Paul Revere is mostly famous for his midnight ride on April 18, 1775. On that night Paul warned Massachusetts Patriots that the British soldiers were marching out of Boston ready to attack. Two years later, young Sybil Ludington warned the New York Patriots that the British soldiers were planning an attack, on April 26, 1777.
There were many riders that helped the American colonists in their struggles to become independent from Britain. Paul Revere and Sybil Ludington were both known for their heroic and dangerous rides.
Riders were important before and during the American revolution. Communication was slow. There were no computers, telephones or fast mail services. Important messages were delivered by daring riders on fast horses.
Paul Revere’s first ride was in November 1773. The British had sent ships loaded with tea to Boston. Although the colonists did not want the tea, the British said to the colonists that if the tea was unloaded they would have to pay a tax. The Americans believed that they shouldn’t have to pay this tax, thus Paul Revere was sent by Patriot leaders to warn other colonists that the British were sending more ships with tea to America.
Paul’s second ride came two and a half weeks later, on December 17, 1773. Paul had been up all night throwing tea into the Boston harbor with other Patriots. The Patriots needed someone to spread the word about the “Boston tea Party” in New York and Philadelphia. Paul raced to the two cities. He rode more than sixty miles a day, and covered the distance of a seven-hundred-mile round trip in record time. Paul had made rides to New York, to Philadelphia, or to both cities five or more times, carrying important messages during the Revolution.
Paul Revere’s most famous ride was on the night of April 18, 1775. Two lantern lights hanging in the church tower signaled that British soldiers were leaving Boston by boat on that night. Their main objective was to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancok, two Patriot leaders, in Lexington. After capturing Samuel and John the plan of the British soldiers was to march to Concord, to find the guns and ammunition that the Patriots had stored there.
Paul jumped onto a borrowed horse called the Brown Beauty and rode in the night. Later, Paul wrote “I set off, it was then about 11 o’clock; the Moon shone bright.” Two British soldiers tried to stop him but Paul galloped away from them. Around midnight Paul had reached Lexington and warned Samuel and John that the British soldiers were coming to capture them. Samuel and John fled to safety, and Paul then headed towards Concord. As Paul rode on the country side he woke up people by calling out, “The Regulars (British soldiers) are coming out! The regulars are coming out!”
Before Paul could reach concord, the British soldiers captured him and later he was returned to lexington