Answer:
General Thomas Gage commanded the British forces that occupied Boston. Intelligence given to Gage reported that colonial rebels were stockpiling weapons in the town of Concord, Massachusetts. Gage sent a unit of British troops to confiscate the weapons. The local militias of Lexington and Concord received word that the British were advancing towards the weapons stockpile, and took arms to defend the weapons. The British column encountered resistance from the Lexington militia. In the Battle of Lexington, British troops were able to scatter the Lexington militia, but when the British reached Concord, they encountered fierce colonial resistance and were forced to retreat.