Scott Phan
Mrs. Davis
English 8H, Period 3
15 November, 2014 Paul Revere’s True Midnight Ride
On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was sent for by Dr. Joseph Warren and instructed to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to arrest them. By now, most of the Massachusetts Patriot leaders had taken refuge in outlying communities, fearing arrest by British officials. Paul Revere, a trusted messenger, also stayed in the city, tended his business interests and as secretly as possible, kept an eye on the soldiers stationed in the city. (
Line 2 in Paul Revere’s Deposition)
. Paul Revere was hired by the
Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety to serve as an
“express rider,” an 18thcentury mailman of sorts. Revere’s job was to carry information such as newsletters, dispatches, copies of proposed resolutions and to disperse patriots throughout New
England and as far away as New York and Philadelphia.
Revere became suspicious of British behaviors when on the 16th he made a trip to Concord, a key community because it was the temporary home of the Provincial Congress and also a storehouse for militia guns, powder, and shot. He warned the residents there that redcoats were likely to be dispatched in the near future to seize the town’s arms supply. Revere’s warning was taken to heart and the townspeople began to hide arms and valuables in barns, wells, and the neighboring swamps.
On his return home, Paul Revere met with Patriot leaders in Charlestown and agreed on a plan to provide notice about the route the British would take to reach Concord.
Phan 2
Revere agreed to arrange for the placement of signal lanterns in the belfry of