Interview With Patriot Messenger, Paul Revere

EG News

Cambridge April 23, 1775

The following is an interview with Paul Revere by Roger MacAlisdair of the Edes and Gill News Service. Revere who is a leader on the Boston Committee of Safety and led over two dozen who rode on horseback very hard through Middlesex County just a few nights ago to warn the Minutemen that the Regulars were out and headed into the countryside.

EG: Mr. Revere, what was your first indication that there was going to be trouble on the night of April 18, 1775?

PR: Well, I was only one of around 30, mostly mechanics [skilled craftsman] who formed ourselves a committee for the purpose of watching the movements of the British soldiers and gaining every intelligence of the movements of the Tories. We were taking our regular turns watching in teams of 2 and 2 all night when last Saturday, April 15, we began to notice that all of the transport boats were being launched and tied beneath the sterns of the men-of-war [British War Ships] after having been brought in for extensive repairs. Then on the evening of the 18th we were notified by our intelligence network that the Grenadiers and Light infantry had suddenly been taken off their regular duties.

EG: When were you sure that something big was really in the works?

PR: We knew the minute we saw those troop transports being floated but we were absolutely certain when we began to see many of the Grenadiers and Light Infantry begin to make their way down to the Commons as the evening wore on. What many may not know is that we had set several plans in place because we have expected something like this to happen. Last September they surprised us when they took our powder from the Cambridge storage on Powder Hill but since then we have been able to thwart them at every turn. In December we got word to Fort William and Mary up in New Hampshire in time to remove the stores there and then just this last February we were able to turn back Colonel Leslie from Salem on the same mission.

EG: What do you think was different about this action? Why do you think it erupted in such a long running battle?

PR: Two reasons. One, we have just had enough of these constant attacks on our English Liberties. Two, they were not just after stores this time. They meant to arrest John Hancock and Sam Adams. It has gone beyond just closing ports and trying to cut us off from all business. Now they are actually looking to do us bodily harm and to take our citizens unjustly into custody. We have to fight back or we will all end up slaves to the English Parliament.

EG: You mentioned plans that you had put in place. Can you share any of those with our readers?

PR: Well, for one we worked out a signal to let those outside of Boston know if troops were coming and bay what route. We were not at all sure that anyone would be able to get past the heavily guarded Boston Neck our across the Bay with those men-of-war patrolling the water. At about 10pm when Dr. Warren had received unassailable confirmation that the redcoats were coming out, he notified me and I notified John Pulling who put the notification plan into action. He was to hang a lantern in the Old North Church steeple if they were going out over the Neck or to hang two if they were going across the Bay. That is why we had to wait for confirmation. We knew they were going out and we were pretty sure because of the boats they were going across the water but we had to be sure.

EG: Weren't you concerned that the signal would be discovered? There are rarely lights lit up at night in church steeples!

PR: Yes Sir! We were. That is why we only had Pulling light the lanterns for a few minutes and then get out. We had observers posted in Charlestown and elsewhere with fixed eyes on that steeple.

EG: How did you manage to get across the bay to Charlestown with all of those ships out there?

PR: Well, between the direction of the tide, a little bit of a breeze, and the direction the light of the moon happened to be at just that time we were able, with muffled oars, to slide right beneath the bow of the HMS Somerset. Oh and it sounds so easy now but I can tell you that it was the longest hour 30 minutes of my life while a couple of my friends rowed me across.

EG: Did you encounter any other trouble as you road to Lexington?

PR: Yes, I had been warned that there were several patrols out and I very nearly got caught by a couple of Dragoons on the road to Cambridge. Fortunately I had a very swift horse (I lost Brown Beauty to another patrol later. She was a fine mare!) and I was able to outrun them and take the road through Medford instead. We didn't have anymore trouble until we left Lexington after warning Hancock and Adams. There I met William Dawes, who had made his way across the Neck with the same alarm as I, and we left to alarm Concord along with the young Dr. Samuel Prescott. About a third of the way there we were surprised by a much larger patrol and I was detained. Fortunately Dr. Prescott made away and got the word to Lincoln and Concord. Dawes took off the other direction but got thrown from his horse and walked in safety back to Lexington.

EG: How did you manage to escape your captors?

PR: I wasn't sure I would be able to. They took my horse and gave me one of their old nags and cut her tack. One of the redcoats shoved his pistol in my breast and said, "G d D mn you, stop! If yo go an inch further you are a dead man!" Then he proceeded to raise the gun to my head and told me that if I did not answer his questions truthfully that he would blow my brains out. Of course I had nothing to hide now, the alarm was going all over the country side by more than a couple dozen horseman and I felt it was to our advantage that those redcoats knew just exactly what they were in for. Then at just the right time it seems, the Minutemen gathered on the Lexington Green chose that fortuitous time to fire a volley. Almost immediately he patrol conferred among themselves and decided it would be safer for them to let us all go and ride hard to notify their superiors of the news I had just furnished them. Well, yo have printed the rest of the story about the battles at Lexington, North Bridge, Meriam's Corner and in Menotomy and I have some work the Dr. Warren wants me to get to so I will have to go.

EG: Thank you for your time Mr. Revere.

PR: Your Servant!