Two hundred fifty-one years ago tonight Paul Revere rode into history, intent on warning John Hancock and Sam Adams of the British intent to arrest them.
Patriots’ Day, April 18/19 1775…
A friend once asked: “How do you celebrate Patriots’ Day?” Which, perhaps, should spur me to share my own thoughts on this day of consequence.
Many are familiar with the poem Paul Revere’s Ride, however, far fewer know that Paul Revere actually memorialized the events of the April 18 and 19, 1775, in an eight-page letter written several years later.
Each Patriots’ Day I remind myself to read his letter from a copy handed down, and I think about how Paul Revere was really just a common man of otherwise undue significance…. yet, capable to the task at hand.
To me everything about the heart of Revere, which you can identify within his own writing, is what defines an American ‘patriot’.
There is no grand prose, there is no outlook of being a person of historical significance, there is just a simple recollection of his involvement, an ordinary man in extraordinary times.
Unsure if anyone else would enjoy I have tracked down an on-line source for sharing and provide a transcript below (all misspelling is with the original).
Paul Revere personally recounts his famous ride. – In this undated letter, Paul Revere summarizes the activities surrounding his famous ride on 18 April 1775. He recounts how Dr. Joseph Warren urged him to ride to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of British troop movements. He arranged to signal the direction of the troops with lanterns from Old North Church, and then had friends row him across the Charles River borrowing a horse for his ride.
Revere wrote this letter at the request of Jeremy Belknap, corresponding secretary of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Revere signed his name to the letter but then wrote above it, “A Son of Liberty of the year 1775”, and beside it, “do not print my name.” Nonetheless, the MHS included Revere’s name when it printed the letter in 1798.
EXPLORE THE DOCUMENT – Or Read the incredible transcript below:
Dear Sir,
Having a little leisure, I wish to fullfill my promise, of giving you some facts, and Anecdotes, prior to the Battle of Lexington, which I do not remember to have seen in any history of the American Revolution.
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.* [This asterisk points to a note in the left margin written by Jeremy Belknap: “Let the narrative begin here.” ]
In the Fall of 1774 & 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, & one or two more.
About November, when things began to grow Serious, a Gentleman who had Conections with the Tory party, but was a Whig at heart, aquainted me, that our meetings were discovered, & mentioned the identical words that were spoken among us the Night before. We did not then distrust Dr. Church, but supposed it must be some one among us.
We removed to another place, which we thought was more secure: but here we found that all our transactions were communicated to Governor Gage. (This came to me through the then Secretary Flucker; He told it to the Gentleman mentioned above).
It was then a common opinion, that there was a Traytor in the provincial Congress, & that Gage was posessed of all their Secrets. (Church was a member of that Congress for Boston.) 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, & carried under the Sterns of the Men of War. (They had been previously hauld up & repaired). We likewise found that the Grenadiers and light Infantry were all taken off duty.
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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 & Adams were, and acquaint them of the Movement, and that it was thought they were the objets. When I got to Dr. Warren’s house, I found he had sent an express by land to Lexington – a Mr. Wm. Daws.
The Sunday before, by desire of Dr. Warren, I had been to Lexington, to Mess. Hancock and Adams, who were at the Rev. Mr. Clark’s. I returned at Night thro Charlestown; there I agreed with a Col. Conant, & some other Gentlemen, in Charleston, that if the British went out by Water, we would shew two Lanthorns in the North Church Steeple; 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.
I left Dr. Warrens, called upon a friend, and desired him to make the Signals. I then went Home, took my Boots and Surtout, and went to the North part of the Town, where I had kept a Boat; two friends rowed me across Charles River, a little to the eastward where the Somerset Man of War lay.
It was then young flood, the Ship was winding, & the moon was Rising. They landed me on Charlestown side. When I got into Town, I met Col. Conant, several others; they said they had seen our signals. I told them what was Acting, & went to git me a Horse; I got a Horse of Deacon Larkin.
While the Horse was preparing, Richard Devens, Esq. who was one of the Committee of Safty, came to me, & told me, that he came down the Road from Lexington, after Sundown, that evening; that He met ten British Officers, all well mounted, & armed, going up the Road. I set off upon a very good Horse; it was then about 11 o’Clock, very pleasant. After I had passed Charlestown Neck, got nearly opposite where Mark was hung in chains, I saw two men on Horse back, under a Tree.
When I got near them, I discovered they were British officer. One tryed to git a head of Me, & the other to take me. I turned my Horse very quick, & Galloped 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. I got clear of him,
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and went thro Medford, over the Bridge, & up to Menotomy. In Medford, I awaked the Captain of the Minute men; & after that, I alarmed almost every House, till I got to Lexington.
I found Mrs. Messrs. Hancock & Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clark’s; I told them my errand, and inquired for Mr. Daws; they said he had not been there; I related the story of the two officers, & supposed that He must have been stopped, as he ought to have been there before me.
After I had been there about half an Hour, Mr. Daws came; after we refreshid our selves, we and set off for Concord, to secure the Stores, & there. We were overtaken by a young Docter Prescot, whom we found to be a high Son of Liberty. I told them of the ten officers that Mr. Devens mett, and that it was probable we might be stoped before we got to Concord; for I supposed that after Night, they divided them selves, and that two of them had fixed themselves in such passages as were most likely to stop any intelegence going to Concord.
I likewise mentioned, that we had better allarm all the Inhabitents till we got to Concord; the young Doctor much approved of it, and said, he would stop with either of us, for the people between that & Concord knew him, & would give the more credit to what we said.
We had got nearly half way. Mr Daws & the Doctor stoped to allarm the people of a House: 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 & Daws to come up; were two & we would have them 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, & 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 & swords, they forced us in to the pasture; -the Docter jumped his Horse over a low Stone wall, and got to Concord.
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I observed a Wood at a Small distance, & 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, & what my Name Was? I told him. it was Revere, he asked if it was Paul? I told him yes He asked me if I was an express? I answered in the afirmative. He demanded what time I left Boston? I told him; and added, 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, & told me he was going to ask me some questions, & 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, & 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, & 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
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Major Rode up to the Sargent, & asked if his Horse was tired? He told 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, & the Sargent mounted my Horse, when they all rode towards Lexington Meeting-House.
I went across the Burying-ground, & some pastures, & came to the Revd. Mr. Clark’s House, where I found Messrs. Hancok & Adams. I told them of my treatment, & they concluded to go from that House to wards Woburn. I went with them, & a Mr. Lowell, who was a Clerk to Mr. Hancock.
When we got to the House where they intended to stop, Mr. Lowell & I my self returned to Mr. Clark’s, to find what was going on. When we got there, an elderly man came in; he said he had just come from the Tavern, that a Man had come from Boston, who said there were no British troops coming. Mr. Lowell & myself went towards the Tavern, when we met a Man on a full gallop, who told us the Troops were coming up the Rocks.
We afterwards met another, who said they were close by. Mr. Lowell asked me to go to the Tavern with him, to a git a Trunk of papers belonging to Mr. Hancock. We went up Chamber; & 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
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In their Front was an Officer on Horse back. They made a Short Halt; when I saw, & heard, a Gun fired, which appeared to be a Pistol. Then I could distinguish two Guns, & then a Continual roar of Musquetry; When we made off with the Trunk.
As I have mentioned Dr. Church, perhaps it might not be disagreeable to mention some Matters of my own knowledge, respecting Him. He appeared to be a high son of Liberty. He frequented all the places where they met, Was incouraged by all the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, & it appeared he was respected by them, though I knew that Dr. Warren had not the greatest affection for him. He was esteemed a very capable writer, especially in verese; and as the Whig party needed every Strenght, they feared, as well as courted Him.
Though it was known, that some of the Liberty Songs, which We composed, were parodized by him, in favor of the British, yet none dare charge him with it. I was a constant & critical observer of him, and I must say, that I never thought Him a man of Principle; and I doubted much in my own mind, wether He was a real Whig. I knew that He kept company with a Capt. Price, a half-pay British officer, & that He frequently dined with him, & Robinson, one of the Commissioners. I know that one of his intimate aquaintances asked him why he was so often with Robinson and Price? His answer was, that He kept Company with them on purpose to find out their plans.
The day after the Battle of Lexington, I came across met him in Cambridge, when He shew me some blood on his stocking, which he said spirted on him from a Man who was killed near him, as he was urging the Militia on. I well remember, that I argued with my self, if a Man will risque his life in a Cause, he must be a Friend to that cause; & I never suspected him after, till He was charged with being a Traytor.
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The same day I met Dr. Warren. He was President of the Committee of Safety. He engaged me as a Messinger, to do the out of doors business for that committee; which gave me an opportunity of being frequently with them.
The Friday evening after, about sun set, I was sitting with some, or near all that Committee, in their room, which was at Mr. Hastings’s House at Cambridge. Dr. Church, all at once, started up – Dr. Warren, said He, I am determined to go into Boston tomorrow – (it set them all a stairing) – Dr. Warren replyed, Are you serious, Dr. Church? they will Hang you if they catch you in Boston. He replyed, I am serious, and am determined to go at all adventures.
After a considerable conversation, Dr. Warren said, If you are determined, let us make some business for you. They agreed that he should go to git medicine for their & our Wounded officers. He went the next morning; & I think he came back on Sunday
evening.
After He had told the Committee how things were, I took him a side, & inquired particularly how they treated him? he said, that as soon as he got to their lines on the Boston Neck, they made him a prisoner, & carried him to General Gage, where He
was examined, & then He was sent to Gould’s Barracks, & was not suffered to go home but once.
After He was taken up, for holding a Correspondence with the Brittish, I came a Cross Deacon Caleb Davis;-we entred into Conversation about Him;-He told me, that the morning Church went into Boston, He (Davis) received a Bilet for General Gage-(he then did not know that Church was in Town)-When he got to the General’s House, he was told, the General could not be spoke with, that He was in private with a Gentleman; that He waited near half an Hour,-When General Gage & Dr. Church came out of a Room, discoursing together, like
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like persons who had been long aquainted. He appeared to be quite surprized at seeing Deacon Davis there; that he (Church) went where he pleased, while in Boston, only a Major Caine, one of Gage’s Aids, went with him.
I was told by another person whom I could depend upon, that he saw Church go in to General Gage’s House, at the above time; that He got out of the Chaise and went up the steps more like a Man that was aquainted, than a prisoner.
Sometime after, perhaps a Year or two, I fell in company with a Gentleman who studied with Church -in discoursing about him, I related what I have mentioned above; He said, He did not doubt that He was in the Interest of the Brittish; & that it was He who informed Gen. Gage That he knew for Certain, that a Short time before the Battle of Lexington, (for He then lived with Him, & took Care of his Business & Books) He had no money by him, and was much drove for money; that all at once, He had several Hundred New Brittish Guineas; and that He thought at the time, where they came from.
Thus, Sir, I have endeavoured to give you a Short detail of some matters, of which perhaps no person but my self have have documents, or knowledge. I have mentioned some names which you are aquainted with: I wish you would Ask them, if they can remember the Circumstances I alude to.
I am, Sir, with every Sentment of esteem,
Your Humble Servant,
Paul Revere
Courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society
“The Battle of Lexington, 19 April 1775,” Oil on canvas by William Barns Wollen, 1910.
If people want to read more about this incredible man, try Esther Forbes 1942 book, “Paul Revere and The World He Lived In.”
I am descended from William Bradford. Of the Mayflower
I was 9 years old (weeks away from being 10) on April 19th 1975 and went to the bicentennial reenactment at the Lexington battle green, later that day President Ford came and spoke on the stairs of the Carry Memorial Library! He was well received even though President Nixon had lost Massachusetts in 72’. Last year I went back for the semi-quincentennial and wow, that’s where I saw my first dose of “no king” signs. Morons that lined the parade route holding signs that were better suited for barry obama when he said upon losing the house-“I’ve got a phone and I’ve got a pen” now that sounds like the kind of king that would take billions in unauthorized cash and fly it on pallets to our enemy!
Yes Gipper, I too have been blessed to have walked the hallowed grounds in Lexington and the bridge in Concord. Very inspirational to reflect on the remarkable Patriots that began our Revolution. It saddens me also to witness our fellow citizens now here that have tarnished our rich history.
It would be well with me to be remembered as a Patriot and a man of principle.
The founder’s generation were tall men.
Sundance,
Thanks for the history lesson.
One of my Ancestors a Captain in the Virginia militia who fought in the Revolutionary war, served under commander George Washington, (our first President) also had a father who fought in the French Indian war and later formed what was known as a Station along the Cumberland gap in 1790. During the 1780s and 1790s, the fortified buildings called “stations” were built along the trail for shelter from Indian raids as settlers followed Daniel Boone‘s path into the Kentucky frontier. Our station was in Lee County and was the final front on the Kentucky Trace, now known as the Wilderness Road and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine.
Qualify but never submitted name for Sons of American Revolution and Sons of the Confederacy.
GF x 6 recorded at a “block house” or station and Indian battle on the Virginia frontier in the 1750s/60s later settled land nearby. Another GF x6 in the SouthWest Va, area in 1770s.
At least 4 GF x4 in Civil War. Numerous siblings of GF x3 both sides of family in WWII. None in my direct line involved WWI. Father served during Korea as I did during Cold War.
❤️
Hi JWoo!
I had two ancestors/relatives who were patriots from the start… both serving before and in the Revolutionary War. One was in Virginia and the other in North Carolina. That being said the British are still around…. and connected at the hip to modern Democrats.
i have discovered my great times 5 was killed at brandywine creek. i have also discovered another great times 5 was a hessian officer captured christmas eve by washington . this one was turned and helped the american cause and washington gave him 360 acres in bedford pa. it is said. i am humbled.
I have SAR certificates for two of my 5th great grandfathers hanging on my wall. Both were at Valley Forge with General Washington. One of them served 3 years and was actually captured at Brandywine but escaped. He settled in Bedford, PA after the war also.
My 5x GF (SAR) was from Frederick, Maryland and a Patriot serving from the July 19, 1776 until 1780. He moved to Kentucky in the mid 1790s and eventually to Missouri around 1818.
My ancestor formed a (fort) station on the Cumberland gap in 1790’s In Lee County, also a church… it is well documented and the land was bought from an associate of Joseph Martin. I’d imagine your 5x GF took that route when traveling to Kentucky. Daniel Boone the original purveyor of Cumberland gap also settled in Missouri around 1799.
Yes, most likely. My 6x GF was the school master at the Frederick Evangelical Lutheran church. He and his wife arrived in Philadelphia in 1753 from Wuerttemberg (Germany) and arrived in Frederick in 1761.
“He appeared to be quite surprized at seeing Deacon Davis there; that he (Church) went where he pleased, while in Boston, only a Major Caine, one of Gage’s Aids, went with him”.
Major Caine…Well THAT last name is certainly familiar!… (history is still rhyming)! 😉
It seems that there was just as much treachery and treasonous activity in the 18th Century as there is in the 21st Century.
The words of Ecclesiastes 1: 9-10 are true:
“That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which it may be said,
‘See, this is new’?
It has already been in ancient times before us.“
God bless the American patriots who risk everything to keep our country free.
Traytor/traitor(s) among us……….some things never change.
But like Revere and the Sons of Liberty, we will most certainly win our freedom back.
MAGA!
That is right — all your Eyores out there doomsaying about how bad times are. They have been worse, they have been better.
And if you go rummagin’ around in your own heart and mind and find some Eyore — cast him out. He’s a liar.
Fear, hopelessness, doubt — useless emotions.
Set your hearts on things above. We are made in His image, I tell ya! Including His spirit. With an ache in our soul that only he can fill.
The main thing is we have to hold down the fort…. (USA) and our military might in this case. We can’t let people take over that have loyalties to foreign countries.
when you are trying to understand why things are the way they are, and you need answers,Ecclesiates is where to find the reason.
Haha, the bureaucratic lifers screwed up and accidentally did something right. Go Joe!
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/joe-digenova-oversee-spygate-probe-after-doj-removes/
Good to hear! I have long been a fan of Joseph diGenova, and back in 2018 even wrote, citing his critique of the Independent Counsel statute, “The next time a Supreme Court vacancy occurs, President Trump should take a good look at Joseph diGenova for the position.”
https://walkingcreekworld.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/updates-on-the-conspiracy-and-the-select-committee-idea/
In a preceding post I had suggested a Special Senate Committee (like the Watergate Committee) to investigate the whole Russian Collusion conspiracy to undermine President Trump. Even then I was relying on Sundance and CTH to keep track of the whole mess:
https://walkingcreekworld.wordpress.com/2018/01/08/a-select-committee-to-look-under-the-rocks/
Thumbs up on your post!
As for Paul Revere, he wasn’t just a man on a horse. He was a middle-aged silversmith with a large family who knowingly risked a “traitor’s death” (execution by hanging) and serious persecution of his family members in order to provide early warning to the colonial militia.
My AI robot says “The roads between Boston, Lexington, and Concord were patrolled by British officers specifically looking for messengers. Revere was actually intercepted by two officers shortly after starting his ride. He had to gallop across a pasture and narrow woods to lose them—one of the officers actually got stuck in a clay pond while chasing him.”
Later on that night, he was cornered by other British troops and held at gunpoint while he was interrogated. He lied. They confiscated his horse and let him go. He walked back to Lexington on foot while the first shots of the war were fired.
The British are still around…. Just today I watched a famous youtuber online who travels America and he randomly stopped at a radio station in Colorado….. well wouldn’t you know it a British guy ran it with an American woman, most likely Democrat and they are fully funded by NPR…. one of the main amplifiers/purveyors of lies only second to PBS.
Please explain what he lied about? My info from Revere himself says he told the truth. The British took his horse but finally had to let him go— they were worried about getting separated from the Redcoats when it was obvious the entire country’s Minutemen were about.
Incredible and riveting read!
This should be read by every fifth grader as part of American history…adults, too!
they may get to live their own.
It used to be….once upon a time in another America.
A good read. Fitting for our times..We are still in a battle for our Republic but we have Patriots willing to sacrifice..God bless Americia🙏
Welcome home?
April 19 is frequently a momentous day too, and usually not in a good way.
Great reads (even for adults), Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh, “Rush Revere” series. I bought each of them when they first came out. Wonderful books.
250 years later methinks we have our own “Paul Revere” writing these articles……….. 😎
Agreed!!
Agree!
We are all Paul Revere. All of us Saul/Paul. All of us John Adams, George Washington. Donald Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard, Ben Carson.
We are a royal priesthood, competent to counsel one another, a city on a hill.
Do not think your accomplishments, your speaking, your demeanor, your good behavior that shines the light in the darkness. No it is the transformation that occurs in us when we submit to him. It is the power causing the transformation that gives hope to others.
The willingness to see what needs to be done, to dream, to create, to build, to share, to teach.
Now abide these three: Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest is Love.
I think Paul Revere had a dash cam on his horse, because I could see the video as I was reading the story. 🙂
Well stated, Doc!
Excellent perspective, Doc. And a good reminder about Him who has graced us with wisdom and insight.
Sundance has taken that Grace gift and used his abilities and initiative to begin and maintain this blog site as a beacon for all those who choose to see it.
I so revere our Sundance! So Sundance Revere is perfect!!
Indeed. Ordinary men with extraordinary determination.
A few fun facts about this famous patriot:
Paul left school at the age of 13, to apprentice in his father’s silversmiths. When his dad died, Paul became the sole support of his family, at age 19.
Paul’s first wife died in childbirth, giving birth to their 8th child, in 1773. He remarried soon after, and went on to father 8 more children. 16 little Reveres, 11 of whom survived into adulthood.
At the time of his famous ride, he was 41 years old. Remarried, already with 9 or 10 young children, and a flourishing business.
Obviously a busy guy. Still found the time to squeeze in being an iconic patriot.
Humbling, really.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/paul-revere/
That was interesting! Makes me wonder where his descendants are today!
We went to service at the Old North Church when I was young. It was a special trip to Boston. Paul was one righteous dud, as were everyone that faithful night.
We have a signer in our family tree. Also a righteous dud. Referred to as “feather in our cap” at family gatherings.
All those men put their lives and fortunes on the line for our liberty.
My God gives us the strength to preserve the liberty our ancestors fought so hard for, keep our President, his trusted aids, Sundance and the faithful of the Green Dragon Tavern safe.
“Young Washington” by Angel Films…
Washington’s service as a British Officer during the French and Indian under General Braddock
I’m looking forward to that movie. My ancestors knew the young Washington when he surveyed their lands in the Shenandoah Valley. I have a copy of the signed deed with his iconic signature.
Thank you, Sundance. Greatly enjoyed reading this.
Thank you for sharing all this — and the amazing transcript!
Riveting background. Thank you!
J
Thank you for sharing. An inspiration of what ordinary people can do to make a great difference. Don’t forget Sybil Ludington.
For this country to reset and realign as our great POTUS is trying to do, we must each submit, let go of our pride and allow the fire to be reignited in our hearts in a way that transforms our behavior. And pass the spark from heart to heart.
A big THANK YOU, Sundance. I had never read this document. It give even more special meaning to Pariots Day!
My son had to memorize the poem in 4th grade. I’m glad there are still a few schools around that require that level of memorization.
Is there a statute of limitations someone is trying to run out by all the stonewalling and slow waking?
As I undersrtand it, because the conspiracy is ongoing, we are not technically not up against a statute of limitations. IMO, the stonewalling and slow walking become part of the conspiracy….just new accomplices participating.
Longfellow –
https://www.paulreverehouse.org/longfellows-poem/
Sundance,
You’ve published this before but what a wonderful, captivating narrative from such a humble man who was key in our struggle for liberty. It is never tiring to read and re-read. May we be worthy of what we have been bequeathed by these men (and women) of faith, deep conviction and courage.
In 1967, I lied about my age, joined the Metal Workers Union and landed a job as a “hooker” for Revere Copper & Brass in Rome, New York. The job required me to ride the hook of an overhead crane inside the cast shop where 13 blast furnaces poured molten billets of high-tensile brass destined for VietNam in the form of shell casings for US Navy destroyer and battleship cannon. The men I worked with were among the most senior in the entire mill… they knew the mission, and sometimes during lunch break would speak of Paul Revere and the company’s dedication to honoring his legacy. Their company. I was just a kid, but I learned about patriotism just sitting their quietly eating baloney and cheese on white bread.
Wonderful.
I was recently gifted an old pocket watch with a chain attached. The chain has a pendant indicating the logo of The Redmen, founded in 1834, and are the descendants of the Sons of Liberty.
I’m honored to wear it proudly.
Pauls ride to Lexington was about 12.5 miles. He road about 2 more toward Concord before capture. A quick search brought up some very nice maps of the route and incidents.
Thanks Sundance, for offering this historic letter for us to read.
If this happened today, while they were chasing him on horseback, a quick call to Verizon™ for a ping to his phone would give them his identity.
Later, when he was interrogated, a download of his smart phone would give them the names of all his contacts and with their numbers, they could be located.
They would have his message history, travel history and maybe even the name of his horses veterinarian.
Pretty tough to be a patriot nowadays and still be able to cruise the internet while sitting on the john.
While your extrapolation to the present day is most technically accurate, I would submit that the same LORD who guided Paul Revere’s every move that historic evening remains capable of guiding and protecting His servants today!
Fear Not, friends and countrymen.
AMEN… let no weapon formed against us prosper and may the weapons of our enemy even be turned and worked… in our favor!
Romans 8:28. God works all things for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His Purpose.
That reads “all” things… good and bad. God Can and Will use them for our good.
Yes! It’s said that the moon went under a cloud as Revere was being rowed to Charlestown under the shadow of a war ship.
Given that today Concord and Lexington are of the most blue areas in Massachusetts (They voted heavily for Joe and Kamala)
what you are saying is entirely accurate.
In fact, these towns are nothing but non-stop deep blue drama, the local politics are insane.
Lexington, a suburb of an Ivy League University, is the locus of the No Kings charade.
I suppose they conveniently forgot about all of the Branch Covidian kings and queens and seniors nursing home murderers.
Yup, we know it Chris.
It’s been devastating to watch Vermont and Massachusetts drive themselves right down the drain over the course of my life.
They are both stunning states filled with great people trying to survive what the lunatics are doing.
I remember Bennington County of my youth, that of my Yankee maternal Grandmother, an American back water best known for the Battle of Bennington and the Battenkill (trout river).
That was before the state of Vermont devolved into a communist utopian suburb and vacationland of metro NYC.
It is not easy being an American Patriot in coastal New England.
Some liberals mean well and can live and let live: others decidedly mean to harm and silence to anyone who stands in opposition to their power plays.
Chris I’ve often said that we can use some recognition of some sort for the battle we’ve all stayed to fight on a day to day basis living up here in one of the most screwed up and extreme areas now of the country, where we’re largely hated and seen as the enemy when all we’re trying to do is attempting to retain the homeland that our European ancestry founded and fought for and then settled.
We give up a large chunk of our lives to fight this battle, we’re as politically engaged as is possible locally, we line up to vote in every election and all the while we know most of us don’t have a shot in hell of ever having any representation. We’ve chosen to fight for that representation all over again.
Just like Paul Revere, we’re not giving up.
It takes a special sort of grit and dedication though to have not packed up and fled to the south as so many have.
My family name is on a bridge spanning the Connecticut river and Vermont was kind enough to name a lake for my family member- so screw the bastids, we’ve made our mark quite nicely and been fully recognized for doing so and I won’t be driven out. I can say with certainty, we were here first.
I agree. Resident of a small town on Boston’s north shore, Hamilton. GEN George Patton lived here. It’s totally FUBAR. Maur-ona Henley has destroyed this state. Local politics are driven by a small group of corrupt democrat operatives whose sole purpose is to enrich themselves at taxpayers’ expense.
My wife and I hope to join you in NH as soon as I retire. Not what either of us wants to do, but we must to keep our sanity.
*Healey. Miserable, nasty woman.
We can always use more fighters, we’re suffering terribly from the invasion from ALL of our surrounding states.
People should pray for NH, we’re the last one standing up here and I’m not exaggerating at all.
What was really annoying was to see Heather Cox Richardson being the honored speaker in the historic Old North Church.
I would suggest that Revere was intelligent enough to not carry any electronic device for the very reasons you have adequately listed.
Some of us still leave the phone at home…..
I am painfully and uncomfortably aware of how “visible” every aspect of my life is: my actions, thoughts, history, personality, weaknesses and strengths.
I frequently plot to go off the grid, but there is no way I could practice medicine in today’s medical/industrial complex off the grid
So I just take a deep breath and remember the courage of the founders, the martyrdom of the Apostles, and vow to simply keep my faith in God and do my best — then leave the results up to God.
I know that he will be with me no matter what happens.
This is an incredible story. What brave men who risked everything for what they believed. Unfortunately, with the mass surveillance police/military state there can never be anything like this in the modern day.
Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me.
Thank you for this beautiful post, Sundance. I had not known about it before. An ordinary man, doing extraordinary things.
That’s why the Lord is coming to take us out of here before the Tribulation. In the Book of Malachi, it says ‘we’, His Own, are not meant for the wrath of God.
My handle isn’t trivial, ancestors fought on the winning side. And I never realized it until today, but this date is also my birthday. Thank you Mr Revere and all the other founding fathers and warriors for the best birthday gift you gave me and millions of others. To be born in the USA. 😃
Happy (by now) belated Birthday!
Thanks IG.
Me and Paul Revere
Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers
Well of course I’ve got to tell you about what we did here in New Hampshire to get this all done. I’d like to add a whole lot more to this, this is all a great read if you are a history buff, here’s the story- complete with a mile of footnotes.
It’s quite a gift to be from the place where this is all just local history- the stories of our old dead relatives.
Live Free Or Die, we’re serious about it.
Before Paul Revere’s ride, there was the raid on Fort William and Mary.
The Raid on Fort William and Mary in 1774
THE SEIZURE OF HIS MAJESTY’S FORT WILLIAM AND MARY AT NEW CASTLE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, DECEMBER 14 – 15, 1774
https://nhsar.org/the-raid-on-fort-william-and-mary-in-1774/
From the article:
Thirteen unique rebellions against British authority simmered in America prior to April 19, 1775.
Four months before the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, New Hampshire’s rebellion crossed the line into overt insurrection. On December 14, 1774, patriots faced gunfire to storm the colony’s provincial arsenal; a fort in the British empire’s system of American defenses, manned by soldiers who reported to a royal governor appointed directly by the Crown. In the violent course of their assault, the raiders gave three cheers, hauled down the British flag and made off with about 100 barrels of gunpowder. It was plainly treason and New Hampshire’s friends of liberty added to their crime the following evening. On December 15, 1774, they again raided the fort, this time absconding with small arms, miscellaneous military supplies and, above all, 16 cannon clearly marked as the property of the King.
These little-known and often misconstrued incidents marked the effective end of royal authority in one of Britain’s American colonies and warrant a place of honor in our collective memory of the struggle for American independence.
also mostly ignored are the small local rebellions in the colonies – from research I am doing on my daughter-in-laws family:
In 1771 Marmaduke Vickery, along with his son Sampson fought at the Battle of Alamance in the War of the Regulators, which was a revolt against the English Governor Tryon.
The Battle of Alamance was the final confrontation of the Regulator Movement (a militia of citizens) in North Carolina. Local farmers rebelled against corrupt colonial officials. The battle resulted in a government victory with significant casualties for the Regulators. Marmaduke Vickery was captured and paraded thru town in chains. Tryon moved through Regulator territory in the backcountry of North Carolina and forced Regulators and their sympathizers to sign loyalty oaths. He also confiscated or destroyed several active Regulators’ properties. Marmaduke was not hanged fortunately.
Interesting Susan.
We’ve got people up here named Vickery. I had a friend with this name actually.
If you dig deep enough, I’m sure they’ll all related.
I feel like we have let Paul Revere and our Founding Fathers down. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have grown up in America when I did.
Sundance, thank’s for this reminder, that perfectly fits in our times, 250 years later!
It’ s the irony of fate that without Longfellow’s inspirational verses, the American Patriot Paul Revere wouldn’t be elevated to a prominent figure of the American Revolution in the public’s collective memory. It hardly matters that the poem does not exactly depict the facts from his midnight ride.
Sundance retweeted:
https://nitter.poast.org/TheLastRefuge2/with_replies
“♏️ 𝓓𝓪𝓻 ♏️
@DameScorpio
🇺🇸💪♥️ I do not care what anyone thinks about me for saying this today.
Because President Trump deserves to hear it. And I am done waiting for the right moment. This is the right moment.
President Trump, thank you. Not for a policy. Not for an executive order. Not for a rally or a speech or a headline. For something so much more personal than any of those things.
Thank you for waking up every single morning at 79 years old, when staying in bed would have been so much easier.
Thank you for skipping meals that went cold,
for missing family moments that never came back,
for traveling to countries most Americans cannot find on a map,
for sitting in briefings before most of America opened its eyes,
for carrying criticism that would have broken most people permanently,
for getting back up every single time the world said stay down,
for donating every single dollar of your salary,
for giving up the most comfortable life imaginable to sit in the most uncomfortable chair on earth and carry the weight of 340 million people without once asking any of us to notice.
You did not have to do any of this.
You had everything…the money, the properties, the comfortable life, the peace…and you gave all of it away for a country that does not always stop to say thank you.
And today I am stopping. Because I refuse to be part of that silence anymore.
Today, in front of every single American reading this, I want to say what most people feel but never actually say out loud.
Thank you, President Trump, for everything you gave that we never asked for, for everything you carried that we never fully saw, for every morning you chose America over yourself.
We see you. We feel it. And we are more grateful than words will ever fully capture. God bless you. God protect you. And God keep giving you the strength to carry what most of us could never lift. 🇺🇸💪♥️
As with so many things, the school totally failed to to actually expose us to The whole story. It was the shits 55 years ago. It’s Worser now.
Magnificent.
Thank you, Sundance!
Thank you, Sundance and all at CTH.
Sundance is a great American Patriot.
Thinking of him at the modern day Green Dragon and praying for his safe and successful mission. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸👊👊
True spirit of Liberty.
And 251 years later on the same day, a Patriot we all know set forth on his own journey to inform and advise others of like mind about the nefarious actions of enemies to our Republic.
I memorized that poem in 5th or 6th grade, and had to recite it in class. Never had I heard of this letter. How brave these people were for God and country. Thank you for sharing.
Eloquence, penmanship, and clear eyed resolve. All qualities of the founding fathers and the men who rode with and for them.
Oh the memories!
Interesting notes by descendants of Patriots. I had one or two great-great-grandfathers who fought in that war. One captained a ship that patrolled near Connecticut.
I also have ancestors who left America for England after independence, only for their descendants to emigrate to New York around 1840.
I have a powder horn from a relative who landed in Cape Fear NC escaping Scotland and took up arms against the British in our Revolution. It was given to me by my Grandfather, he got it from his dad and so on. The scrimshaw is primitive but cool some before some after the Revolution.
When I hold it I always ask if it could talk the story it could tell.
We must find this level of courage.
MAGA!
What an incredible heirloom to have. 😇
Thanks Sundance! I’ve walked the Battlefields of Lexington and Concord. Also Bunkerhill, Boston Green, the USS Constitution , Yorktown (got lost!) and The Cowpens. You can actually feel youre on Sacred Ground! The “Midnight Ride” must have been scary, thank GOD for Paul Revere and those Patriots. And Thank GOD there are still Patriots willing to do the same today. One way or another, We WILL leave a Great Country for our Grandchildren, of that I’m certain. Well Done Sundance! May GOD watch over our TROOPS ,our PRESIDENT and our United States of America! ALWAYS FORWARD!!!
That was a fascinating read. It seems treacherous deceivers to America have only been allowed to multiply to this day.
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
It’s time again.