource supply and personnel issues over the course of the siege. The siege of boston april 19, 1775 march 17, 1776 was the opening phase of the american revolutionary war. The first serious encounter in the american conflict occurred when general gage, surveying the drift towards war, dispatched on 18 april a force of 700 men from boston to concord, some 20 miles, to recover arms and ammunition. Early on the morning of april 19, 1775, general thomas gage, commander of british forces in america, dispatched regular troops to concord, massachusetts, where spies informed him the americans had stored weapons. The british general, gage, dispatched 2,300 troops under the command of major general howe to take control of the hill. Gage decided to seize and destroy arms the patriots had stored at concord, 20 miles northwest of boston. General artemas ward, commander in chief of the massachusetts troops, served as the senior new england officer. The national guard troops in this encounter were british soldiers, the paramilitary extremist faction was rebellious colonials, thomas gage was the military governor of massachusetts. Unt history 2610 topic 06 arts and humanities flashcards. To make a show of force, general thomas gage dispatched troops from boston in april of 1775 to seize arms being stored at concord. The battles of lexington and concord were the first military engagements of the american revolutionary war. General gage had ordered colonel francis smith and his troops to arrest sam adams and john hancock for high treason.
The british had heard that the colonists were storing gunpowder in concord. Why did the british go to concord massachusetts answers. Why did general gage order british troops to massachusetts. The british sent troops to concord in 1775 out of sheer stupidity. Lord hillsborough, secretary of state for the colonies, dispatched two regiments4,000 troops, to. Battle of bunker hill united states history britannica. After the boston tea party, king george iii had closed the port of boston in an effort to starve out the citizens of boston. Instructions from london called for the arrest of rebel leaders samuel adams and john hancock. Within two months after the battles of lexington and concord april 19, 1775, more than 15,000 troops from massachusetts, connecticut, new hampshire, and rhode island had assembled in the vicinity of boston to confront the british army of 5,000 or more stationed there. He hoped to catch the colonists by surprise and thus to avoid bloodshed.
In 1775, he was replaced as the british military commanderinchief by general william howe. Throughout late 1774 and into 1775, tensions in new england continued to mount. But the collapse of royal authority in massachusetts was moving the colonies toward a showdown with britain. General thomas gage had secretly dispatched the troops towards lexington and concord. General gage learned that the massachusetts militia was storing arms and ammunition in concord, about 20 miles northwest of boston. New england militiamen prevented the movement by land of the british army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular city of boston, massachusetts bay. Adams and hancock had left boston and were hiding in lexington. Why did the british sent troops to concord in 1775 answers. First arriving in boston in may 1775, from 1778 to 1782 he was the british commanderinchief in north america. Thomas gage march 10, 1718 or 1719april 2, 1787 was a british army general who commanded troops during the beginning of the american revolution. American revolutionlexington and concord wikibooks.
Gage received orders to arrest sam adams and john hancock, rumored to be near lexington. Gage dispatched lieutenant colonel francis smith with a force of about 700 regulars to proceed to concord. General gage knew that a powder magazine was stored in concord, massachusetts, and on april 19, 1775, he ordered troops to seize these munitions. When gage heard that the colonists had stockpiled guns and powder in concord, he decided to act. 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. General gage knew that a powder magazine was stored in concord, massachusetts, and he ordered troops to seize these munitions. His father, thomas gage, 1st viscount gage, was a noted nobleman given titles in ireland. General gage and british troops to lexington and concord. Minute men were colonial militias that were called minute men because they would be ready to fight. General gage had been forced to put his army on strict rations, and british morale was low. This map traces their advance toward concord and their bloody encounters with militiamen along the way. Why did general gage send troops to lexington and concord. General gage dispatched troops toward concord because. Paul revere was one of these colonists and he rode as fast as he could toward lexington.
British troops land in boston to maintain order1768 the actions of the colonist in response to the townshend act convinced the british that they needed troops in boston to help maintain order. In september 1774 general thomas gage ordered british troops to seize patriot armories in charlestown. He also heard that sam adams and john hancock were in lexington. Colonial militiamen successfully laid siege to the britishheld city of boston.
Get an answer for general gage and british troops to lexington and concord why did general gage send british troops to lexington and concord in 1775, and what happened as a result. Prior to this, he served as the colonial governor of massachusetts bay. On the night of april 18, 1775, 700 british soldiers began to march toward concord. In april 1775, general gage, the military governor of massachusetts sent out a body of troops to take possession of military stores at concord, a short distance from boston. A baffle between british soldiers and the massachusetts militia resulted.
He arrived in boston in may 1774 as the new royal governor of the province of massachusetts, accompanied by several regiments of british troops. The local patriots rallied to drive the troops back to boston. There were a few reasons why general gage sent his british troops to lexington and concord in 1775. American revolution the red, white and blue page 2. In april 1775 gage dispatched seven hundred soldiers to capture colonial leaders and supplies in concord. To effect surprise, the troops set off on a night march. The battles were fought on april 19, 1775 in middlesex county, province of massachusetts bay, within the towns of lexington, concord, lincoln, menotomy presentday arlington, and cambridge.
The boston patriots had been preparing for such a british military action for some time, and, upon learning of the british plan, revere and dawes set off across the massachusetts countryside. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Led by general gage, a troop of 700 british soldiers began their march on april 18, 1775. The order was issues to british lieutenant colonel francis smith on the afternoon of april 18, 1775, just few hours before the midnight ride began. Who commanded the british troops at lexington and concord. Just over halfway, at lexington, they clashed with a small force of rebel militia. The siege of boston occurred after the battles of lexington and concord. The battle of lexington and concord college of william. Below is the transcript of the very order given by general cage gave to his troops that revere became aware of and rode to concord to prevent. The british commander ordered, disperse you damned rebels. By the time it was published in london in late july, engraver charles hall was able also to include depictions of the more recent events at bunker hill. Marshfield appealed to general gage for assistance, and gage dispatched four officers and about one hundred men via two small ships to marshfield along with.
Why did general gage send british troops to lexington and. Gage, however, did not order the arrest of adams or hancock and warned smith to seize. Thomas gage was born on 10 march 171819 and christened 31 march 1719 at westminster st james, middlesex, england, son of thomas gage, 1st viscount gage and benedicta maria teresa hall. The troops were also to go to concord and collect the arms stored for the militia. When joseph warren 17411775, a boston patriot, discovered that british troops were on the march, he sent paul revere 17351818 and william dawes 1745. Siege of boston, massachusetts in april 1775 march 1776. Why did general cage send british troops to lexington and. The midday ride of paul revere history smithsonian. British troops heard about colonial troops and marched towards concord they stopped at lexington when they saw 70 minutemen lined up waiting a shot was fired shot heard round the worldand the first battle of the revolutionary war began, lasting only 15 minutes, and killing 8 minutemen. The siege of boston was part opening stages of the american revolutionary war. At lexington, a handful of embattled farmers, who had been tipped off by paul revere, barred the way. In april of 1775, british troops were ordered to march on concord massachusetts by general thomas gage, military governor of the province of massachusetts bay and commander of the british. American revolution 17751777 sage american history.
As a show of force to intimidate colonial revolutionary leaders. British general thomas gage, the military governor and commanderinchief, received instructions, on april 14, 1775, from secretary of state william legge, the earl of dartmouth to disarm the rebels, who had supposedly hidden weapons in concord, and to imprison the. General gage sent troops to capture hancock and adams in lexington and to seize patriot weapons stockpiled in concord. Orders from general thomas gage to march to concord. Britains lawandorder strategy and its consequences us. On the night of april 18, 1775, gage ordered his troops to arrest adams and hancock in lexington and to destroy the supplies in concord. In a short time after they had been dispatched, the notice of the british army marching toward lexington was found out by some colonists.