Chapter Four
The shot that was heard around the world
In October 1774, in London, King George decided not to read the letter that First Congress had written. Then King wanted to show the world that the ‘mother country’ could control her trouble- making children. This just made the colonists angrier. War was in the air.
General Gage, who was the commander-in-chief of the British army in America, still wanted peace. In fact, he liked Americans. He had lived and worked with the army in the colonies for eighteen years, and he had an American wife. He was sure that he could clam thing down.
But the American rebels were becoming braver. One year after the Boston Tea Party General Gage became worried. He had only 1500 British soldiers. ‘Send more soldiers!’ he wrote to King George in December 1774.
The colonists were busy preparing for war. They were secretly collecting medicine and weapons, and hiding them in buildings in Concord and Lexington, small town near Boston. Farmers were also hiding guns and axes on their farms. They put them in the middle of their fields, under dried grass, or they dug deep holes to put them in, and covered everything with leaves.
Spies informed General Gage about these secret weapons. Gage also learned that two leaders of the Boston Tea Party Samuel Adams and John Hancock – were hiding in a house in Lexington. The King had ordered Gage to arrest these two men, and send them to London as soon as possible.
Gage planned to attack. ‘After I find the weapons and arrest the two rebel leaders,’ he thought, ‘things will calm down.’ He was sure that he could succeed, and do it peacefully. The rebels were just simple farmers, after all; they couldn’t possibly give the great British army any real trouble!
On April 19, 1755, General Gage sent about eight hundred redcoats from Boston across the Charles River in boats. From there, wet and cold, the King’s army began to march down the dark road to Lexington, about thirty-two kilometers away, to find the weapons and the two rebel leaders.
The Americans were waiting for them in the town square. They had found the attack. (They had spies, too!) A rebel, Paul Revere, had carried the message across the Charles River just before the British. Then he had jumped on a horse and hurried down the road to Lexington. ‘The redcoats are coming!’ he warned every farmhouse along the way. Church bells began ringing, telling Minute Men everywhere to get their guns ready. The Minute Men were a group of American farmers, teachers, and traders who were ready to fight the British in a very short time; a ‘minute’.
In Lexington, Revere rode straight to the house where his friends Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying. ‘Save yourselves!’ he cried, and both men made a successful escape just before the redcoats arrived.
When the 800 British soldiers arrived in Lexington in the early morning, about seventy American Minute Men stood ready to fight them. There were teenagers, fathers and grandfathers who held guns, axes, and other weapons. They wore old farm clothes and did not look anything like an army. Both sides were worried. ‘Put down your weapons, you rebels, or you are all dead men!’ cried a British officer.
Suddenly, there was a shot. Did it come from a rebel or did it come from a redcoat? Was it an accident? To this day no one is sure, but the shot started a war. Today people call it ‘the shot that was heard around the world’ because it changed America’s place in the world.
Now the British soldiers fired their guns at the rebels. The rebels fired back. When the smoke cleared, eight Americans were dead and ten were bleeding. The rest ran away. No British soldiers were wounded.
The redcoats then marched on towards Concord, ten kilometers away, where they searched every house for hidden weapons. By this time, about four hundred Minute Men had arrived in Concord. They lay in the hills above the town and silently watched what was happening below them.
Suddenly, they saw a cloud of black some. ‘The redcoats are burning our town!’ they cried. This was not true. The British soldiers had simply made a big fire in the street to burn the weapons that they had found in people’s homes. But the Minute Men were running down the hills towards the British soldiers. ‘Stop!’ a British officer shouted, but the Americans continued to come towards them. The redcoats fired. One American was shot in the head, another through the heart. When the Americans fired back, twelve British soldiers fell to the ground began to run for their lives. The Minute Men went back to the hills. Only one rebel farmer stayed in town. He took his axe and killed a wounded redcoat with it.
British soldiers found the dead soldier with the axe in his head later that day. Tired and frightened, they began to march back to Boston. They thought that their troubles were finished. But suddenly, out of nowhere, bullets began to fly through the air. Behind every tree and every rock there were Minute Men with guns. One after another, British bodies fell to the ground; bleeding, crying, and dying. The battle continued almost all the way to Boston. Many American were killed on the awful afternoon, but many more British soldiers died. The ‘simple farmers’ had chased the great British army all the way back to Boston. General Gage began to look at the rebels with new eyes.
Worried by the battles of Lexington and Concord, the colonists sent their leaders to another meeting in Philadelphia in May 1775. This was the beginning of the Second Congress, a meeting that went on for several years.
‘Let’s try once more to make peace with Britain,’ some of the men argued. So they sent the King one last letter, known as the ‘Olive Branch letter’ because they hope that it would bring peace between Britain and America.
But after these first battles, Americans realized that they needed a real army. The Second Congress voted to make George Washington the commander-in-chief. Washington was a rich 43-year-old farmer from Virginia who had been an officer with the British army in the French and Indian War. His adventures during that war had made him famous. A strong and good looking man, Washington was tall and as straight as tree, and a quiet man, and not very talkative, perhaps because he had very bad teeth. Everyone liked him.
Although he did not think he was the best man for this difficult job, Washington agreed to accept it. He refused to de paid for this work. He only took the job, he said, because it was the right thing to do.
Chapter Four
The shot that was heard around the world
In October 1774, in London, King George decided not to read the letter that First Congress had written. Then King wanted to show the world that the ‘mother country’ could control her trouble- making children. This just made the colonists angrier. War was in the air.
General Gage, who was the commander-in-chief of the British army in America, still wanted peace. In fact, he liked Americans. He had lived and worked with the army in the colonies for eighteen years, and he had an American wife. He was sure that he could clam thing down.
But the American rebels were becoming braver. One year after the Boston Tea Party General Gage became worried. He had only 1500 British soldiers. ‘Send more soldiers!’ he wrote to King George in December 1774.
The colonists were busy preparing for war. They were secretly collecting medicine and weapons, and hiding them in buildings in Concord and Lexington, small town near Boston. Farmers were also hiding guns and axes on their farms. They put them in the middle of their fields, under dried grass, or they dug deep holes to put them in, and covered everything with leaves.
Spies informed General Gage about these secret weapons. Gage also learned that two leaders of the Boston Tea Party Samuel Adams and John Hancock – were hiding in a house in Lexington. The King had ordered Gage to arrest these two men, and send them to London as soon as possible.
Gage planned to attack. ‘After I find the weapons and arrest the two rebel leaders,’ he thought, ‘things will calm down.’ He was sure that he could succeed, and do it peacefully. The rebels were just simple farmers, after all; they couldn’t possibly give the great British army any real trouble!
On April 19, 1755, General Gage sent about eight hundred redcoats from Boston across the Charles River in boats. From there, wet and cold, the King’s army began to march down the dark road to Lexington, about thirty-two kilometers away, to find the weapons and the two rebel leaders.
The Americans were waiting for them in the town square. They had found the attack. (They had spies, too!) A rebel, Paul Revere, had carried the message across the Charles River just before the British. Then he had jumped on a horse and hurried down the road to Lexington. ‘The redcoats are coming!’ he warned every farmhouse along the way. Church bells began ringing, telling Minute Men everywhere to get their guns ready. The Minute Men were a group of American farmers, teachers, and traders who were ready to fight the British in a very short time; a ‘minute’.
In Lexington, Revere rode straight to the house where his friends Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying. ‘Save yourselves!’ he cried, and both men made a successful escape just before the redcoats arrived.
When the 800 British soldiers arrived in Lexington in the early morning, about seventy American Minute Men stood ready to fight them. There were teenagers, fathers and grandfathers who held guns, axes, and other weapons. They wore old farm clothes and did not look anything like an army. Both sides were worried. ‘Put down your weapons, you rebels, or you are all dead men!’ cried a British officer.
Suddenly, there was a shot. Did it come from a rebel or did it come from a redcoat? Was it an accident? To this day no one is sure, but the shot started a war. Today people call it ‘the shot that was heard around the world’ because it changed America’s place in the world.
Now the British soldiers fired their guns at the rebels. The rebels fired back. When the smoke cleared, eight Americans were dead and ten were bleeding. The rest ran away. No British soldiers were wounded.
The redcoats then marched on towards Concord, ten kilometers away, where they searched every house for hidden weapons. By this time, about four hundred Minute Men had arrived in Concord. They lay in the hills above the town and silently watched what was happening below them.
Suddenly, they saw a cloud of black some. ‘The redcoats are burning our town!’ they cried. This was not true. The British soldiers had simply made a big fire in the street to burn the weapons that they had found in people’s homes. But the Minute Men were running down the hills towards the British soldiers. ‘Stop!’ a British officer shouted, but the Americans continued to come towards them. The redcoats fired. One American was shot in the head, another through the heart. When the Americans fired back, twelve British soldiers fell to the ground began to run for their lives. The Minute Men went back to the hills. Only one rebel farmer stayed in town. He took his axe and killed a wounded redcoat with it.
British soldiers found the dead soldier with the axe in his head later that day. Tired and frightened, they began to march back to Boston. They thought that their troubles were finished. But suddenly, out of nowhere, bullets began to fly through the air. Behind every tree and every rock there were Minute Men with guns. One after another, British bodies fell to the ground; bleeding, crying, and dying. The battle continued almost all the way to Boston. Many American were killed on the awful afternoon, but many more British soldiers died. The ‘simple farmers’ had chased the great British army all the way back to Boston. General Gage began to look at the rebels with new eyes.
Worried by the battles of Lexington and Concord, the colonists sent their leaders to another meeting in Philadelphia in May 1775. This was the beginning of the Second Congress, a meeting that went on for several years.
‘Let’s try once more to make peace with Britain,’ some of the men argued. So they sent the King one last letter, known as the ‘Olive Branch letter’ because they hope that it would bring peace between Britain and America.
But after these first battles, Americans realized that they needed a real army. The Second Congress voted to make George Washington the commander-in-chief. Washington was a rich 43-year-old farmer from Virginia who had been an officer with the British army in the French and Indian War. His adventures during that war had made him famous. A strong and good looking man, Washington was tall and as straight as tree, and a quiet man, and not very talkative, perhaps because he had very bad teeth. Everyone liked him.
Although he did not think he was the best man for this difficult job, Washington agreed to accept it. He refused to de paid for this work. He only took the job, he said, because it was the right thing to do.
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