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The Battle of Lexington, fought on April 19, 1775, in Lexington, Massachusetts, marked the first military engagement of the American Revolutionary War.  Known as the "shot heard round the world," it began when British troops, under the command of Lt. Col. Francis Smith, marched from Boston toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies.  Warned by riders like Paul Revere, local militiamen—about 70-80 "Minutemen"—assembled on Lexington Green under Capt. John Parker.  As the British column approached at dawn, the outnumbered colonists faced off against roughly 700 redcoats.  A tense standoff ensued, with orders shouted on both sides to disperse or hold fire.  The exact sequence of events remains debated among historians, but a single shot was fired—its origin unclear—sparking a brief but chaotic exchange.  The poorly trained militiamen fired a scattered volley before being overwhelmed.  Eight colonists were killed and ten wounded, while the British suffered only one minor injury.  The redcoats quickly dispersed the remaining Minutemen and continued their march to Concord.  This initial clash lasted mere minutes but symbolized colonial resistance and galvanized support for the Patriot cause across the colonies.  It unified colonial opinion against British policies, leading to the rapid mobilization of militia and the formation of the Continental Army.