As the Patriots' Day dawn broke over the Battle Green, a crowd thousands strong stood, along with the Lexington Minutemen, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the British Regulars.

They marched into town from the east, as the companies came on April 19, 1775.  And, though it's April 16, 2012, the results looked roughly the same as that fateful morning when American liberty was born in Lexington and Concord.

The local militia bravely stood their ground as the Redcoats approached with both numbers and training on their side. Suddenly, a shot rang out, from who know's where. And thus began a brief firefight that left eight men dead, the first veterans to lose their lives in the American Revolution. 

This time around, neither the bullets nor the results were real. Introducing the reenactment, a member of the Lexington Minutemen explained that the crowd is as crucial as the men and women in period dress, that their participation is important to making sure the events and ideals of this day are remembered forever.