2. Paul Revere’s America Paul was a vibrant man with a great personality. Paul began school in the busy seaport of Boston at the age of seven. Boston’s inhabitants were suspicious in nature and not welcoming to strangers. The town was made up of crooked streets, and brick/wooden homes. Paul was initially an apprentice to his dad who was a goldsmith which would account for his eventual expertise and employment as a silversmith before the Revolution; although he worked in various metals. He was also a skilled artisan, making frames for portraits and copper engraving.
3. Paul Revere’s America Paul was a Christian, churchgoer, citizen, townsman who served on several committees, a husband, and a father. His first wife was Sarah Orne who passed away in 1773. Shortly thereafter, he remarried Rachael Walker. Paul was 1 of 11 siblings. Paul held several positions within his community such as Clerk, Health Officer, and Coroner. He was an outspoken activists, and organized an association that addressed the growing problem of poverty. He enjoyed fishing, shooting, and riding. In 1755 he joined the militia as a lieutenant of artillery and served the French and Indian wars.
4. General Gage’s Dilemma Gage was a commander in chief for the British Forces. Although he married an American girl, he soon felt Americans were impossible people, especially the Bostonians. Gage felt that America was a bully and he wished the “cursed” place would be burned. Many British soldiers shared this same opinion. Gage did not attend college. He had an aristocratic privilege but instead made a career out of his position as a British General in the Army. He loved the Army and the discipline it kept. After Fontenay, Braddock’s Expedition, and the French and Indian wars, Gage was promoted to brigadier in 1759.
5. General Gage’s Dilemma A respected man, Gage preferred to keep peace by supporting not only the authority of the King and Parliament, but at the same time seeking to conciliate the Americans. Between the Stamp Act riots and the Bloody Massacre, he no longer felt that America’s troubles were attributed to corrupt elites alone. He believed they were attributed to democracy. Gage disliked war and would only select this an option as a last resort. With this, he proposed to disarm New England by a series of operations in the hopes of removing the means of violent resistance from Yankee hands only until a later time where cooler hands would prevail. Gage’s plan against New England had to be kept secret because if people found out, it would actually start war and defeat the entire purpose of the movement which is to prevent war.
6. Mounting Tensions- Soldiers By the Spring of 1775, tension grew each day between the British, its government, and Americans. The weather was a challenge, food was scarce, and drinking water was polluted. Disease would spread. British soldiers bonded with one another and kept a dialect of their own. They were treated poorly by their commanders and were often subject to abuse. New England did not like this. As a result, desertion increased and so did bribes. Boston soon organized a secret escape route via boat and gave soldiers tempting offers so that they would continue with their plan to escape; though, many soldiers refused the Bostonians bribes. In an attempt to keep his men from desertion, Gage actually began executing his own men.
7. Mounting Tensions- Superiors The stress was high. Soldiers would begin attacking one another and the commanders would quarrel with one another. Gage’s superiors on London would begin to get upset because they had been giving him orders to act but he had produced no results. London soon sent 2 ships with strict orders for Gage to move against the rebellion and arrest its leaders. Unfortunately, the news reached the people of Massachusetts before the commander himself. If all went according to plan, the government would proudly claim all credit. If not, Gage would be the one to blame. His orders were to move quickly and decisively and to use any and all strength necessary. It was time to prepare.
8. The Battle- War Materials We all have an image of what truly went down on the morning of April 19th, 1775. While there is an element of truth to some of it, we shall address some high points of what really happened. The minutemen marched off toward the hillside to wait for the advancing British force. The long red formation advanced toward the obviously outnumbered soldiers. Lieutenant Joseph Hosmer, an outspoken farmer and a furniture maker, held great influence over the young soldiers, however the town didn’t think much of him. Grenadiers would come through the village and scour the area in search of any war-related materials. They ordered these materials to be destroyed and continued the search in peoples’ homes. Paul Revere had given several warnings to hide things of military value.
9. The Battle- The Toll The Bloody Curve was a tree-dense location where militia would wait for redcoats to arrive. A handful of militia men and redcoats were killed at the ambush at Bloody Curve. Fiske Hill was of particular significance because this was an area of intense battle. The British began to fall apart here and eventually became out numbered. The Americans, hiding behind a wall, fired upon the British. Men on both sides of the battle were incredibly tired and thirsty. Major Pitcairn’s pistols were stolen by American militiamen and sold, as he retreated from Concord.
10. Aftermath- Humiliation British casualties were ferried across the Charles River to Boston. Others lie at Charleston Landing broken, weary, and nursing bloody wounds. The British felt defeated and humiliated. Even those who strayed in to American hands were still treated as enemies. Many were looking for someone to blame; and how could their plans have been so rudely interrupted? Gage stopped Admiral Graves from executing a plan of holding women and children hostage as a deterrent of attack. He then proposed to destroy the towns of Roxbury and Charlestown in its entirety. British commanders continued to quarrel while Americans continued-on their day with a renewed sense of purpose.
11. Aftermath- The Story The scene would continue to repeat itself. The bodies of dead soldiers along the Battle Road would be gathered and placed in to pine boxes. Paul Revere would meet with the committee for safety at the Hastings House in Cambridge. His wife Rachael was worried about his safety. General Gage would make many attempts to make public his version of events. However, his appeal to the public was unsuccessful as many other leaders attempted to compete in giving their version as well. Along with this, the Kings’ ministers in London felt Gage to be weak and over-scrupulous. With this, his credibility was questioned.
