A British military expedition into the Massachusetts countryside to capture dissidents and gunpowder results in a clash with American militia at Lexington Green and a full-blown battle starting at the Town of Concord and extending all the way back to Boston. With hundreds of casualties, this day inaugurates the War for American Independence, though the Declaration of it is still more than a year away.

American militia officer Ethan Allen and his “Green Mountain Boys” capture Fort Ticonderoga, thus eliminating a major strategic English Fort and acquiring much-needed artillery for the American cause.

George Washington chosen by Congress as Commander in Chief of the American Army.