Did Paul Revere warn the British?

Did Paul Revere warn the British?

by terry
(chattanooga,tn.)

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

Did Paul revere Warn the British about trying to take the colonists guns away from them?

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Did Paul Revere warn the British?

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Apr 26, 2012
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The Truth about Paul Revere
by: Anonymous

He warned the americans not the british. he hated the british.

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From the Minuteman:

Perhaps this will clear the issue up. Paul Revere was captured by British soldiers after leaving Lexington with Dr. Prescott and William Dawes. They were on their way to Concord to warn the citizens the British were coming so they could get their munitions to safety.

Revere was captured, but Dawes and Prescott escaped. While Revere was in British custody, the following exchange took place, in Paul Revere's own words, "He asked me if I was an express? I answered in the afirmative. He demanded what time I left Boston? I told him; and aded, that their troops had catched aground in passing the River, and that There would be five hundred Americans there in a short time, for I had alarmed the Country all the way up."

This exchange was written by Paul to Jeremy Belknap years after the war. Jeremy was the founder of the Massachusetts Historical Society and he had asked Revere to tell him the events of that night.

So while Revere's intent and mission that night was to warn the colonists that the British were coming, he did indeed also tell the British that the colonists were coming, armed and ready to fight.

Based on the facts, you couldn't say that Paul set out that night to warn the British, but you also couldn't say, based on the facts, that he didn't warn the British, because he did just that.

This is not a matter of opinion, but a matter of fact, at least according to Paul Revere himself.

You can read Revere's complete events of the night of April 18, 1775 to Jeremy Belknap here.

One final consideration is that the overall strategic purpose of the colonists activities was to let the British know, in no uncertain terms, that they were not going to be treated with contempt by the British army. It would be fair to say the colonists were "warning" the British to back off. In this sense, every colonist who took part that night was also "warning" the British.

People who rail on this issue and say that Paul Revere simply didn't warn the British are apparently not aware of all the facts or are possibly of a political view that wishes to discredit Sarah Palin no matter what.

By the way, once the soldiers holding Revere heard shots coming from the direction of Lexington they let him go and ran off to help in the fight.

Apr 22, 2012
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NOOOOOO
by: Anonymous

Paul Revere warned John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were coming to arrest them even I know that "History Lover"
and I'm 11 and by the way their names don't rhyme

Oct 27, 2011
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NNNOOOPPPEE!!!
by: History Lover

In fact, Dr. Prescott finished the midnight Ride and warned everyone. Paul Revere was captured. he is only famous because his name rhymed. Dr. Prescott should get the credit. I have proof of this.

The Minuteman: Thanks for your comments "History Lover." It's true that Dr. Prescott finished the ride after Paul Revere was captured, but Revere did complete the first part of the route. The question asked was "Did Paul Revere warn the British?" and the answer to that is "Yes."

Jul 04, 2011
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Yes he did!
by: The Minuteman

Hi Terry, Thanks for your question. You must be asking this question because of the recent story in the news about Sarah Palin allegedly messing up the history of Paul Revere's ride. In fact, Revere did warn the British that the colonists were coming with guns that night. Most people do not know that Revere was captured that night after warning John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Revere did indeed warn the soldiers that captured him that the colonists were coming after them and armed. So while the overall intent of his mission was to rally the colonists to arms, he did indeed at least warn some British soldiers of what was coming, probably to scare them. Also, it cannot be overlooked that the whole mission's intent was to warn the entire British army that the colonists were NOT going to allow them to carry out Parliament's wishes! Read more about our take on Sarah Palin's comments about Paul Revere here.

More about Paul Revere here.

Read about the true events of Paul Revere's Ride here.

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