When I read about Lexington and Concord in history class, it was about who shot when, how many people died, what happened at a bridge, and what maneuvers were, all that.
I don't remember them teaching anything about the aftermath. The British soldiers retreated back to Boston, taking guerrilla fire on the way that Boston residents could hear.
They made it back, and Boston was defendable. But it was also surrounded by 15,000 minutemen. It was expected there could be an attack at any time, and the city was under siege.
Those who could, fled. But many of them had nowhere to go. Given the Boston Port Act was already starving them out, many had little to take with them. It was an instant refugee crisis.
Checkpoints were set up. Ostensibly, the British didn't want guns leaving the city that could be used later to fire on British soldiers. But they also recognized that they were unsure when they'd be resupplied and might be in for a long hall.
So they weren't just taking guns that these people needed to survive. They were taking items like food, because any essentials that left the city would be essentials the redcoats might not be able to access while they were stuck there.
Just imagine... you're a civilian fleeing. You aren't just limited in what you can bring by what you have. Or whether you have a horse or carriage to transport enough of it, and might have to go on foot. You're limited on whether or not troops will let you leave with fucking flour and wheat.
It's just not a part of the history that's taught, and was a thing all the same.
Just random thought.