Answer: To capture American scouts
Step-by-step explanation:
In the first moments of the American Civil War, Colonel Francis Smith of the British army was ordered to go to Concord and destroy the American arsenal there. He sent Major Pitcairn to go ahead of him to secure Concord's bridges.
Major Pitcairn in turn sent an advance scouting party that moved as silently as possible and hid at the sight of anything suspicious. This enabled them to capture 3 scouts that had been sent to be on the lookout for them.