Two hundred and fifty-one years ago this week, on April 19, 1775, the first shots of the American Revolution were fired on the village green in Lexington, Massachusetts.
About 800 British troops marched in the dark to seize colonial weapons and arrest leaders like John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Warned by riders such as Paul Revere, around 70 minutemen—many from Rev. Jonas Clark’s congregation—stood ready at dawn. When the British ordered them to disperse, a shot rang out (we still don’t know who fired it), and gunfire was exchanged. Eight Americans were killed, and ten more were wounded, most from that one church community.
The British moved on to Concord, where they faced strong resistance at the North Bridge. Outnumbered, the colonists nevertheless fought back, forcing the Redcoats into a chaotic 18-mile retreat under constant fire from behind stone walls, trees, and fences. British Lt. Col. Francis Smith later remarked that it seemed like a coordinated plan. By the end of the day, the colonists had inflicted heavy losses while defending their homes and freedoms.
These were not professional soldiers but farmers, tradesmen, and fathers—many of them devout Christians—who believed they were effecting “the work of the Lord” against tyranny. In 1778, Rev. Jacob Cushing preached in Lexington on the anniversary: “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side… then they had swallowed us up quick.” He reminded the people that their deliverance came not just from their courage but also from the merciful hand of God, who “rules in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.” Today, we enjoy freedoms paid for with the blood of that generation. As John Adams later warned, “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make a good use of it.” Let us honor their sacrifice by standing firm for Biblical principles of liberty and reliance on God. May we, like our Founders, seek His guidance as we defend what they bravely started.
Editor’s Note: This story can be found at wallbuilders.com.
WallBuilders is dedicated to teaching America’s forgotten history and heroes, emphasizing the moral, Christian, and constitutional foundation on which our nation was built.
