Paul Revere...Longfellow poem and Paul Revere's story
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Artist's painting of Revere's Ride
Revere's Silver Work Picture 1
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Paul Revere's story
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Paul Revere's actual date of birth is not known. It is known that his baptismal date was December 22, 1734. Paul Revere's place of birth is also not quite known. At the time Revere was born, his family was living in rented quarters in Boston's North End. He was one of 12 children.
He learned the silversmith craft from his father and his shop was the cornerstone of his professional life. He trained a number of apprentices in the trade including several family members. As the master of the shop he was responsible for both the workmanship and the quality of the metal goods. Silversmithing requires the heavy labor of pounding metal flat or raising it into shapes, a good eye for design, knowledge of the elements of style and a steady hand for engraving. His work, highly praised during his lifetime, is still regarded as one of the outstanding achievements in American decorative arts.
Paul Revere always spoke out for independence and his account of the Boston Massacre of 1770 helped shape sentiment against the British. He joined a number of the political organizations, including the North End Caucus, Freemasons Lodge, the Sons of Liberty and took part in the Boston Tea Party in 1773. He was one of the "Indians" who threw tea from the ship in Boston Harbor and found himself placed on the London Enemies List, which posted those Patriots considered to be most threatening to British rule.
In the years before the Revolution Revere gathered intelligence information by watching the movements of the British regulars. In his words: "In the Fall of 1774 and Winter of 1775 I was one of upwards of thirty, cheifly mechanics, who formed our selves in to a Committee for the purpose of watching the Movements of the British Soldiers, and gaining every intelegence of the movements of the Tories. We held our meetings at the Green-Dragon Tavern. We were so carefull that our meetings should be kept Secret; that every time we met, every person swore upon the Bible, that they would not discover any of our transactions, But to Messrs. HANCOCK, ADAMS, Doctors WARREN, CHURCH, and one or two more."
Revere was designated as an express rider for The Revolutinary cause- his own words:"In the year 1773 I was imployed by the Select men of the Town of Boston to carry the Account of the Destruction of the Tea to New-York; and afterwards, 1774, to Carry their dispatches to New-York and Philadelphia for Calling a Congress; and afterwards to Congress, several times."
On April 18, 1775 Paul Revere was instructed to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts and warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to arrest them. Revere's words: "In the Winter, towards the Spring, we frequently took Turns, two and two, to Watch the Soldiers, By patroling the Streets all night. The Saturday Night preceding the 19th of April, about 12 oClock at Night, the Boats belonging to the Transports were all launched, and carried under the Sterns of the Men of War. From these movements, we expected something serious was [to] be transacted. On Tuesday evening, the 18th, it was observed, that a number of Soldiers were marching towards the bottom of the Common. About 10 o'Clock, Dr. Warren Sent in great haste for me, and beged that I would imediately Set off for Lexington, where Messrs. Hancock and Adams were, and acquaint them of the Movement, and that it was thought they were the objets."
To prevent the British from possibly detaining him in Boston, when it was time to ride(as soon as the route to be taken by the British was known)with his message, he was rowed across the Charles River to Charlestown and awaited a prearranged signal. The agreed signal was either one or two lanterns hung in the bell-tower of Christ Church(Old North Church) in Boston indicating that British troops would row by water (two lanterns) across the Charles River to Cambridge or march by land out Boston Neck(one lantern). Revere's words: "I agreed with a Col. Conant, and some other Gentlemen, that if the British went out by Water, we would shew two Lanthorns in the North Church Steeple; and if by Land, one, as a Signal; for we were aprehensive it would be dificult to Cross the Charles River, or git over Boston neck." He saw the two lanterns and was ready to start his ride.
Early into the ride he is almost captured. His words: " I set off upon a very good Horse; it was then about 11 o'Clock, and very pleasant. After I had passed Charlestown Neck, and had got almost over Charlestown Common, towards Cambridge, I saw two men on Horse back, under a Tree. When I got near them, I discovered they were British officer. I was near enough to see their holsters and cockades. One tryed to git a head of Me, and the other to take me. I turned my Horse very quick, and Galloped for Mistick Road towards Charlestown neck, and then pushed for the Medford Road. The one who chased me, endeavoring to Cut me off, got into a Clay pond, near where the new Tavern is now built. He followed me about 300 yards, I got clear of him, and went thro Medford, over the Bridge, and up to Menotomy....and after that, I alarmed almost every House, till I got to Lexington. I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clark's."
Anecdote: As Revere approached the house where Adams and Hancock were staying, a sentry asked that he not make so much noise. "Noise!" cried Revere, "You'll have Noise enough before long. The Regulars are coming out!"(The American colonists were British citizens, so Revere did not say 'The British are coming!'. Instead the British troops were called 'Regulars'. The American colonists called themselves Militia, or Minutemen, as they said they were ready to go to the fight when needed, in a minute.)
Discussing the situation with Adams and Hanncock and those assembled it was deicded, that although the original purpose of his ride was complete, the alarm should be further raised on to Concord. Halfway there he is arrested. Revere's words: " I was about one hundred Rod a head, when I saw two men, in nearly the same situation as those officer were, near Charlestown. I called for the Doctor and Daws to come up;—in an Instant I was surrounded by four;—they had placed themselves in a Straight Road, that inclined each way; they had taken down a pair of Barrs on the North side of the Road, and two of them were under a tree in the pasture. The Docter being foremost, he came up; and we tryed to git past them; but they being armed with pistols and swords, they forced us in to the pasture;—the Docter jumped his Horse over a low Stone wall, and got to Concord. I observed a Wood at a Small distance, and made for that. When I got there, out Started Six officers, on Horse back, and orderd me to dismount;—one of them, who appeared to have the command, examined me, where I came from, and what my Name Was? I told him. He asked me if I was an express? I answered in the afirmative. He demanded what time I left Boston? I told him; and aded, that their troops had catched aground in passing the River, and that There would be five hundred Americans there in a short time, for I had alarmed the Country all the way up. He imediately rode towards those who stoppd us, when all five of them came down upon a full gallop; one of them, whom I afterwards found to be Major Mitchel, of the 5th Regiment, Clapped his pistol to my head, called me by name, and told me he was going to ask me some questions, and if I did not give him true answers, he would blow my brains out. He then asked me similar questions to those above. He then orderd me to mount my Horse, after searching me for arms. He then orderd them to advance, and to lead me in front. When we got to the Road, they turned down towards Lexington. When we had got about one Mile, the Major Rode up to the officer that was leading me, and told him to give me to the Sergeant. As soon as he took me, the Major orderd him, if I attempted to run, or any body insulted them, to blow my brains out. We rode till we got near Lexington Meeting-house, when the Militia fired a Voley of Guns, which appeared to alarm them very much. The Major inquired of me how far it was to Cambridge, and if there were any other Road? After some consultation, the Major Rode up to the Sargent, and asked if his Horse was tired? He answered him, he was--(He was a Sargent of Grenadiers, and had a small Horse)—then, said He, take that man's Horse. I dismounted, and the Sargent mounted my Horse, when they all rode towards Lexington Meeting-House."
Further Revere says: " I went across the Burying-ground, and some pastures, and came to the Revd. Mr. Clark's House, where I found Messrs. Hancok and Adams....Mr. Lowell asked me to go to the Tavern with him, to git a Trunk of papers belonging to Mr. Hancock. We went up Chamber; and while we were giting the Trunk, we saw the British very near, upon a full March. We hurried to wards Mr. Clark's House. In our way, we passed through the Militia. There were about 50. When we had got about 100 Yards from the meeting-House the British Troops appeard on both Sides of the Meeting-House. In their Front was an Officer on Horse back. They made a Short Halt; when I saw, and heard, a Gun fired, which appeared to be a Pistol. Then I could distinguish two Guns, and then a Continual roar of Musquetry; When we made off with the Trunk."
On Lexington Green...The Militia of Minutemen face off with the British regulars... the British officer leading the Regulars says..."Lay down your arms, you damned rebels, or you are all dead men. Fire!"...this was 'The Shot Heard 'Round The World'...the start of the American Revolution. Revere's ride and alarm gave the Minutemen time to assemble and meet the advance of the Regulars.
Brief account of that day's events follows: On the early morning of April 19, 1775, seventy Massachusetts Militiamen square off on Lexington Green with the British Regulars. 'The Shot Heard 'Round The World' begins the American Revolution. A volley of British musket fire followed by a bayonet charge leaves eight Minutemen dead and ten wounded. Although this is not a real serious blow to the British it does serve to greatly anger and arouse the countryside further. The British march on to Concord intent on destroying Militia military caches located there. At the North Bridge in Concord, Minutemen numbering between 300 and 400 take up position and resist the British advance steadfastly. The British suffer 14 casualties and against such determined resistance start to fall back. They begin a retreat back to Boston and are continuously harassed by Colonial Militia and farmers, who steadily increase in number and fire from behind stone walls and trees. The British troops are 'sitting ducks' and become exhausted and demoralized. When the British attempt a set piece battle, the Militia fades away only to reappear further along the road. The attack on the Redcoats continues all the way back to Charlestown and the British have 250 more casualties before reaching the safety of the city of Boston. Total casualties were roughly 270 British and 100 Colonials. Word of the fights at Lexington and Concord spreads quickly through the Colonies. The Revolutionary War is on now and there is no turning back.
The recollections by Revere of his ride were recounted to and at the request of Jeremy Belknap, the founder(1791) and then Corresponding Secretary of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Here is an example of one of the actual letter pages that is currently archived at the Massachusetts Historical Society.......Col. Revere's Letter To Jeremy Belknap
Revere signs the letter as follows:
I am, Sir, with every Sentment of esteem,
Your Humble Servant,
Paul Revere
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Revere died of natural causes on May 10, 1818 at the age of 83. An obituary in the Boston Intelligence commented "seldom has the tomb closed upon a life so honorable and useful." Paul Revere is buried in Boston's Granary Burying Ground.
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Paul Revere's Ride was written in 1860 and published in 1861 in the Atlantic Monthly. The poem transformed Paul Revere from a relatively unkown, at least nationally, person in American history into a nationwide hero.
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The Midnight Ride Of Paul Revere
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,-
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where Swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.
Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.
It was twelve by the village clock
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball.
You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere.
And so through the night went his cry' of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo forever more!
For, borne on the nightwind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
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To be true to history and also honor another brave American Patriot...here is a brief story of William Dawes who also rode to spread the alarm that night. He took a different route to Lexington in order to alert other towns surrounding Boston. The British force moving on Lexington and Concord numbered 700 so a considerable number of Minutemen were needed to answer the threat.
Dawes went from Boston to Roxbury and crossed the Charles River on a bridge at Cambridge, then proceeded on to Lexington. He had to pass British gate guards at Boston Neck. Dawes was a naturally friendly man and had previously befriended guards at the gate post. In fact he was somewhat of a smuggler, having previously smuggled gold coins into the city sewn onto his coat as buttons. As the story is related, this historic night one of guards known to Dawes was on duty. Dawes was given the nod and allowed to pass.
As Dawes rode on, he alerted other riders who called out the Militia from the neighboring towns of Dedham, Needham, Framingham, Newton and Watertown. He reached Lexington shortly after Revere. As Hanncock and Adams had been warned(the primary mission accomplished), they together with a local resident Dr. Samuel Prescott decided to raise the alarm through to Concord. The three were stopped by the British, Revere was arrested but the others escaped capture to warn the countryside and Concord.
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To read about another American Hero here is a link to...David 'Davy' Crockett and The Ballad of the Alamo
Speaking of American Heroes....check these dudes out...US Navy Blue Angels Flight Team
U might also be interested in...The Charge Of The Light Brigade
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