The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. British troops were sent to confiscate colonial weapons and arrest rebel leaders in Massachusetts. In Lexington, about 70 colonial militia faced off against British soldiers, resulting in the death of eight militiamen. The British then moved to Concord, where they found the weapons had been moved. As they retreated back to Boston, colonial militias ambushed them, inflicting heavy casualties. The battles marked the start of open conflict between the colonies and Britain, rallying colonists to the cause of independence.