The beginnings of the Revolutionary War–the battles of Concord and Lexington Written by Reid Rosenthal on April 20, 2017 · Have a comment? The Shot ‘Heard Round The World…April 19, 1775. Thank you for Defending Freedom, Patriots of 242 years ago, today. Now, it’s our turn. We shall not fail. Minutemen facing British soldiers on Lexington Common, Massachusetts, in the first battle in the War of Independence, 19th April 1775. Original artist William Barnes Wollen. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)