Who Fired First At Lexington?

[Benderino]

So, who really did fire first on that fateful day on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775? Some say the Brits, others, the Yanks. Discuss...

 

[Unregister]

I think the minutemen would have because they would have been less experienced so they would shoot as soon as they see something move.

 

[CruddyLeper]

I reckon some joker shouted "Fire!" and both sides reacted accordingly.

 

[Benderino]

Ahhh. Well, many say the British fired first, even though the officer Pitcairn ordered them not to.

 

[covok48]

The British were a highly trained and disciplined group of individuals. They would not fire unless ordered to do so (barring the Boston "massacre").

It has been said that the minutemen did not have their guns cocked and thus unloaded. So their mere presence was more of a deterrant / bluff / stand than a mass itching for a war.

So I cannot formulate one conclusion or another. CruddyLeper has point. It reminds me of the Johnny Trumain movie (created by Disney) where an outside shot was fired, and the rest is history.

 

[Benderino]

Well, I just visited Lexington and it is still unclear. After the first shots were fired, many of the redcoats, in spite of Pitcairns orders, charged the minutemen, with bayonets flailing. It is true that the 70 or so minutemen who were there were mainly for show (many of them dispersed eventually, after Pitcairn ordered them to) many were shot in the back as they were retreating. However, their guns were loaded, for one Brit was wounded in the leg, and another shot in the hand.

Apperantly, the Regulars disobeyed orders because of the strong animosity between the opposing sides in the conflict, and they wanted to have a go at the "wretched, ungrateful colonials".

 

[thedirk]

Well I wasn't there, so I can't say for certain

However, without wasting alot of time and space, my evaluation of the situation leads me to say it likely was the minutemen.

 

[Shadylookin]

I would have to say that a half trained minuteman with an itchy trigger finger fired first. either that or some third party fired a shot and got the whole thing going.(in the long run does it really matter)

 

[Kentonio]

Not my period of expertise but i'd have to agree with others that the minutemen are far more likely to have done it, the British army was kinda strict about disobeying orders back then and the troops were damn well trained.

 

[Benderino]

Yeah, that's probably right, however, once it started, the Regulars couldn't stop.

 

[Zarn]

I thought one of the muskets malfunctioned, somehow.

edit: I'm better at U.S. history form 1890's and onward.

 

[GenMarshall]

IMO, I beleve the Redcoats fired first.

 

[Benderino]

Damn straight!

But seriously, has anyone heard anything in regards to solid proof? It doesn't have to be, but I'm sure someone's heard something, right?

 

[TrailblazingScot]

I could far more easily understand a minuteman deciding to fire than a British Regular, in terms of a motivational level, the British Regular would have had far less interest in doing so and were on the whole used to firing only on order.

Furthermore it was the Americans who were clearly up for a fight that day, the British to seize and destroy an arms store in Concord.

 

[Benderino]

But the Americans were there merely as a presence, and nothing else (well, little else) There were 70 Americans on Lexington Green that morning of the 19th, while there were 700 Redcoats. I just came back from a trip to Lexington, and they have a fabulous museum thing there. It outlines the events of the day and such. Truly fascinating stuff.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

The 7000 or so rebels that gathered to attack the British soon after had been ready to act before the incident at Lexington Green, they weren't called from their farms to act after hearing of an outrage. They were forewarned, prepared and eager to engage in battle, I can well believe one of them fired for than an individual British Regular firing against orders.

 

[Benderino]

I agree there were many in the countryside heading in that direction, but only 70 were present at the battlesite. Many more were at Concord and again at Lexington while the British fell back to Boston. And many many more on the road leading back to Charlestown.

 

[hamstae]

I'd say the colonials fired the first shot, I doubt that in a team of such high discipined people as the british redcoats would have disobeyed orders or become jumpy enough to fire.
I guess I'll buy the "grassy knoll" idea too. Someone fired but it wasn't either group that did so.

-Alex

 

[mazda2.5]

eh... probly some jerk just making pop corn

 

[Stefan Haertel]

"The Shot Heard 'Round the World"

I hate this sort of selfish exaggaration.

Sorry. I'll return to less pointless activities now.