Paul Revere’s Ride

Brooke SotoHistory 140

General Gage’s Dilemma• Thomas Gage - Commander in Chief of

British forces in the New World

• King appointed him governor of Massachusetts, but the people of New England were defiant

• Gage belied Bostonians were the worst, and the most familiar, the Boston silversmith Paul Revere

• By 1774, General Gage acquired a strong state in America & the Empire

• He worked faithfully to support the authority of the king & parliament, while seeking to consolidate the Americans

General Gage’s Dilemma

• His dilemma was as Edmund Burke said, “ an englishman is the unfittest person on earth to argue another englishman into slavery.”

• His policy wanted to get rid of democracy

• He wanted to limit access to law, & shift political cases to England

• He wanted to keep America commercially dependent on Britain

• Immediately, he wanted to strip weapons away from the Yankees with small military procedures

The Mission

• With Gage’s number’s being short, he surrendered at the heart of the rebel movement quickly

• The Whig leaders found out that England was preparing to attack, but wouldn’t fight until the British fired the first shot

• He had many hidden plans for the attack, but made sure he stayed within the limits of the law

The Mission

• Gage found out that the news of his movement could reach Concord before his troops would

• He planned to spy & sent out British officers in disguise to intercept any messengers

• The Americans were aware of these men & warned the country

The Warning• A messenger tells Paul Revere of

the future attack

• April 18th, 1775 Bostonians become aware of British plans to attack Concord & Lexington the next day

• John Hancock & Samuel Adams were the targets

• Revere went by boat to Charlestown to warn the Whigs in Lexington

• An alarm system had already been arranged

The Warning• By Revere lighting the lanterns in the

steeple of the North Church, it signaled that the British would be approaching by sea

• The Charleston Whigs gave Revere a horse & he traveled to Lexington at almost midnight

• Revere had to change routes when he almost ran into the British officers looking to stop messengers

• Once hitting Lexington & meeting with Adams & Hancock, Revere & another rider left for Concord

The Capture

• Traveling to Concord, Revere & Dawes met Samuel Prescott

• Unfortunately were captured by the British

• Dawes was able to escape & Revere & Prescott were taken

• They came across other riders that had been caught

• Prescott escaped

The Capture

• Revere was abused with questioning

• He told the truth & outed their plans to attack

• He said people in Lexington were already aware

• Once gunshots were heard, the prisoners were let go & they all fled

The Circle of Fire

• Lord percy came to Boston as a commander of his own regiment

• He was popular because he was the eldest son of a Duke

• He Led the 1st Brigade march & ran into the American militia in Lexington

The Circle of Fire

• In Lexington, the command of the militia was taken over by Brigadier William Heath

• April 19th, 1775 he met with the Massachusetts committee of safety & went to join his troops

• Through American fire & New England’s persistence, British officers were surprised

• Heath’s commanding was seen as a victory when they won over the British in the end