Paul Revere's Ride

During the night of April 19, 1775, the British soldiers under General Gage would go and capture gunpowder supplies in Concord and capture Colonial leaders in Lexington. However, spies leaked the general's plans and riders such as Paul Revere and William Dawes went to tell the colonists that the British army were coming.

Paul Revere was a silversmith from Boston whose business was suffering under the British rule because of taxes. He was a part of the Sons of Liberty. From December 1773 to November 1775, he was a courier who delivered newspapers.

Revere rode through present-day Somerville, Medford, and Arlington. Contrary to popular belief, he did not shout "The British are coming!" because the people living there considered themselves British. He warned the settlers that the Regulars (British soldiers) were coming.

Paul Revere's ride helped the settlers by warning them of the coming soldiers and giving them time to prepare. Revere was captured by the British and let go after questioning, but the other riders escaped.

The British managed to capture the gunpowder, but the Colonial leaders escaped.