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Paul Revere was an American silversmith
and a patriot in the American Revolution.
Because he was glorified after his death for his role as a messenger
in the battles of Lexington and Concord, Revere's name and his
"midnight ride" are well-known in the United States as a patriotic
symbol. In his lifetime, Revere was a prosperous and prominent
Boston craftsman, who helped organize an intelligence and alarm
system to keep watch on the British military.
Revere later served as an officer in one of the most disastrous
campaigns of the American Revolutionary War, a role for which he was
later exonerated. After the war, he was early to recognize the
potential for large-scale manufacturing of metal.
Early years
Revere was born probably in very late December, 1734, in Boston's
North End. The son of a French Huguenot father and a Boston mother,
Revere had numerous siblings with whom he appears to have been not
particularly close. Revere's father, Apollos Rivoire, came to Boston
at the age of 13 and was apprenticed to a silversmith. By the time
he married Deborah Hichborn, a member of a long-standing Boston
family that owned a small shipping wharf, Rivoire had anglicized his
name to Paul Revere. Apollos (now Paul) passed his silver trade to
his son Paul. Upon Apollos' death in 1754, Paul was too young by law
to officially be the master of the family silver shop; Deborah
probably assumed control of the business, while Paul and one of his
younger brothers did the silver work. Revere fought briefly in the
Seven Years War, serving as a second lieutenant in an artillery
regiment that attempted to take the French fort at Crown Point, in
present day New York. Upon leaving the army, Revere returned to
Boston and assumed control of the silver shop in his own name. He
was a silversmith, and also a prominent Freemason.
Revere's silver work quickly gained attention in Boston; at the same
time he was befriending numerous political agitators, including most
closely Dr. Joseph Warren. During the 1760s Revere produced a number
of political engravings and advertised as a dentist, and became
increasingly involved in the actions of the Sons of Liberty. In 1770
he purchased, with his wife Sarah Orne, the house in North Square
which is now open to the public. One of his most famous engravings
was done in the wake of the Boston Massacre in March of 1770. It is
not known whether Revere was present during the Massacre, though his
detailed map of the bodies, meant to be used in the trial of the
British soldiers held responsible, suggests that he had first-hand
knowledge. In 1773 Sarah died, leaving behind six surviving
children, and Revere married Rachel Walker, with whom he would have
five more surviving children.
After the Boston Tea Party in 1773, at which Revere was also
possibly present, Revere began work as a messenger for the Boston
Committee of Public Safety, often riding messages to New York and
Philadelphia about the political unrest in the city. In 1774,
Britain closed the port of Boston and began to quarter soldiers in
great numbers all around Boston. At this time Revere's silver
business was much less lucrative, and was largely in the hands of
his son, Paul Revere Jr. As 1775 began, revolution was in the air
and Revere was more involved with the Sons of Liberty than ever.
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
The role for which he is most remembered today was as a night-time
messenger on horseback just before the battles of Lexington and
Concord. His famous "Midnight Ride" occurred on the night of April
18/April 19, 1775, when he and William Dawes were instructed by Dr.
Joseph Warren to ride from Boston to Lexington to warn John Hancock
and Samuel Adams of the movements of the British Army, which was
beginning a march from Boston to Lexington, ostensibly to arrest
Hancock and Adams and seize the weapons stores in Concord.
The British army (the King's "regulars"), which had been stationed
in Boston since the ports were closed in the wake of the Boston Tea
Party, was under constant surveillance by Revere and other patriots
as word began to spread that they were planning a move. On the night
of April 18, 1775, the army began its move across the Charles River
toward Lexington, and the Sons of Liberty immediately went into
action. At about 11 pm, Revere was sent by Dr. Warren across the
Charles River to Charlestown, on the opposite shore, where he could
begin a ride to Lexington, while Dawes was sent the long way around,
via the Boston Neck and the land route to Lexington.
In the days before April 18, Revere had instructed Robert Newman,
the sexton of the Old North Church, to send a signal by lantern to
colonists in Charlestown as to the movements of the troops when the
information became known; one lantern in the steeple would signal
the army's choice of the land route, while two lanterns would signal
the route "by water" across the Charles River. This was done to get
the message through to Charlestown in the event that both Revere and
Dawes were captured. Newman and Captain John Pulling momentarily
held two lanterns in the Old North Church as Revere himself set out
on his ride, to indicate that the British soldiers were in fact
crossing the Charles River that night. Revere rode a horse loaned to
him by John Larkin, Deacon of the Old North Church.
Riding through present-day Somerville, Medford, and Arlington,
Revere warned patriots along his route - many of whom set out on
horseback to deliver warnings of their own. By the end of the night
there were probably as many as 40 riders throughout Middlesex County
carrying the news of the army's advancement. Revere certainly did
not shout the famous phrase later attributed to him ("The British
are coming!"), largely because the mission depended on secrecy and
the countryside was filled with British army patrols; also, most
colonial residents at the time considered themselves British as they
were all legally British subjects. Revere's warning, according to
eyewitness accounts of the ride and Revere's own descriptions, was
"the regulars are coming out."[4] Revere arrived in Lexington around
midnight, with Dawes arriving about a half hour later. Samuel Adams
and John Hancock were spending the night at the Hancock-Clarke House
in Lexington and, upon receiving the news, spent a great deal of
time discussing plans of action. Revere and Dawes, meanwhile,
decided to ride on toward Concord, where the militia's arsenal was
hidden. They were joined by Samuel Prescott, a doctor who happened
to be in Lexington "returning from a lady friend's house at the
awkward hour of 1 a.m."
Revere, Dawes, and Prescott were detained by British troops in
Lincoln at a roadblock on the way to nearby Concord. Prescott jumped
his horse over a wall and escaped into the woods; Dawes also escaped
though soon after he fell off his horse and did not complete the
ride. Revere was detained and questioned and then escorted at
gunpoint by three British officers back toward Lexington.[6] As
morning broke and they neared Lexington Meeting-house, shots were
heard. The British officers became alarmed, confiscated Revere's
horse and rode toward the Meeting-house. Revere was horseless and
walked through a cemetery and pastures until he came to Rev. Clark's
house where Hancock and Adams were staying. As the battle on
Lexington Green continued, Revere helped John Hancock and his family
escape from Lexington with their possessions, including a trunk of
Hancock's papers. The warning delivered by the three riders
successfully allowed the militia to repel the British troops in
Concord, who were harried by guerrilla fire along the road back to
Boston. Prescott, who knew the countryside well even in the dark,
arrived at Concord in time to warn the people there. Maps showing
the routes on which Revere, Dawes, and Prescott rode can be found at
this web site:
Revere's role was not particularly noted during his life. In 1861,
over 40 years after his death, the ride became the subject of "Paul
Revere's Ride", a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem has
become one of the best known in American history and was memorized
by generations of schoolchildren.
The poem
"Paul Revere's Ride" is an American poem by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow that commemorates the actions of American patriot Paul
Revere on April 18, 1775. The poem was written on April 19, 1860 and
first published in The Atlantic Monthly in January 1861. It was
later published in Longfellow's Tales of a Wayside Inn in 1863.
Longfellow's poem is credited with creating the national legend of
Paul Revere, a previously little-known Massachusetts silversmith.
Longfellow's poem begins:
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 for evermore! For, borne on the
night-wind 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.
Today, parts of the ride are posted with signs marked "Revere's
Ride". The full ride used Main Street in Charlestown, Broadway and
Main Street in Somerville, Main Street and High Street in Medford,
to Arlington center, and Massachusetts Avenue the rest of the way
(an old alignment through Arlington Heights is called "Paul Revere
Road").
Myths and Legends of the Midnight Ride
In his poem, Longfellow took many liberties with the events of the
evening, most especially giving sole credit to Revere for the
collective achievements of the three riders (as well as the other
riders whose names do not survive to history). Longfellow also
depicts the lantern signal in the Old North Church as meant for
Revere and not from him, as was actually the case. Other
inaccuracies include claiming that Revere rode triumphantly into
Concord instead of Lexington, and a general lengthening of the time
frame of the night's events. For a long time, though, historians of
the American Revolution as well as textbook writers relied almost
entirely on Longfellow's poem as historical evidence - creating
substantial misconceptions in the minds of the American people. In
re-examining the episode, some historians in the 20th century have
attempted to demythologize Paul Revere almost to the point of
marginalization. While it is true that Revere was not the only rider
that night, that does not refute the fact that Revere was riding and
successfully completed the first phase of his mission to warn Adams
and Hancock. Other historians have since stressed his importance,
including David Hackett Fischer in his book Paul Revere's Ride
(1995), an important scholarly study of Revere's role in the opening
of the Revolution.
Popular myths and urban legends have persisted, though, concerning
Revere's ride, mainly due to the tendency in the past to take
Longfellow's poem as truth. Other riders such as Israel Bissell and
Sybil Ludington are often suggested as having completed much more
impressive rides than Revere's; however, the circumstances behind
the others' rides were entirely different (Bissell was a
news-carrier riding from Boston to Philadelphia with news of the
battle at Lexington; Revere had made similar rides with the news in
the years preceding the war. The only evidence for Ludington's ride
is an oral tradition.) Longfellow's poem was never designed to be
history and there are few serious historians today who would
maintain that Revere was anything like the lone-wolf rider portrayed
in the poem.
War years
Revere's political involvement arose through his connections with
members of local organizations and his business patrons. As a member
of the Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew, he was friendly with activists
like James Otis and Dr. Joseph Warren. In the year before the
Revolution, Revere gathered intelligence information by "watching
the Movements of British Soldiers," as he wrote in an account of his
ride. He was a courier for the Boston Committee of Correspondence
and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, riding express to the
Continental Congress in Philadelphia. He also spread the word of the
Boston Tea Party to New York and Philadelphia.
At 10 pm on the night of April 18, 1775, Revere received
instructions from Dr. Joseph Warren to ride to Lexington to warn
John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the British approach. The war
erupted and Revere went on to serve as lieutenant colonel in the
Massachusetts State Train of Artillery and commander of Castle
Island in Boston Harbor.
This Paul Revere Statue in North End, Boston was made by Cyrus
Dallin and unveiled on September 22, 1940
This Paul Revere Statue in North End, Boston was made by Cyrus
Dallin and unveiled on September 22, 1940
At the beginning of the war, when Boston was occupied by the British
army and most supporters of independence were evacuated, Revere and
his family lived across the river in Watertown. In 1775, Revere was
sent by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress to Philadelphia to
study the working of the only powder mill in the colonies. Upon his
arrival in Philadelphia he met with Robert Morris and John Dickinson
who provided him with the following letter to present to Oswald Eve:
Sir Philada. Novr. 21st 1775 I am requested by some Honorable
Members of the Congress to recommend the bearer hereof Mr. Paul
Revere to you. He is just arrived from New England where it is
discovered they can manufacture a good deal of Salt Petre in
Consequence of which they desire to Erect a Powder Mill & Mr. Revere
has been pitched upon to gain instruction & Knowledge in this
branch. A Powder Mill in New England cannot in the least degree
affect your Manufacture nor be of any disadvantage to you. Therefore
these Gentn & myself hope You will Chearfully & from Public Spirited
Motives give Mr. Revere such information as will inable him to
Conduct the bussiness on his return home. I shall be glad of any
opportunity to approve myself. Sir Your very Obed Servt. Robt Morris
P.S. Mr. Revere will desire to see the Construction of your Mill & I
hope you will gratify him in that point. Sir, I heartily join with
Mr. Morris in his Request; and am with great Respect, Your very hble
Servt. John Dickinson
Mr. Eve complied with the letter completely and allowed Revere to
pass through the building to obtain sufficient information, which
enabled him to set up a powder mill at Canton.
Upon returning to Boston in 1776, Revere was commissioned a Major of
infantry in the Massachusetts militia in April of that year. In
November he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of
artillery, and was stationed at Castle William, defending Boston
harbor, finally receiving command of this fort. He served in an
expedition to Rhode Island in 1778, and in the following year
participated in the disastrous Penobscot Expedition. Revere and his
troops saw little action at this post, but they did participate in
minor expeditions to Newport, Rhode Island and Worcester, Mass.
Revere's rather undistinguished military career ended with the
failed Penobscot expedition. After his return he was accused of
having disobeyed the orders of one of his commanding officers, and
dismissed from the militia. Revere returned to his businesses at
this time. He later obtained a formal court-martial which exonerated
him.
Revere's friend and compatriot Dr. Joseph Warren was killed during
the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. As soldiers killed in
battle were often buried in mass graves without ceremony, Warren's
grave was unmarked. On March 17, 1776, after the British army left
Boston, Warren's brothers and a few friends went to the battlefield
and found a grave containing two bodies.[10] After being buried for
ten months, Warren's face would be unrecognizable, but Revere was
able to identify Warren's body which was given a proper funeral and
reburial in a marked grave. Revere was able to identify the body
because before Warren died, Revere had placed a false tooth in
Warren's mouth and recognized the wire he used for fastening it.
Later years
After the war, finding the silver trade difficult in the ensuing
depression, Revere opened a hardware and home goods store and later
became interested in metal work beyond gold and silver. By 1788 he
had opened an iron and brass foundry in Boston's North End. As a
foundryman, he recognized a burgeoning market for church bells in
the religious revival (Second Great Awakening) that followed the war
and became one of the best-known metal casters of that instrument,
working with sons Paul Jr. and Joseph Warren in the firm Paul Revere
& Sons. This firm cast the first bell made in Boston and produced
over 900 in total. A substantial part of the foundry's business came
from supplying shipyards with iron bolts and fittings for ship
construction. Additionally, in 1801, Revere became a pioneer in the
production of copper plating, opening North America's first copper
mill, south of Boston in Canton. Copper from Revere's mill was used
to cover the original wooden dome of the Massachusetts State House
in 1802 and to produce sheeting for the hull of the USS
Constitution.
His business plans in the late 1780s were stymied by a shortage of
adequate money in circulation. His plans rested on his
entrepreneurial role as a manufacturer of cast iron, brass, and
copper products. Alexander Hamilton's national policies regarding
banks and industrialization exactly matched his dreams, and he
became an ardent Federalist committed to building a robust economy
and a powerful nation. His copper and brass works eventually grew,
through sale and corporate merger, into a large national
corporation, Revere Copper and Brass, Inc.
Revere died on May 10, 1818, at the age of 83, at his home on
Charter Street in Boston. He is buried in the Old Granary Burying
Ground on Tremont Street.
Paul Revere appears on the $5,000 Series EE Savings Bond issued by
the United States Government. The copper works he founded in 1801
continues as Revere Copper Products, Inc. with manufacturing
divisions in Rome, New York, and New Bedford, Massachusetts.
His original silverware, engravings, and other works are highly
regarded today and can be found on display at prominent museums such
as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
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