As the dawn broke on April 19, 1775, the tension which had grown for years in New England colony exploded into violence. No one knows who fired first in the town square Lexington that morning. It might have been the British Regulars in their signature red uniforms, the redcoats were known and feared across the globe. It might have been the Colonial Militia, citizen soldiers who were no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens because they lived in the new colonies. Once violence erupted though, the running battle which lasted throughout the day would foreshadow the outcome of American War Independence. On open ground, where the British Soldiers discipline and training could be used to full effect, the Red Coats were a fearsome foe that were almost unstoppable. The British forced the Colonial militia into retreat from that first engagement. The Colonial Militia knew the terrain and most had been using a musket since their youth, for hunting for game was still an important activity in New England. So for the rest of the day, the colonial militia, called Minute Men, would harass and ambush the British troops in roads and forest outside of Boston. As the sun set, the British regulars retreated into Boston shocked at the audacity and effectiveness of these farmers and merchants. The American War for Independence would continue for another eight years. There would be great victories and defeats on both sides, but eventually the audacity of the colonist shocked the entire world and the colonies independence was acknowledged by the British in 1783. WBritain’s American Revolution series allow the military miniature collector and toy soldiers lover to recreate the events that birthed a new nation and shock an empire. Trains and Toy Soldiers is committed providing our fellow toy soldier collectors with the best products and service available anywhere, please call or email if we can help you in your search for the next toy soldier.