Episode 053: Paul Revere Rides

American Revolution Podcast

Michael Troy

Education, History

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2018

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As Gen. Gage prepares to deploy a brigade of regulars to Concord, the Patriots activate their warning system. Joseph Warren deploys William Dawes and Paul Revere to alert countryside. The riders alert the militia and reach Lexington, while avoiding British patrols. They warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock at Lexington before continuing their ride. On the road to Concord, a British patrol captures Revere. Dawes gets thrown from his horse during his escape. But a third rider, Samuel Prescott, completes the mission to warn Concord. The British detain Revere for a while. They release him near Lexington after hearing gunfire. Revere returns to Lexington on foot where he helps a dawdling Hancock and Adams get out of town. Once they are gone, Revere returns again to Lexington where he attempts to secure some of Hancock's secret papers. While doing so, the British arrive at Lexington Green. Revere at a distance, hears the first shots of the American Revolution. Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for more text, pictures, maps, and sources on this topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an airwave media podcast. Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.
0:17.0	Today episode 53 Paul Revere rides.
0:30.0	Last week I noted General Gage's receipt of Lord Germain's orders to make more of an effort to suppress the rebellion. Colonists had been training and preparing for armed conflict for nearly a year.
0:35.0	Everyone anticipated a deadly encounter.
0:38.0	It was just a matter of when, where, and who would fire first.
0:44.0	On Easter Sunday, April 16, 1775, Paul Revere rode out to Lexington
0:50.8	to warn Hancock and Adams that some raid was imminent.
0:55.0	Thanks to Benjamin Church's regular messages, Gage had known for some time that most of the colonial
1:00.8	stores were in Concord and Worcester.
1:03.4	A Worcester was nearly 40 miles away.
1:07.3	Soldiers could not march there and back in one day.
1:10.9	Concord was only 20 miles away, meaning troops might march out, capture or destroy the munitions, and return in a single day.
1:19.0	With that, Gage hoped the militia would not have enough time to react.
1:24.4	On Tuesday, April 18th, General Gage received intelligence that the stores in Concord remained
1:29.7	there and had not been removed.
1:32.3	The Provincial Congress had adjourned until May, meaning
1:35.4	defenses there were lower as well. This was the time to strike. Gage also knew
1:41.8	from earlier alarms that the necessary element of surprise had been impossible.
1:47.0	Riders always seemed to reach their target faster than his soldiers could march.
1:52.0	He did not have any significant cavalry for fast-moving actions.
1:56.2	To counter this problem, Gage deployed 20 officers and sergeants on horseback on April 18th. Their mission was to stop any riders attempting
2:07.3	to alert the countryside to the movement of British troops. Yet this unusual deployment of soldiers in the evening was itself enough to raise a general
	...

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