“First” is an ambiguous term. Do we mean the first shot of the morning? The first shot during the confrontation on Lexington Common? The first shot with clear intent to kill? The first shot that “did execution”, i.e. hit the enemy?
According to the best-fit narrative, here are several answers:
Who fired first that morning?
Throughout the morning hours preceding the confrontation, the Americans fired countless alarm shots which are noted in statements from both sides. These were powder-only shots intended as signals, not meant to hit the British, so arguably shouldn’t count toward any discussion about who shot first. They do serve, however, to illustrate that the “first shot” everyone argues about was not the first shot fired that day.
Who fired the first shot on the green?
The British. The best fit narrative, item #4, supported by 6 eyewitness sources and refuted by none, says this was the pistol shot from Major Pitcairn. This should be unsurprising, as the longtime Marine officer spent years aboard naval warships, where “shots across the bow” were accepted practice. (Supposedly in the 18th century, any vessel so hailed was expected to show his “colors”, i.e. declare his nationality.) Pitcairn presumably did not intend to hit anyone, although some of the Americans may have been less clear on that point, especially after more pistol shots from British officers and the volley fired by the advance guard, even if they all came from the far side of the green and no one was hit.
Which side first declared their intent to kill the other?
Again, the British. The best-fit narrative, event #23 supported by 9 eyewitness sources and refuted by none, says the second British commander (Pitcairn’s subordinate) gave the first lethal order to fire. According to eyewitnesses, the Americans never issued such an order.
Which side first fired a shot that killed or wounded the enemy?
The British again. The best-fit narrative, event #24 supported by 11 eyewitness sources and refuted by none, says the British foot soldiers did first execution when, on orders, they opened fire. (British Captain Soutar specifically says the sole American shot fired beforehand whistled by, i.e. hit no one.)
If the British fired the first shot on the green, first declared their intent to fire to kill, and drew first blood, then the only remaining ambiguity lies in the middle: Which side fired the first shot intending to hit the other? Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered without understanding the mind behind every musket. Possibly the last pistol shot from the forward British officer was intended to hit an American, or perhaps he only intended another warning shot. Possibly the American behind the stone wall fired hoping to hit a British regular, but perhaps he only intended a harmless tit-for-tat overhead reply. The record is unclear.
The British. The British. The British.
What the best-fit narrative is clear about: After firing the first shot on the green, then many more shots themselves, the British rushed at the Americans with bayonets fixed and then, in response to one ambiguous shot fired over their heads from off the field, a British officer gave the command to fire on the entire line of Americans standing right in front of them. The front company obeyed, firing over thirty muskets, hitting at leave five men (probably more).
None of which sums up to either “The Americans Fired First” or “The British Fired Back Without Orders”, today’s so-called conventional wisdom. Pitcairn, firmly in charge, fired the first warning shot himself. He then ordered systematic escalations until finally sending his men across the common. Moments later, his second-in-command ordered the first fatal fire.
Nothing in Smith’s orders from Gage required Pitcairn to confront the Lexington militia. Presumably, the British could have simply marched by.
They didn’t.
Who Fired the First American Shot?
Eyewitness statements point to one man: Woburn farmer Ebenezer Lock.
The evidence:
Eyewitnesses universally stated the first American shot did not come from a member of Captain Parker’s Lexington Militia Company.
One wounded militiaman told loyalist George Leonard “it was not the company he belonged to that fired but some of our country people that were on the other side of the road.” This location is consistent with British reports that the American shot came from behind a “hedge” (i.e. a shrub-covered stone wall) that Pitcairn himself said was east of the common, across Bedford Road.
Ebenezer’s cousin Amos said they were approaching the common along a stone wall when, from about 100 yards away, Ebenezer fired at the British.
In the 1800s, Ebenezer’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren published stories claiming he fired the first American shot of the Revolution.
So, Ebenezer Lock was in the right place at about the right time. He did not belong to Parker’s Company. And some claimed he fired it.
There is a lot more to the Ebenezer Lock story, unfortunately beyond the scope of this post. There were more Woburn men in that field that could have fired the first shot. But Ebenezer is the only one anyone said fired first, at least long and loud enough for it to be written down so we can read about it today.
How Can We Be Sure the First American Shot Came After the First British Shot?
The most straightforward evidence is arguably the stated location of the British troops when each shot was taken. British eyewitnesses consistently stated that they had crossed the common and were even “amongst” the militia” when the first American shot came. The first British shots, meanwhile, came before the advance when they were still on the far side of the common by the Lexington meetinghouse.
The Lexington Fight 