On April 19th, 1775 and shortly after the Battle of Lexington, some 800 British Regulars, including the King's Own marched into Concord, Massachusetts. Their mission was to find and destroy stores and ammunition that seditious locals were stockpiling.

The Concord Militia had been alarmed that British forces approached but knew they numbered too few to make a stance. They retreated and waited for militias from other towns.

When British forces entered the town, the King's Own was sent to Old North Bridge to cut off access to the town. Keep in mind, it was a day and age where rivers were natural defenses. Meanwhile, other parties were sent to homes and farms where stores were rumored to be hidden.

Before long, two things happened. Other militia companies had arrived, including Acton and Lincoln, making the numbers at Concord greater than that of the King's Own. Secondly, the militia saw smoke rising from the town. It was the burning of stores, but the militia interpreted it as the torching of houses. They hastily marched to the bridge with Acton, somehow, forming on the left of the column, placing them closest to the 4th at the Bridge.

At the time, the Old North Bridge consisted of five sets of pilings, with railings on both sides. It was a simple oak bridge with a loose plank surface which the King's Own, on seeing the approaching militia, attempted to remove.

Acton militia as lead by Captain Isaac Davis, who was a gunsmith. He had well supplied his men with musket, ball, and bayonet, which were in short supply in other militias. They had also trained twice weekly since November of 1774 at Davis' house.

The King's Own fired on the approaching militia killing Davis. The militia returned fire and three men from the 4^th were killed: Thomas Smith, Patrick Gray, James Hall. Outnumbered and unable to retain control of the bridge, the King's Own retreated.

Later that day, the British forces would be harried all the way back to Boston in a moral triumph for the colonials.