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Why did General Gage send British troops to Lexington and Concord in 1775?
Quick answer:
General Thomas Gage sent British troops to Lexington and Concord in April 1775 to suppress a growing rebellion in Massachusetts. He aimed to confiscate weapons reportedly stored by the Patriots in Concord and hoped to capture key Patriot leaders, including John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were believed to be hiding there. Lexington was a town en route to Concord, making it a strategic stop for the troops.
There were two reasons why General Thomas Gage (who was the governor of Massachusetts at the time) sent British troops to Lexington and Concord in April of 1775. Both had to do with the rebellion that was brewing in the colony at the time.
First, Gage had heard that the Patriots had been collecting weapons to use in a potential rebellion. The Patriots were said to have stored the weapons in Concord. Gage sent troops to Concord to find and confiscate the weapons.
Second, Gage felt that he would be able to capture some Patriot leaders in this way. He had heard that John Hancock and Samuel Adams were hiding in Concord as well.
Gage sent the troops to Concord for these two reasons. Lexington was simply a town along the way to Concord.
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