One of the most well-known and Iconic people of the American Revolution was just a simple man, and he is known for riding off into the Midnight in the Spring of 1775 saying "The British are coming!, The British are coming!" to warn the colonial militia about the British forces that were coming which then started the battles of Lexington and Concord,.....That was Paul Revere, Although he didn't actually yell out; "The British are coming!" in real life and he didn't ride alone....Heck he was not the one who made it to Concord and Lexington to warn them.

But in this card about his Midnight Ride from the Story of America Cards: The Revolution Category you'll quickly learn all about this event in the History of the American Revolution.

(Who is Paul Revere and What was The Midnight Ride?)

Thought it's best I'll do two refreshers for this, But let's start with Paul Revere, he was an American silversmith, engraver, folk hero, early industrialist, a Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot. He is best known for his Midnight Ride to warn the colonial militia of British Forces coming....It was with this warning which started the first shots to the American Revolution in April of 1775.

(One If by Land, Two If by Sea)

In the Spring of 1775, shortly before the start of the Revolutionary War, a group of American patriots, fearful of a clash with British soldiers, concealed some supplies and ammunition at Concord, Massachusetts, located about 20 miles (32 km.) from Boston.

But by mid-April the patriots began to suspect that the British were planning a secret raid to capture these supplies, Thus, on April 16th, they sent Paul Revere, a well-known Boston silversmith and frequent courier for the cause to warn patriot leaders, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were at nearby Lexington.

When Revere returned from his mission, he and his colleagues arranged a system of warnings to indicate the method of the British attack. If the soldiers came by land, one lantern was to hang high in the steeple of Boston's North Church.

If they came by sea, two lanterns would be shown. In that way a signal could be flashed to patriots waiting at Charles River. On the night of April 18th, Revere was summoned by Joseph Warren, a prominent Boston physician, and told that the British were planning to cross Charles by boat that night and then proceed to Concord, Warren directed Revere to give the two-lantern signal and ride immediately to Lexington to arouse the local Minutemen, William Dawes, was dispatched by another route.

After alerting a friend, who placed the lanterns in the steeple, Revere headed to Charles River, where he had hidden a boat. Two other friends rowed across the river with him, their rows muffled by a woman's petticoat.

After rowing stealthily past a British man-of-war, the three men finally reached Charlestown, where local patriots awaited them with one of their best horses.

Revere galloped off through a countryside teeming with British redcoats. After eluding several who guarding the road to Cambridge, he reached Medford and alerted the Minutemen there. Then he rode on to Lexington, where he joined Dawes and a Dr. Samuel Prescott.

Halfway to Concord, however, the three men were stopped by British soldiers. In a chase that ensured Revere was captured, while Dawes escaped into the woods. Only Prescott was able to make it to Concord and warn the patriots.

A few hours later on that same night, Revere was released----but without a horse, he had to walk back to Lexington, arriving just in time to hear the first shots of the war being fired.

(The Poem and Phrase of Paul Revere)

Although over time, Paul Revere was the only person really well known for the Midnight Ride on April 18th 1775 and that he was the only one....well as you can see that was not actually true.....The reason for only Paul Revere to be more well known then Dawes and Prescott would have something to do with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Poem; Paul Revere's Ride which was published in 1861 and 40 years after Paul Revere's Death at age 83 in 1818.

It's a good poem in its own right as of course which is what made Paul Revere well known in the first place.....But all accounts in the poem were not true....He didn't call out "The British are coming!" and he did not ride alone or even made it to Concord, all of that was made up in the Poem; But he didn't even say the phrase in the Poem either.

Some research I did also says Prescott was the one who said "The British are coming" and got it from Revere to warn concord....either way there's a lot of mumbo jumbo when you try and figure who said who with that phrase.

(Ending)

And that was the True events behind Paul Revere's Midnight Ride recorded down in the History card here....and guess what THERE'S ANOTHER RIDER that the card didn't mention about; Israel Bissell and he was the one who rode the fastest then all of them combined.......*Sigh*, let me tell you this card and all the research is a mind-opener to what they taught in school.....or my brain wasn't focusing that much when i was a little kid...But that's it, I'm going bye!