A Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Beginning of the American Revolution

Savas Beatie, 2018
192 pp.; 178 images, 5 maps
ISBN: 978-1-61121-379-9
(click here to order)

About the Book:

“I have now nothing to trouble your Lordship with, but an affair that happened on the 19th instant . . .” General Thomas Gage penned the above line to his superiors in London, casually summing up the shots fired at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The history of the Battles of Lexington and Concord were the culmination of years of unrest between those loyal to the British monarchy and those advocating for more autonomy and dreaming of independence from Great Britain in the future. On the morning of April 19th, Gage sent out a force of British soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith to confiscate, recapture, and destroy the military supplies gathered by the colonists and believed to be stored in the town of Concord. Due to the alacrity of men such as Dr. James Warren, Paul Revere, and William Dawes, utilizing a network of signals and outriders, the countryside was well-aware of the approaching British, setting the stage for the day’s events. When the column reached the green of Lexington, Massachusetts, militiamen awaited their approach. The first shots of April 19th would be fired there. The rest of the day unfolded accordingly. Historians Phillip S. Greenwalt and Robert Orrison unfold the facts of April 19, 1775, uncovering the amazing history that this pivotal spring day ushered in for the fate of Massachusetts and thirteen of Great Britain’s North American colonies with A Single Blow.


About the Authors:

Phillip S. Greenwalt is co-founder of Emerging Revolutionary War. He is also a full-time contributor to Emerging Civil War. Phillip is the co-author of Bloody Autumn: The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, Hurricane from the Heavens: The Battle of Cold Harbor, and Calamity in Carolina: The Battles of Averasboro and Bentonville (all three with Daniel Davis). Phillip graduated from George Mason University with a M.A. in American History and also has a B.A. in history from Wheeling Jesuit University. He currently works for the National Park Service.

Robert Orrison is co-founder of Emerging Revolutionary War and has worked in the public history field for 25 years. Currently Rob serves as the Division Manager for the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation. His published works include A Want of Vigilance: The Bristoe Station Campaign, The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign 1863 and Hazard All: A Guide to the Maryland Campaign of 1862.


A Single Blow also includes:

  • A forward by J. L. Bell
  • Driving and walking tours of historic Boston, Lexington, Concord and routes of the British Army to and from Concord.
  • Appendix A: First Blood: Regulars vs Minute Man by Robert Dunkerly
  • Appendix B: Authors and the American Revolution in Concord by Jayne Gordon
  • Appendix C: Historic Taverns of Boston by Robert Orrison
  • Orders of Battle for the American Militia and British Armies
  • Suggested Reading
  • Five original maps by Hal Jespersen