the true story of paul revere (1905)

8/14/2019 The True Story of Paul Revere (1905)

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THE TRUE STORYOF PAUL REVERE


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THE TRUE STORYOFPAUL REVE R E

HIS MIDNIGHT RIDEHIS ARREST AND COURT-MARTIALHIS USEFUL PUBLIC SERVICES

BY

CHARLES FERRIS GETTEMY

ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS

BOSTONLITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY

1905


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ITHE LJSRARY F :'j

CONGRESS;Two CoDies ^isnejvad 'SEP 2d 1905

T Aa

Copyright^ 1905,By Little, Brown, and Company.All rights reserved.

Published October, 1905

THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.


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TOMY WIFE


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Acknowledgment

THE thoroughness with which Mr. E. H. Gossseveral years ago examined the Revere familypapers, and which rendered a duplication of

that labor by subsequent historians superfluous, is en-titled to frank recognition. Wherever in the prep-aration of this volume the author has had occasion toquote from these manuscript documents which Mr.Goss first made public he has endeavored to give duecredit to the service of that biographer whose two-volume memoir this little book is in no sense intendedto supplant, though it is hoped it may fill a demandfor a short, concise, and unbiased record of the careerof one of the most interesting and picturesque charac-ters of the Revolutionary era. Other authoritiesconsulted have been the Massachusetts records in theoriginal manuscripts preserved in the archives of thecommonwealth, the Proceedings of the MassachusettsHistorical Society, the publications of the NewEngland Historic-Genealogical Society, the news-papers, almanacs, etc., of the period covered byRevere's life, and authentic biographies of Revere's /contemporaries.

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AcknowledgmentThe author wishes also to acknowledge the courtesy

of the publishers of the New England Magazine forpermission to reproduce substantially the whole ofhis article, " The True Story of Paul Revere'*s Ride,""which appeared in that periodical for April, 1902.

C. F. G.BosTOK, March 1, 1905.

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Contents

PageForeword . . xiii

I. The Patriotic Engraver (1735-1774) 1II. The Messenger of the Gathering Revo-

lution (1773-1775) 46III. The Midnight Ride of April 18, 1775 72IV. The Citizen and Soldier (1775-1777) 125V. The Penobscot Scandal and Court-

Martial of Revere (1778-1782) 173VI. The Man of Business after the War

(1782-1804) 218VII. The Declining Years of a Useful Life

(1795-1818) 257

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Foreword

BIOGRAPHIES there are in increasingnumber of great men who, from thecouncil-chambers of statecraft or upon

the floors of parliaments, have formulatedpolicies, and, within the Hmits of humanguidance, have directed the currents of theworld's history. This little book is of adifferent sort. It is only the plain, unglossedrecord of an American patriot of humbleorigin, who, in his character and career, ex-emplified the traits that have from theearliest settlements formed the real basis ofthe civilization that came to conquer thewestern hemisphere.

Paul Revere was not a statesman. Norwas he, in the usual acceptance of the term,even a great man. His immediate paternalancestor had crossed the seas to carve out

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Forewordsuccess in the new world, and had educatedhis son in the shop and the school. Thetime was big with portentous events. Thewonderful new ideas of the rights of manwere causing Europe to throb with the pulse-beats of human liberty, and rude pioneers inAmerica were unconsciously becoming thesubjects of the same stirring emotions. Menlike Otis, Hancock, Warren, and the Adamsessoon began to disturb the peace by agitatingagainst the abstract tyrannies of the mothercountry, and wherever they blazed the waythey found ready and willing followers.Revere was one of the latter. He had thekeen zest of the citizen whose patriotism isof the lusty type that causes him to wish totake an active part in all movements thatmake for civic progress, and civic progressfrom 1760 to the Revolution meant enlight-ened resistance to British parliamentaryaggression.He was, as has just been said, a followerbut if he was not by virtue of natural ability

or Harvard College education capable oftaking a place around the council boards of

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Forewordstatesmen, he recognized the part he wasfitted to play, and he generally played it well.If he could not rise to a seat in the legislature,he could succeed in getting elected a fire-ward in the town of Boston ; and if he couldnot acquire the eminence of the bench, hewas at least not to be condemned to thecommonplace lot of one who had nevercrossed the threshold of a court, for his un-bridled temper caused him on one occasion tobe arrested and fined for assault. To hiscountry and the cause of liberty he renderedpatriotic, useful service, sharing the hard-ships which the Continental Army every-where endured in the war; and in hisfinancial dealings with the government hehardly ever failed to send in bills for workperformed which the authorities deemed ex-travagant charges and pruned down accord-ingly. Yet he coupled with such thriftybusiness traits, which enabled him to die rich,a restive, pugnacious temperament that wasprobably responsible for some personal enmi-ties and may have caused him to chafe underdiscipline when serving under the military

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Forewordcommand of superiors. Indeed, he had toendure the humihation, in the closing yearsof the Revolution, of an arrest for cowardiceand disobedience to orders, and a trial bycourt-martial. The author, however, hastensto assure the reader to whom this little-knownepisode in Revere's career may come as ashocking revelation that the hero of themidnight ride came through this fiery ex-perience with a tardy acquittal to his credit,and his reputation does not appear to havebeen substantially damaged by it. He after-wards participated in numerous public-spirited movements, and at the age of eightyheaded a list of one hundred and fifty NorthEnd mechanics who signified their willing-ness to perform manual labor in throwing upfortifications to keep the British out ofBoston.Most men like Revere somewhat above

the average of the mass, but not possessingthe usual elements of enduring fame passout of life eulogized by their fellow-citizens ;remembered by a circle of admiring and re-specting friends until they also pass away;

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Forewordand are ultimately forgotten, finding no placeupon the pages of written history. PaulRevere was rescued from this fate by anaccident, the witchery of a poet's imagina-tion. His famous ride on the night of the18th of April, 1775, remained unsung, if notunhonored, for eighty-eight years, or untilLongfellow, in 1863, made it the text for hisLandlord's Tale in the Wayside Inn. Someone signing himself " Eb. Stiles " had, to besure, written a poem about 1795 which hecalled the " Story of the Battle of Concordand Lexington, and Revere's Ride TwentyYears Ago," and in which he said

He spared neither horse, nor whip, nor spur.As he galloped through mud and mire

He thought of naught but libertyAnd the lanterns that hung from the spire.But Stiles did nothing else in a literary wayto perpetuate his name, and he failed to finda publisher capable of rescuing his versesfrom obscurity.

It is to Longfellow's simple and tunefulballad that most persons undoubtedly owe

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Forewordtheir knowledge of the fact that a man ofthe name of Revere really did something onthe eve of the historic skirmish at Lexingtonwhich is worth remembering. The truecharacter of Revere's services, both on theoccasion of this particular ride, and duringthe period preceding, has been a matter ofcomparatively recent recognition. Bancroftmentions the incident of Revere's ride in theedition of his history published in 1858Hildreth says the alarm had been given,without mentioning Revere's name ; Palfrey,whose History of New England is broughtdown to the battle of Bunker Hill, says" They [the British] were watched and, bysignals before agreed upon, the movementwas made known to the people on the otherside." He does not allude to Revere. Fromthe majesty of the closing lines of the poem

For, borne on the night-wind of the past.Through all our history, to the last.In the hour of darkness and peril and need.The people will waken and listen to hearThe hurrying hoof-beats of the steed.And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

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Forewordit might seem that we are indebted to Long-fellow for some instinctive appreciation ofthe historic significance of the episode inde-pendent of its poetic value.But poetry and history sometimes become

sadly enmeshed, and the language in whichsuch a combination is clothed often remainsfixed and is finally accepted as a record offact. It is one of the missions of poetry andfiction to give glimpses of things in the in-tellectual and physical worlds, and an insightinto the beginnings of great movements inhistory which vast numbers of people couldget in no other way. It ought not, there-fore, to be improper or impertinent to inquirewhether the poet and romancist, in so far asthey deal with historic events and personagesand with matters of verifiable record, mightnot find it possible to hew with greaterfidelity, sometimes, to truth, without in anydegree detracting from the poetic quality orinterfering seriously with that license whoseexercise may be essential to artistic literaryexpression. Such an inquiry is suggested inthe once common tendency of historical

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Forewordnarrative to draw upon poetry for embellish-ment and for the stimulation of a certainhuman interest in a story which otherwisemight possibly make dull reading.Upon how many thousands of schoolboys

who have declaimed the stirring lines ofLongfellow's description of Paul Revere'sride, and upon how many thousands, too, oftheir elders has the picture drawn by thepoet left its indelible impression ? Certainlyit is the sum and substance of all theirknowledge of the subject to hundreds ofvisitors who, every summer, wander throughthose old, narrow streets of the North Endof Boston and gaze with reverence upon thegraceful spire of Christ Church. The stonetablet^ placed in the wall of the tower by

^ The proposition for the placing of this tablet, when,brought forward in the Boston city government, precipi-tated a lively controversy. The right of Christ Churchto the honor in question was stoutly challenged, it beingurged that Revere's own allusion to the North Churchsteeple probably referred to another North Churchlocated at that time elsewhere in the vicinity. Theallegation was met and exhaustively examined byWilliam W. Wheildon, and his views, which are in ac-

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Forewordorder of the city government in 1878 tellsthem that

THE SIGNAL LANTERNS OFPAUL REVERE

DISPLAYED IN THE STEEPLE OFTHIS CHURCH

APRIL 18, 1775,WARNED THE COUNTRY OF THEMARCH OF THE BRITISH TROOPSTO LEXINGTON AND CONCORD

From the summit of Copp's Hill, in theancient burial ground near by, surroundedby tombstones marked by indentationswhich the guide-books say were caused byRevolutionary bullets, one may look acrossthe mouth of the Charles, opening just at thecordance with the tradition in favor of Christ Church,are now generally accepted. Another claim broughtforward at about the same time, to the effect thatRevere's friend whom he selected to display the signalswas one John Pulling, likewise deserves to be rejected.Revere has not left us the name of his friend, but a massof traditionary evidence supports the belief that he wasRobert Newman, the sexton of the church. Many ofthe parishioners were loyal to their Church of Englandinstincts and adhered to the King's cause, but Newmanwas a consistent and fervent American patriot,

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Forewordfoot of the height into the harbor, andshutting out from present view the uglygrain elevators, the black coal wharves, themasts of the ships, and Charlestown's brickwalls beyond try to conjure up the visionof the poet's fancy : the stout-hearted mes-senger of the Revolution ferried across thestream under the shadow of the forbiddingman-of-war Somerset, his safe landing on theopposite shore, his impatient and fretfulslapping of his horse's side as he standsbooted and spurred and strains his eyes for aglimpse of the signal rays from the steepleof the old church ; then the ride out throughthe villages and farms of Middlesex until, inthe lines of the poet,

It was two by the village clock.When he came to the bridge in Concord town.It may seem a pity to mar this work of

art by the homely daubs of fact ; yet a faith-ful limning of the scene as it was really en-acted would necessitate some retouching.It ought not to be difficult to do this withoutin any essential respect spoiling the livelinessor romantic spirit of the picture. To be

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Forewordsure, the poet's statement that Revere reachedConcord was long ago shown to have beenincorrect ; but its persistent viriHty only-goes to prove that truth is not the only thingwhich, crushed to earth, will rise again. Theimpression, however, is yet more commonthat the signal lanterns were placed in theNorth Church steeple forRevere's benefit, andthat he waited on the Charlestown shore forthe message they were to convey before hewas able to start on his journey. The factsare that Revere had all the desired informa-tion before he left Boston, and that the lightswere hung out at his instance as a warningto others, who might know by them thenecessity of arousing the country in theevent of his capture while being rowed acrossthe river.Almost all of the accounts that have been

published in popular histories and schooltext-books of the hanging of the lanterns,those written both before and since Long-fellow's poem appeared, are curiously inac-curate. John Stetson Barry in his Historyof Massachusetts, published in 1856,^ makes

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Forewordan allusion to Revere saying : " A lanternwas displayed by Paul Revere in the upperwindow of the tower of the North Church inBoston" ; and George Lowell Austin in hisHistory of Massachusetts, published twentyyears after Barry's work, copies the latter'sstatement.^ Even John Fiske, usually asaccurate in detail as he is safe in his general-izations, did not take Revere's narrative ashis authority, else he would hardly havesaid^ :

** Crossing the broad river in a littleboat under the very guns of the Somersetman-of-war and waiting on the farther bankuntil he learnedfrom a lantern suspended inthe belfj^y ^ of the North Church which waythe troops had gone, Revere took horse,"etc. The looseness with which Lossing al-lowed himself to write is nowhere more ap-parent than in his allusions to this historicepisode. In his Pictorial Field-Book of theRevolution^ he says: **Paul Revere and

1 p. 300.2 The American Revolution, Vol I, p. 121.^ Italics are mine. C. F. G.* Vol. I, p. 523.

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ForewordWilliam Dawes had just rowed across theriver to Charlestown with a message fromWarren to Hancock and Adams at Lexing-ton." Dawes, of course, did not accompanyRevere, and Lossing, in Our Country,^ cor-rects himself in this respect, but still, serenelycareless of his assertions, says : " WilliamDawes had gone over the Neck to Roxburyon horseback with a message from Warren toHancock and Adams, and Warren andRevere were at Charlestown awaiting de-velopments of events." Such a statementcan be reconciled with itself only upon thesupposition that A^^arren, after despatchingDawes, went over to Charlestown and therejoined Revere, a proposition purely gra-tuitous. Lossing not unnaturally also followsother writers in giving the impression thatRevere engaged a friend "to give him atimely signal " from the North Church, when,as a matter of fact. Revere personally hadno use whatever for such a signal.But it so happens that we have the highestpossible authority upon which to rely for an

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Forewordaccount of the events of that night. Reverehimselfwas not so modest and self-effacing asto fall short of appreciating, at somethinglike its full value, the importance of his ser-vices to the cause of liberty on the 18th ofApril, 1775 ; and posterity, fortunately, has acircumspect and detailed narrative of hismovements on that occasion written downby himself One must not, indeed, forgetthat the real worth of personal reminiscences,as authority for history, is frequently a mat-ter of doubt, and that inaccurate statements,due to a treacherous memory or a faultyperspective, are common occurrences in auto-biographies. But when there is no indis-putable and unprejudiced record that canbe cited to controvert an autobiographicalnarration, and when there is no reason todoubt the truthful purpose of the author,such an account is entitled to stand, anddoes stand, as an authority outranking allothers.

Revere's own story of his midnight ride,though written after a lapse of several years,has this quality. None of its assertions in

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ForewordColonial troops, through the clear cowardiceof an admiral bearing the proud name ofSaltonstall, allowed itself to be frightenedinto ignominious and panic-stricken desertionof its post of duty by a ridiculously ill-equipped enemy. The ensuing scandal be-smirched reputations hitherto untarnished,and the State of Massachusetts was plunged,on account of the expedition, into a debt ofnearly a million and three-quarters poundssterling. Commodore Saltonstall is sup-posed to have been court-martialled andcashiered ; General Lovell, who commandedthe land forces, was acquitted only after asearching inquiry ; and Paul Revere wasarrested on charges of cowardice, censured,after an investigation, court-martialled, andat length, as the result of his own persistence,was grudgingly acquitted.

This dubious episode is scarcely mentionedin the Revolutionary histories, but it was aserious event in Revere's life and came nearstripping him of the laurels he had won byhis earlier exploits in the patriot cause.Even now, while we are disposed to cast the

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Forewordmantle of charity over his conduct and ac-cept his own explanations at face value, itmust be confessed that it is not possible toextract the exact truth from the officialrecords and to render a wholly disinterestedand impartial verdict upon the facts thathave come down to us. These are thereforelaid herewith before the reader : let himjudge for himself.

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The True Story ofPaul RevereI THE PATRIOTIC ENGRAVER

1735-1774

PAUL REVERE was born in BostonDecember 21, 1734, O. S. (January1, 1735, N. S.). His father, for

whom he was named, had come to thiscountry from the isle of Guernsey to learnthe goldsmith's trade, and in 1723, after avisit to his boyhood home, had returned toAmerica, determined to settle here for life.

Paul, Sr., was a Frenchman, and atbirth was christened ApoUos Rivoire. Hisfather's name was Isaac, and his mother's,Serenne Lambert. Isaac's parents, Jeanand Magdelaine Rivoire, were of thatheroic Huguenot band who were forced toflee their native land after the revocationof the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. in1685. Simon, Isaac's eldest brother, emi-

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The True Story of Paul Beveregrated iSrst to Holland and then to Guern-sey, and it was to him that the lad ApoUoswas sent at the age of thirteen. A hundredyears later the American grandson receivedthis copy of a record made by the carefulIsaac

" Apollos Rivoire our son was born thethirtieth of November, 1702, about teno'clock at night, and was baptized at Rian-caud, France. Apollos Rivoire my brotherwas his Godfather and Anne Maulmon, mysister-in-law, his Godmother. He set outfor Guernsey the 21st of November, 1715."About the first thing young Apollos did

after deciding to settle down in Bostonpermanently was to Anglicize his name,and, for reasons of euphony and conven-ience, he called himself henceforth PaulRevere. Six years after he had begun tofashion gold and silver plate and orna-ments for the people of Boston he hadamassed a sufficient competency to warranthim in marrying, and so, June 19, 1729,

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The Patriotic Engraverhe took for his wife Deborah Hichborn,born in Boston January 29, 1704/ Twelvechildren w^ere born to this union, amongthem him who was to be known to historyas the messenger of the Revolution.Young Paul was put to school underMaster John Tileston, who for eighty years

was connected with the North GrammarSchool on North Bennet Street, and aboutwhose name and fame as a teacher clustermany interesting tales and much of theromance of the old North End during itseighteenth-century prosperity. When Re-vere left his school-books it was to graduateat once into his father's shop, where hequickly learned the trade, or, to speak moreaccurately, the art, of the gold and sil-ver smith, for he proved quite as skilledin drawing and designing patterns forpitchers, ewers, tankards, spoons, braisers,mugs, etc., as in the actual mechanical workof manufacturing them.

^ Paul Revere, the elder, died in Boston January 22,1754 ; his wife died in 1777.

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The True Story of Paul RevereIn 1756 he had his first military expe-

rience, being then twenty-one years old.This was in the expedition against CrownPoint, in which he held a commission fromGovernor William Shirley as a second lieu-tenant in the artillery. The service, how-ever, proved uneventful. It continued forsix months, the troops being stationed atFort William Henry, Lake George, fromMay till November, when the fall of FortsOswego and Ontario compelled the littleband to retire to a place of safety, and,shortly after, to abandon the enterpriseentirely.The summer following this service Re-

vere married, Sarah Orne (born in BostonApril 2, 1736) becoming his bride on the17th of August, 1757. From that timeforward he took an increasing and a prom-inent part in the political life of the time,and on one occasion, at least, his pugnaciousdisposition got him into the police court,where he had to pay a fine and be boundover to keep the peace. The record of this

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The Patriotic Engraveraffair/ which came under the jurisdictionof Richard Dana, one of His Majesty'sjustices of the peace for Suffolk County,runs

"1761, May 11. Tho Fosdick compl*ag^ Paul Revere for assaulting & beatingy^ complain^ as by y^ war^ on file. Def*pleads not guilty, after a full hearing itappears he is guilty. Jud that he pay afine of C|8, to y^ king & pay costs tax'd at12|9 & be bound to keep y peace & be ofgood behav^ until y^ next gen^ Sessions &chimself in


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The True Story of Paul Revere& be of good behav^ until y^ next Court ofgen^ Sessions &e according to y^ jud. on y^other side recorded."But for the most part Revere was no

doubt a law-abiding citizen. He was cer-tainly an industrious one, and increased hisincome from his regular business by turn-ing his mechanical skill to account in manyingenious ways. He even tried dentistry,as appears from an advertisement in theBoston Gazette and Country Journal:'^"WHEREAS, many Persons are so

unfortunate as to lose their Fore-Teeth byAccident, and otherways, to their greatDetriment, not only in Looks, but speakingboth in Public and Private : This is toinform all such, that they may have themre-placed with artificial Ones, that looks aswell as the Natural & answers the End ofSpeaking to all Intents, by PAUL RE-VERE, Goldsmith near the head of Dr.Clarke's Wharf, Boston.

^ Issue of September 19, 1768.[6]


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The Patriotic Engraver" ^^^ All Persons who have had false

Teeth fixt by Mr. John Baker, SurgeonDentist, and they have got loose (as theywill in Time) may have them fastened bythe above who learnt the Method of fixingthem from Mr. Baker."Another advertisement which appeared in

the same journal two years later ^ conveysa succinct account of Revere's professionalskill:

" ARTIFICIAL TEETH' PAUL REVERE

" Takes this IMethod of returning his mostSincere Thanks to the Gentlemen andLadies who have Employed him in the careof their Teeth he would now inform themand all others, who are so unfortunate asto lose their Teeth by accident or other-ways, that he still continues the Businessof a Dentist, and flatters himself thatfrom the Experience he has had these

^ Issue of July 30, 1770.[T]


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The True Story of Paul RevereTwo years (in which time he has fixt someHundreds of Teeth) that he can fix themas well as any Surgeon-Dentist who evercame from London, he fixes them in such aManner that they are not only an Orna-ment, but of real Use in Speaking and Eat-ing; He cleanses the Teeth and will waiton any Gentleman or Lady at their Lodg-ings, he may be spoke with at his shop oppo-site Dr. Clark's at the North End where theGold and Silversmith's Business is carriedon in all its Branches."An instance of Revere's dentistry came

to light and served an important purposewhen in 1776, after the evacuation of Bos-ton, General Joseph Warren's body was ex-humed by his friends from its unmarkedburial place on Bunker Hill for the purposeof proper interment.^ The brothers of

^ Article by General William H. Sumner, New Eng-land Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 12, p. 11 9.Warren's body was reinterred in the Old Granary BurialGround under the auspices of the Grand Lodge ofMasons. Perez Morton delivered the oration, and Revere

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The Patriotic EngraverGeneral Warren and his physician were re-inforced in their identification of the body-by Revere, who had set an artificial toothfor the general, and who testified that herecognized the wire he used in fastening it.But it was as an engraver on copper that

Revere saw an opportunity for his skill asa draftsman to find perhaps its most con-genial outlet, since the exciting politicalevents of the time readily lent themselvesto pictorial treatment, and in a period longbefore the days of illustrated newspaperscould be turned to good financial account.By 1765 his reputation as a clever, if some-what crude, caricaturist was established.In that year he brought out an elaborateallegorical expression of the sentiments ofthe patriots incensed over the Stamp Act.This odious piece of legislation was per-sonified by a dragon, in front of which stooda man with drawn sword, representingBoston. New York, Rhode Island, Newwas designated by the lodge to convey its thanks tothe orator for his effort.

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The True Story of Paul BevereHampshire, Virginia, and the other coloniesare portrayed crowding to the front andbacking up Hampden, while the treacher-ous Pym lies prostrate on the groundbeneath the dragon's claws. Behind themonster an officer of the Crown is seendangling from a branch of the LibertyTree.^ Accompanying the picture is anexplanatory bit of pompous verse whichreveals Revere's ambition to indulge in lit-erary composition, an ambition productiveof results quite as ornate and wonderfulas ever came of his skill as an engraver:

America ! see thy freebom sons advanceAnd at thy Tyrant point the threatne Lance !Who with grim Horror opes his Hell-like Jaws,And MAGNA CHARTA grasps between his Claws.Lo BOSTON brave ! unstain'd by Placemen's Bribe' Attack the Monster and his venal Tribe.'See loyal Hampden to his Country true.Present his Weapon to the odious Crew^ The " Liberty Tree," an elm beneath whose spread-

ing limbs the patriots used to hold informal meetings,stood near the corner of what are now Washington andEssex Streets.

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The Patriotic EngraverSee 'fore him prostrate treacherous PYM doth fallAnd A-Sejanus loud for Mercy callWhilst brave RHODE ISLAND & NEW YORK support,HAMPDEN and FREEDOM, in their brave Effort :Front to VIRGINIA, bold NEW HAMPSHIRE standsAll firmly sworn to shake off slavish BandsAnd each united Province faithful joinsAgainst the Monster and his curst designs,Mounted aloft perfidious H k you see.Scorned by his Country, fits the Rope & Tree ;This be the real Fate ! a fittest PlaceFor Freedom's Foes a selfish scornful Race !^ Above behold where Spite & Envy squirtTheir VENOM on the Heads they cannot hurtBut lo MINERVA with her Spear and Shield'Appears with Hopes to make the Harpies yield.The news of the repeal of the Stamp Act

reached Boston May 16, 1766, havingbeen brought by Captain Shubael Coffinof the brigantine Harrison. There wasgreat rejoicing, which took the form of ageneral demonstration, cannon being dis-charged, bells rung, the streets filled withprocessions, while music and bonfires addedto the gayety. A more formal celebration,which took place on the 19th, reached a cli-max in an illumination of the town and a

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The True Story of Paul Eeveregreat display of fireworks on the Commonat night. A conspicuous feature of theaffair was an obehsk designed by Revere,which was set up on the Common, but whichit was intended should be removed after thecelebration and placed under the LibertyTree, there to remain as a permanent me-morial. During the jubilation, however,the obelisk unfortunately caught fire andwas destroyed. But its architect hadthoughtfully preserved its outlines in acopper-plate engraving, which not onlypictured the monument but reproduced theinscriptions composed for its four sides.They made an interesting complement tothe allegorical picture and verses of thepreceding year. Across the top of theplate is written: " A VIEW of the OBE-LISK erected under LIBERTY-TREEin Boston on the Rejoicings for the Repealof the Stamp Act 1766," and across thebottom: "To every Lover of LIBERTYthis Plate is humbly dedicated by her trueborn SONS in BOSTON, New England."

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The Patriotic EngraverThe sketch on the first of the four sides ofthe obeHsk, as portrayed on the copperplate, represents America in the form ofan Indian recumbent under a tree and anangel of Liberty hovering overhead; thedevil is seen flying towards America withthe Stamp Act in his claws, while the PrimeMinister, surrounded by his parliamentarysupporters, approaches, bearing a chain.This picture is entitled " America in dis-tress, apprehending the total loss of LIB-ERTY," and above it are these fervidlinesO thou, whom next to Heav'n we most revereFair LIBERTY ! thou lovely Goddess hear !Have we not woo'd thee, won thee, held thee long.Lain in thy lap & melted on thy Tongue.Thro Death & Dangers rugged paths pursu'dAnd led thee smiHng to this SOLITUDE.Hid thee within our Hearts most golden CellAnd brav'd the Powers of Earth & Powers of Hell.GODDESS ! we cannot part, thou must not flyBe SLAVES ! we dare to Scorn it dare to die.The second picture portrays America be-

seeching the aid of friends, whose leader is[13]


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The True Story of Paul Reverebeing crowned by Fame, while a thunder-cloud is bursting over the head of theretreating ministers; the accompanyinglegend explains that " She [America] im-plores the aid of her PATRONS." Thisis the verse:While clanking Chains & Curses shall saluteThine Ears remorseless G le/ thine O B e ^To you blest PATRIOTS ! we our Cause submittniustrious CAMDEN ! Britains Guardian PITT.Recede not, frown not, rather let us beDepriv'd of being, than of LIBERTY.Let fraud or malice blacken all our CrimesNo disaffection stains these peaceful ClimesO save us, shield us from impending WoesThe foes of Britain, only are our Foes.The third sketch represents the Liberty

Tree with an eagle in its topmost branchesfeeding her young, v^^hile an angel is seenapproaching and bearing an aegis. " Sheendures the Conflict for a short season " isthe rather commonplace inscription below.The descriptive verse reads

Boast foul Oppression, boast thy transient ReignWhile honest FREEDOM stniggles with her Chain ;

1 Granville. ^ gute.[14]


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The Patriotic EngraverBut know the Sons of Virtue, hardy, brave.Disdain to lose thro' mean Dispair to saveArrouz'd in Thunder, awfull they appearWith proud deUverance stalking in their RearWhile Tyrant-Foes their pallid Fears betrayShrink from their Arms, & give their Vengeance way.See in th' unequal War OPPRESSORS fallThe hate, contempt, and endless Curse of all.The fourth, and last, in this series of

caricatures portrays King George the Thirdin the guise of a Dutch widow introducingAmerica to the Goddess of Liberty, or asthe engraver explains, " And has her LIB-ERTY restored by the Royal hand ofGEORGE the Third." This final scene inthe Stamp Act drama, showing the king inthe gracious act of restoring the libertieshe had taken away from his subjects, iscelebrated with bombastic loyalty in thisfashion

Our FAITH approved, our LIBERTY restor'd.Our Hearts bend grateful to our Sover'gn Lord ;Hail darling Monarch ! by this act endear'dOur firm affections are thy best rewardSh'd Britain's self, against herself devide.And hostile Armies frown on either Side,

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The True Story of Paul RevereSli'd Hosts rebellious shake our Brunsv/ick's ThroneAnd as they dar'd thy Parent, dare the Son,To this Asylum stretch thine happy WingAnd we '11 contend, who best shall love our KING.Each of the four sides of the obehsk

bears, besides the caricatures and the verse,pictures of British worthies, which are con-ceived as appropriate in connection withthe sentiment expressed by the hnes/

Another of Revere's caricatures, and onethat attracted quite as much attention as theStamp Act series, and had a wide sale, wasput out in 1768. It was entitled "TheRescinders," and commemorated one of themany incidents of the stirring years whenthe Revolution was incubating, and whichtemporarily threw the community into ex-citement, but which have for the most partbeen obscured by the more momentousevents of the time. The General Court,

^ See pp. 145-147, Vol. 1, Dealings with the Dead,a miscellaneous collection of reminiscences and curioushistorical facts which appeared originally in the BostonTranscript, but was subsequently published in bookform. Lucius Manlius Sargent was the author.

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The Patriotic EngraverFebruary 11, 1768, passed, by a largemajority, certain resolutions authorizingthe sending of a circular letter to the sev-eral colonial assemblies. The alarmingstate of affairs impending in the relationsof the colonies with the mother countryformed the text for this action, and it wasproposed that a system of committees ofcorrespondence be established in order topromote the crystallization of public opin-ion. This gave, as might have been ex-pected, great umbrage to the King, andHis ^lajesty directed Lord Hillsboroughto order Governor Bernard, as soon as theGeneral Court should convene, to have theHouse of Representatives rescind its voteand, in addition, to declare its "disappro-bation of and dissent to that rash and hastyproceeding." ^ This humiliating actionmust be taken under pain of the assembly's

^ New England Magazine, Vol. 3 (1832), p. 308.Letter of Lord Hillsborough to Governor Bernard,April 22, 1768. Journal, House of Representatives ofMassachusetts Bay, June 21, 1768, pp. 68-69- Also,

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The Patriotic EngraverRevere*s engraving portrayed these sev-

enteen gentlemen being thrust into themaw of a monstrous creature having thewide-open jaws of a shark, the Hon. Tim-othy Ruggles being at the head of thecompany. Ruggles, displaying some hesi-tancy about entering the cavernous mouthof the monster shooting forth flames, isurged on by a little winged devil who is seencoming down upon him, a pitchfork in hisclaws, and crying, " Push on, Tim." Thewhole crowd is also being urged forwardby another devil, who is exclaiming in highglee: "Now I've got you. A fine haul,by Jove." In the background is seen thecupola of the Province House, the residenceof the governor. Altogether it is a verylively print, and it bore a title quite in keep-ing with its subject. It was inscribed: " AWARM PLACE HELL." WhileChadwick of Tyringhara, Josiah Edson of Bridgewater,Chillingsworth Foster of Harwich, William Jernigan ofEdgartown, Mathew Mayhew of Chilmark. Journal,House of Representatives of Massachusetts Bay, June30, 1768, p. 89.

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The True Story of Paul BevereRevere was at work upon this engraving,Dr. Benjamin Church happened into hisshop and volunteered to write a verse toaccompany it.^ Taking pen and ink, theappreciative doctor wrote underneath thepictureOn brave Rescinders ! to yon yawning cell.Seventeen such miscreants there will startle HellThere puny Villains, damned for petty sin,On such distinguished Scoundrels gaze and grinThe out-done Devil will resign his sway ;He never curst his millions in a day.^ " A copy of this print fell by accident, many years

ago, into the hands of a gentleman of our acquaintance,who required the particulars respecting it of ColonelRevere. The Colonel was then eighty years of age,and observed he had not seen a copy of it for manyyears, was pleased to find that one was in preserva-tion and offered to buy it. He said he was a youngman, zealous in the cause of liberty, when he sketchedit, and had forgotten many of the circumstances ; butthis he did remember, that while he was doing it, thefamous Dr. Church came into his shop, and, seeing whathe was about, took a pen and wrote the following lines[given in the text above] as an accompaniment. TheColonel then delivered them with much energy, exactlyas they are on the print." Netv England Magazine(1832), Vol. 3, p. 309.

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The Patriotic EngraverThe ninety-two representatives who re-

fused to obey the King's orders to rescindthe resolutions were duly rewarded by beingpresented by fifteen of the Sons of Libertywith a handsome silver punch bowl,^ the

^ The bowl, nearly six inches in depth and elevenin diameter, was made to hold about a gallon. Theinscription read

" To the memory of the glorious, NINETY-TWOMembers of the Honl. House of Representatives of theMASSACHUSETTS BAY, who undaunted by the in-solent Menaces of Villains in Power, from a strict regardto Conscience and the Liberties of their Constituents,on the 30th of June, 1768, Voted NOT TO RESCIND."A small wreath on the opposite side of the bowl

encircles the words :" No. 45

WILKES AND LIBERTY" an allusion to the English agitator, whose famousNumber 45 of his paper, the North Briton, had containeda vindication of the course pursued by the colonies.Representations of standards bearing the words " MagnaCharta " and " Bill of Rights," and of a torn piece of awarrant such as gave authority to search houses, alsoadorn the bowl. For farther details, see MassachusettsHistorical Society Proceedings, Vol. 13 (1873-1875),p. 200. Also, Benjamin F. Stevens' pamphlet The

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The True Story of Paul Reverehandiwork of Paul Revere, whose name ismodestly stamped underneath.

Probably the best known of Revere'scopper-plate engravings, because the mostgenerally reproduced, is his view of " TheBLOODY MASSACRE perpetrated inKing-Street, BOSTON, on March 5^^1770, by a party of the 29^^^ REG^ " Butthe painful fact must be recorded thatRevere is under grave suspicion of havingin this instance appropriated the work ofanother. The basis of this charge is thefollowing letter ^ written to Revere bySilver Punch Bowl, etc., reprinted from the Boston Heraldof January 20, 1895.

^ " Some Pelham-Copley Letters/' by Paul LeicesterFord in The Atlantic Monthly, April, 1893. Pelham andJohn S. Copley were among the Americans sojourningin London whose actions during this period were beingwatched by the British authorities. " To what extent,"says Mr. Ford, ^^ suspicion was attached to them, it isnow impossible to say, but it certainly went so far asto lead these two men to turn over their private papersto the government." Among these papers was thisletter which Mr. Ford found in the Public RecordOffice, London, in a bundle labelled " America and the

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The Patriotic EngraverHenry Pelham, a contemporary engraverand miniaturist:

"Boston, March 29, 1770."SIR:" When I heard that you was cutting aplate of the late Murder, I thought it im-

possible as I knew you was not capable ofdoing it unless you coppied it from mineand as I thought I had intrusted it in thehands of a person who had more regard tothe dictates of Honour and Justice thanWest Indies, 449." Either the Revere letter, whichwas dated at Boston, was for some reason never actuallysent by its author, being carried by him to London ; orthe letter found in London was a copy which Pelhamhad preserved of the original.

In a paper entitled "Christian Remick, an EarlyBoston Artist," read at a meeting of the Club of OddVolumes of Boston, February 24, 1904 (of which onehundred copies were published by the club), Henry W.Cunningham questioned the genuineness of certainprints generally attributed to Revere, and commented" Paul Revere was an ardent patriot, and one of themost useful Americans of his day, and besides was anexcellent mechanic ; but history does not show him tohave been an artist, and in several instances it doesshow that he made use of the artistic talents of others."

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The True Story of Paul Bevereto take the undue advantage you have doneof the confidence and trust I reposed inyou. But I find I was mistaken and afterbeing at great Trouble and Expence ofmaking a design, paying for paper, print-ing &c., find myself in the most ungener-ous Manner deprived not only of anyproposed Advantage but even of the ex-pence I have been at as truly as if youhad plundered me on the highway. If youare insensible of the Dishonour you havebrought on yourself by this Act, the Worldwill not be so. However, I leave you toreflect and consider of one of the mostdishonourable Actions you could well beguilty of. " H. Pelham."

This is a serious charge against Revere'shonor and integrity, for if Pelham's state-ment is to be accepted, he loaned Revere adrawing he had made of the Massacre, fromwhich Revere made an engraving, and mar-keted it without even so much as givingthe real artist credit for his sketch, since

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The Patriotic Engraverthe Revere plate bears only the inscription," Engraved, Printed and Sold by PaulRevere." That Pelham drew a representa-tion of the Massacre from which printswere made appears to be well established(he says in a letter written his half-brother,Charles Pelham, May 1, 1770: " Inclosed Isend you two of my prints of the lateMassacre ").'The verse underneath the Revere print,

presumably composed by Revere, reads:Unhappy BOSTON ! see thy Sons deplore.Thy hallowed Walks besmear'd with guiltless GoreWith faithless P n and his savage Bands,With murd'rous Rancour stretch their bloody Hands ;Like fierce Barbarians grinning o'er their Pay.Approve the Carnage and enjoy the Day.If scalding drops from Rage and Anguish W>ung,If speechless Sorrows lab'ring for a Tongue,Or if a weeping World can aught appeaseThe plaintive Ghosts of Victims such as these.The Patriots' copious Tears for each are shed,A glorious Tribute which embalms the Dead.But know, FATE summons to that sordid GoalWhere JUSTICE strips the murd'rer of his Soul.

^ Ford's article.[25]


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The True Story of Paul RevereShould venal C ts the scandal of the Land,Snatch the relentless Villain from her Hand,Keen Execrations on this Plate inscrib'd,Shall reach a JUDGE who never can be brib'd.The engraving also records that "the

unhappy Sufferers were Mess^^ SAM^GRAY, SAM^ MAVERICK, JAM^CALDWELL, CRISPUS ATTUCKS& PAT^ CARR, killed. Six wounded twoof them (CHRISi^ MONK & JOHNCLARK) Mortally." The English copy'bears the inscription: "The Fruits ofArbitrary Power; or the Bloody Massacre,Perpetrated in King Street, Boston, by aParty of the XXIXth Regt.," and thescriptural texts (Ps. xciv. 4, i, 6, 7)" How long shall they utter and speak hardthings? and all the workers of iniquityboast themselves? They break in pieces thypeople, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage ";" They slay the widow and the stranger,

^ The Bostonian Society has one of the very feworiginal imprints from this plate in its collection atthe Old State House^ and also a copy of the Londonreproduction, which ran through three editions.

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The Patriotic Engraverand murder the fatherless. Yet they say,The Lord shall not see, neither shall theGod of Jacob regard it." Revere also drewa pen-and-ink plan of the massacre, show-ing King Street,^ with the houses facing onthe street and the places where the militarywas drawn up and the victims fell. Anengraving of five coffins, which appearedin the Boston Gazette and Country Journal^March 12, in illustration of an account ofthe massacre, was contributed by him.As the first anniversary of the massacreapproached, the town prepared to celebrateit with fitting ceremony. The public pro-gramme included the delivery of an orationby Thomas Young in the " ManufactoryHouse " and the tolling of bells fromnoon to one o'clock and from nine to tenat night.^ But Revere made an inter-esting, picturesque, and long-rememberedcontribution of his own to the observances.He prepared a series of transparencies,

^ The present State Street.^ Loring. The Hundred Boston Orators, pp. 24i-Q5.

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The True Story of Paul Beverewhich he displayed from the upper windowsof his North Square house and whichgreatly impressed the crowds in the squarebelow.One of these transparencies represented

Christopher Snider/ " with one of his fin-gers in his wound, endeavoring to stop theblood from issuing therefrom; near him hisfriends weeping; at a small distance, amonumental pyramid with his name on thetop and the names of those killed on thefifth of March around the base " ; ^ therewas an inscription which read;

Snider's pale ghost fresh bleeding stands,And vengeance for his death demands.

In another window, under the legend" Foul Play," were shown the British sol-diers drawn up in firing line, with dead andwounded lying about, blood pouring fromtheir wounds. A third transparency rep-resented America, in the form of a female

^ A victim of the British soldiery, but not of the" massacre."

2 Boston Neivs Letter, March 7 and 14, 1771.[28]


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The Patriotic Engraverfigure, sitting on a tree stump, with onefoot on the head of a prostrate grenadiergrasping a serpent. The Boston Gazettereported that " the spectators were struckwith solemn silence and their countenanceswere covered with a melancholy glow."

Revere's " views " of the town of Bostonand the harbor, of which there are threedifferent engravings, constituted a popularseries of prints. They commemorated thecoming of the obnoxious 14th and 29th regi-ments of British troops, which were quar-tered upon the town and the presence ofwhich led to the massacre. The first ofthese views was published soon after thatsanguinary event, as appears from an ad-vertisement in the Boston Gazette andCountry Journal of Monday, April 16,1770:

*' Just Published and to be sold by PaulRevere, Opposite Dr. Clark's at the North-End, and by the Printers hereof, a Copper-Plate Print, containing a View of Part of

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The True Story of Paul Eeverethe Town of Boston in New England, andBritish Ships of War landing their Troopsin the Year 1768. Dedicated to the Earl ofHillsborough."The picture shows the spires of, appar-

ently, six churches and the cupolas of theOld State House and Faneuil Hall. In thelower right-hand corner is the dedication

" To the Earl of Hillsborough, His Ma-jest^ Scr^ of State for America THISVIEW of the only well Plan'd EXPE-DITION formed for supporting y^ dig-nity of BRITAIN & chastising y^ insolenceof AMERICA, is hum^ inscribed."The inscription beneath the picture gives

the names of the several vessels shown, andexplains that" on fryday Sept^ 30*^ 1T68, the Ships ofWAR, armed Schooners, Transports, &c.,Came up the Harbour and Anchored roundthe TOWN : their Cannon loaded, a Springon their Cables, as for a regular Siege. At

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The Patriotic Engravernoon on Saturday, October the 1*^ the four-teenth & twenty-ninth Regiments, a de-tachment from the 59*^^ Reg^ and a Trainof Artillery, with two pieces of Cannon,landed on the Long Wharf; there Formedand Marched with insolent Parade, Drumsbeating. Fifes playing and Colours flying,up KING STREET, Each soldier havingreceived 16 rounds of Powder and Ball."

This view, as the newspaper advertise-ment tells us, was placed on sale by Revereas an independent venture; the other twoviews, which were similar in their generalcharacter to, though not identical vnth, thefirst, were engraved for and appeared re-spectively in Edes and Gill's North Ameri-can Almanac and Massachusetts Registerfor the Year 1770, and in the first issueof the Royal American Magazine (Janu-ary, 1774). Revere charged Edes and Gill2, 8s. for the engraving which appearedin their almanac. He subsequently fur-nished many engravings for the Royal

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The True Story of Paul BevereAmerican Magazine, including portraits ofSam Adams and John Hancock and numer-ous allegorical caricatures. He also illus-trated a two-volume work published in1T74, in New York, by James Rivington,who styled himself the "King's Printer";this was an account of "A New VoyageRound the World, In the Years 1768, 1769,1770 and 1771; Undertaken by Order ofhis present Majesty, Performed by CaptainJames Cooke." " A Westerly View of theColleges in Cambridge New England " wasone of Revere's most popular and widelyreproduced prints. He engraved numerousbook-plates, and probably was the makerof the seal of the Phillips Andover Acad-emy, still in use by that institution; and forJoshua Brackett, who kept the Cromwell'sHead Inn in School Street/ he engraved avery artistic letter-head showing the bustof Cromwell surrounded by ornate scroll-work.

^ This ancient landmark stood in School Street until1888, when it was torn down.

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The Patriotic EngraverOn the 3d of May, 1773, Revere's wife

died. In the sixteen years since their mar-riage eight children had been born to them : ^Deborah, born April 8, 1758; (died Jan.

8, 1797).Paul, born Jan. 6, 1760; (died Jan. 16,

1813).Sarah, born Jan. 3, 1762; (died July 5,

1791).Mary, born March 31, 1764; (died April30, 1765).

Frances, born Feb. 19, 1766; (died June9, 1799).Mary, born March 19, 1768; (died Au-gust, 1853).

Elizabeth, born Dec. 5, 1770; (diedIzANNA, born Dec. 15, 1772; (died Sept.

19, 1773).Revere's wife died in May; he buried his

youngest child, an infant of nine months,in September; and a fortnight after the

1 These dates, as also those relative to the children by Revere'ssecond marria^^e given on pages 277-278, are taken from theRevere family Bible, and the author is indebted for them to Mr.E. H. R. Revere of Boston, a hneal descendant of Paul Revere.

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The True Story of Paul Reverelatter event he married again. His secondwife was Rachel Walker (born in Boston,December 27, 1745), and they were mar-ried by the Rev. Samuel Mather, October10, 1773. Revere at thirty-nine, the fatherof a considerable family whose mother wasscarcely five months in her grave, appearsto have been a light-hearted swain, notwith-standing his household was doubtless, asa descendant charitably has explained,^ " insore need of a mother's care." He thusmade love to his new bride:Take three fourths of a Paine that makes Traitors

confessWith three parts of a place which the Wicked don't

blessJoyne four sevenths of an Exercise which shop-keepers

useAdd what Bad Men do, when they good actions refuseThese four added together with great care and ArtWill direct to the Fair One that is nearest my Heart.

Is the reader puzzled by this ratherlabored effort? Then here is the key:

^ Memorial of Paul Joseph and Edward H. R. Revere,p. 6. [34]


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The Patriotic Engraver" Rack '* is plainly the classic instrument oftorture for traitors, and three-fourths ofit is certainly " rac," but to be pronouncedsoftly; hell is the place which everybodymust know the wicked don't bless, and threeparts of it is " hel " ; shopkeepers, in thedays before electric cars, unless they wereopulent enough to afford chaises, had, per-force, to indulge in walking, and four-sevenths thereof is " walk." Bad men, ofcourse, are prone to err. Ergo, RACHELWALKER! Surely Revere's sweetheartcould not have failed to fathom this simplelove riddle.One may find in the official records of the

time ample evidence of Revere's active par-ticipation in the affairs of the town duringthis period. Whenever there was an im-portant message to be carried to the sistercolonies, he was the man to whom it wasintrusted to be conveyed as speedily ashorses' legs could take him, and in the pettymatters of local administration he alsohelped as befitted the good citizen. He was

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The True Story of Paul Revererepeatedly appointed on committees, serv-ing among others on the Committee onLamps " when about to fix the Places forErecting said Lamps." ^ In August, 1774,his name appears with twenty-one othersin a list of those who refused to serve onthe Suffolk grand jury, the last to sit underthe Crown. Among the numerous acts ofParliament intended to break the spirit ofthe colonists was one making the justicesof the Supreme Court in Massachusettsindependent of the people for their salaries.The grand jurors, Paul Revere being of thenumber, who had been returned to serve atthe first term of the court after news of thepassage of this act was received, held aprivate meeting and caucused on the situ-ation before appearing in court. After asolemn deliberation all but one of themsigned an agreement declining to serve,and this objector ultimately also refused.The document, unique but highly character-

^ Boston Record Commissioners* Reports, Vol. 18,p. 136.

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The Patriotic Engraveristic of the rebellious temper of the freecitizens of Boston, was as follows:

"Boston, August 30, 1774." COUNTY OF SUFFOLK.

" We who are returned by the severalTowns in this county to serve as GrandJurors at the Superior Court for this pres-ent Term, being actuated by a zealous Re-gard for Peace and good Order and asincere Desire to promote Justice, Right-eousness and good Government, as beingessential to the Happiness of the Com-munity; would now gladly proceed to theDischarge of the Important Duty requiredin that Department, could we persuade ourselves that by doing thus, it would tend toour own Reputation or promote the Wel-fare of our Country. But when we con-sider the dangerous Inroads that have beenmade upon our Civil Constitution, the vio-lent attempts now making to alter andannull the most essential Parts of our Char-ter, granted by the most solemn Faith of

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The True Story of Paul BevereKings, and repeatedly recognized by Brit-ish Kings and Parliaments; while we seethe open and avowed Design of establishingthe most compleat System of Despotism inthis Province, and thereby reducing the freeborn Inhabitants thereof to the most abjectState of Slavery & Bondage: we feel our-selves necessarily constrained to declinebeing impannelled, for Reasons that we areready to offer to the Court, if permittedwhich are as follow" First Because PETER OLIVER,Esq. who sits as Chief Judge of this Court,has been charged with high Crimes and mis-demeanors by the late hon^^^ House of Rep-resentatives, the grand Inquest of thisProvince; of which charge he has neverbeen legally acquitted, but has been de-clared by that House unqualified to act asJudge of this Court.

"SecondlyBecause by a late Act of theBritish Parliament for altering the Consti-tution of this Province, the continuance ofthe present Judges of this Court, as well

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The Patriotic Engraveras the Appointment of others, from the firstof July last is made to depend solely on theKing's Pleasure, vastly different from theTenure of the British Judges: and as weapprehend they now hold their places, onlyin consequence of that Act, all the judicialProceedings of the Court will be taken asConcessions to the validity of the same towhich we dare not consent:

" Thirdly Because three of the Judges,being the major part of the Court, namely,the said PETER OLIVER, Esq., FOS-TER HUTCHINSON, Esq., and WIL-LIAM BROWN, Esq.,^ by taking theOath of Counsellors under Authority ofthe aforementioned Act, are (as we are in-formed) sworn to carry into execution all

^ Chief Justice Oliver left the bench in 1775, wentto England the next year, and died in Birmingham,October 13, 1791 ; Brown left the country at the out-break of the war, was made governor of Bermuda, anddied in England, February 13, 1802; Hutchinson, abrother of Governor Hutchinson, went to England anddied there. William T. Davis, History of the Judiciaryof Massachusetts, pp. 92, 97, 98.

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The True Story of Paul Reverethe Late grievous Acts of the British Par-liament, among the Last of which is onemade ostensibly for the Impartial Admin-istration of Justice in this province, but,as we fear, really for the Impunity of suchpersons as shall under pretext of executingthose Acts, murder any of the Inhabitantsthereof, which Acts appear to us to beutterly repugnant to every Idea of Justice& common humanity, and are justly com-plained of throughout America as highlyinjurious and oppressive to the good peopleof this Province, and manifestly destructiveof their national, as well as constitutionalrights.

" Fourthly Because we believe in ourConsciences that our acting in Concert witha Court so constituted and under such cir-cumstances, would be so far betraying thejust and sacred Rights of our native Land,which were not the Gift of Kings, but werepurchased solely with the Toil, the Bloodand Treasure of our worthy and reveredAncestors and which we look upon our-

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The Patriotic Engraverselves, under the most sacred Obligationsto maintain and to transmit the same wholeand entire to our Posterity.

" Therefore we the Subscribers unani-mously decline serving as grand Jurors atthis Court.Wm. ThompsonJoseph WilletPaul RevereRobert WilliamsJam^ IversJoseph PoolLemuel KollockNicholas CookWilliam BullardMoses RichardsonAbraham Wheeler

Peter BoyerThos. Crafts, junrJoseph HallHenry PlimptonJonathan DayNath BelcherEben HancockJoseph JonesTho PrattAbijah UphamSamuel Hobart '

When court opened and the jurors werecalled they refused to be sworn. The lastname on the Hst was that of Thomas Prattof Chelsea, who inquired, when he was

1 Massachusetts Historical Society Proceedings, 1875-1876, pp. 109, 110.

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The True Story of Paul Beverecalled, whether the justices' salaries wereto be paid by the Province or the King." Mr. Pratt," retorted the chief justice," this court is organized as it always hasbeen, and it can be of no importance to you,as a juror, whether our salaries be paid fromthe treasury of the crown or of the prov-ince"; to which Pratt replied with spirit:" I won't sarve.'' Revere used often inafter life to relate this incident with keenrelish.^

Public opinion during the revolutionaryperiod found opportunity to crystallize inboth public and private gatherings. Itwould probably not be possible to exagger-ate the influence of the numerous secretorganizations of the time the Free-masons, the " Sons of Liberty," the Northand South End " Caucuses " upon theevents which helped to bring on the conflictwith the mother country. In most of theseRevere was a moving spirit. The " Sonsof Liberty " met in a distillery and also the

1 New England Magazine, Vol. 3 (1832), p. 309.[42]


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The Patriotic EngraverGreen Dragon Tavern, and arose out ofthe excitement attending the passage of theStamp Act, being first called " The UnionClub," but later taking a more descriptivename from an allusion in a speech of Col-onel Barre, a friend of the colonists, inParliament/ John Adams in his diary-gives some interesting glimpses of theseclubs

" Feb. 1, 1763. This day learned thatthe Caucus Club meets at certain times inthe garret of Tom Dawes, the adjutantof the Boston regiment. He has a largehouse, and he has a movable partition in hisgarrett, which he takes down, and the wholeclub meet in one room. There they smoketobacco till you cannot see from one end ofthe garret to the other. Then they drinkjBip, I suppose, and there they choose a mod-erator, who puts questions to the vote reg-ularly; and selectmen, assessors, collectors,

^ Massachusetts Historical Society Proceedings, Vol.13 (1873-1875)^ p. 200 ; also Boston Gazette, August 22,1768.

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The True Story of Paul Reverewardens, iirewards, and representatives, areregularly chosen before they are chosenin the town. Fairfield, Story, Ruddock,Adams, Cooper, and a rudis indigestaquemoles of others, are members. They sendcommittees to wait on the Merchants Club,and to propose and join in the choice ofmen and measures. Captain Cunninghamsays they have often solicited him to go tothese caucuses, they have assured himbenefit in his business, &c.

" Dec. 23, 1765. Went into Mr. Dud-ley's, Mr. Dana's, Mr. Otis's ofiSce, and thento Mr. Adams's, and went with him to theMonday night club. There I found Otis,Cushing, Wells, Pemberton, Gray, Austin,two Waldos, Inches, and spent the eveningvery agreeably. Politicians all at this club.

"Jany. 15, 1766. Spent the evening withthe Sons of Liberty at their own apartmentin Hanover-Square near the Tree of Lib-erty. It is a counting-room, in Chase &Speakman's distillery; a very small roomit is. There were present John Avery, a

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The Patriotic Engraverdistiller of liberal education; John Smith,the brazier; Thomas Chase, distiller; Jo-seph Fields, master of a vessel; HenryBass; George Trott, jeweler; and Henry-Welles. I was very cordially and respect-fully treated by all present. We had punch,wine, pipes and tobacco, biscuit and cheese,etc. They chose a committee to make prep-arations for grand rejoicings upon thearrival of the news of a repeal of the stampact."

From which it appears that politiciansare much the same in all times. Publicofficials were chosen by a ring in Bostonin the year of our Lord 1763 before theywere " chosen in the town," and the Revo-lution was hatched in a rum-shop, whilethose upon whom history has placed theseal of greatness and statesmanship filledthemselves with " flip " in an atmospheredense with tobacco smoke, as they plottedand planned the momentous events of thetime!

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II THE MESSENGER OF THEGATHERING REVOLUTION1773-1775ON the 14th of December, 1773,that Boston patriot and faithful

old chronicler of current events,Thomas Newell, took out his diary andmade the following entry : ^"Wind S. E. Tuesday, cloudy. This

morning the following handbills wereposted up, viz :

" Friends ! Brethren ! Countrymen !" The perfidious act of your restless

enemies to render ineffectual the late reso-lutions of the body of the people demandyour assembling at the Old South meeting-house, precisely at two o'clock, at which timethe bells will ring."

^ Massachusetts Historical Society Proceedings (1876-1877), p. 346.

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Messenger of the RevolutionThe crisis which had been foreseen forweeks was rapidly approaching. The tea

ships were at hand, and it had been resolvedby the North End caucus on October 23that its members would " oppose at peril oflife and fortune the vending of any teathat might be imported by the East IndiaCompany." ^ Great public excitement at-tended the arrival of the vessels with theconsignments of tea, and meetings called bythe patriot leaders to see what should bedone were the order of the day. At oneof these a song was composed and at oncebecame very popular. One of its versesran:

Our Warren 's there and bold RevereWith hands to do and words to cheer.

For liberty and laws ;Our country's " braves " and firm defendersShall ne'r be left by true North Enders,

Fighting Freedom s cause.Then rally, boys, and hasten onTo meet our chiefs at the Green Dragon.*

^ Francis S. Drake, Tea Leaves, p. xxiii.^ From W. W. Wheildon's Scrap-book, in the Boston

Public Library.[47]


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The True Story of Paul RevereThe meeting of the 14th of December,to which the citizens had been summoned b}^

the posting of handbills, was adjourned tothe 16th without any definite action havingbeen taken. But on that day the Old Southwas thronged and the people were deter-mined. There was much speech-making,something of which Bostonians are exces-sively fond to this day, and, at half-pastfour in the afternoon, it was voted, amidgreat enthusiasm, that the tea should notbe landed. What subsequently transpiredwas thus graphically reported in the col-umns of the Massachusetts Gazette:^

" Just before the dissolution, a numberof brave and resolute men, dressed in theIndian manner, approached near the doorof the assembly, and gave a warwhoop,which rang through the house, and wasanswered by some in the galleries, butsilence was commanded, and a peaceabledeportment enjoined until the dissolution.The Indians, as they were then called re-

^ Issue of December 23, 1773.[48]


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Messenger of the Revolutionpaired to the wharf, where the ships lay thathad the tea on board, and were followedby hundreds of people, to see the event ofthe transactions of those who made so gro-tesque an appearance. The Indians im-mediately repaired on board Capt. Hall'sship, where they hoisted out the chests oftea, and when on deck stove them andemptied the tea overboard. Having clearedthis ship, they proceeded to Capt. Bruce's,and then to Capt. Coffin's brig. Theyapplied themselves so dexterously to thedestruction of this commodity, that in thespace of three hours they broke up threehundred and forty-two chests, which wasthe whole number in these vessels, and dis-charged their contents into the dock. Whenthe tide rose, it floated the broken chestsand the tea insomuch that the surface ofthe water was filled therewith a considerableway from the south part of the town toDorchester Neck, and lodged on the shores." There was the greatest care taken toprevent the tea being purloined by the popu-

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The True Story of Paul Reverelace; one or two being detected in endeav-oring to pocket a small quantity werestripped of their acquisitions and veryroughly handled. It is worthy of remarkthat although a considerable quantity ofgoods were still remaining on board thevessel no injury was sustained. Such atten-tion to private property was observed thata small padlock belonging to the captainof one of the ships being broke, anotherwas procured and sent to him. The townwas very quiet during the whole eveningand the night following. Those who werefrom the country went home with a merryheart, and the next day joy appeared inalmost every countenance, some on accountof the destruction of the tea, others onaccount of the quietness with which it wasefFe 'cd. One of the Monday's paperssays that the masters and owners are wellpleased that their ships are thus cleared."

Revere was one of the chief actors inthis tumultuous aifair, and the next day,

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Messenger of the Bevolution

when the Committee of Correspondencemet and resolved to send an account of theevent to the patriots in New York and Phil-adelphia, he was the man chosen to carrythe message. The letter which he tookwas addressed to the New York " Sons ofLiberty."

" The bearer," it read, " is chosen by thecommittee from a number of gentlemen,who volunteered to carry you this intelli-gence. We are in a perfect jubilee. Nota Tory in the whole community can find theleast fault with our proceedings. . . . Thespirit of the people throughout the coun-try is to be described by no terms in mypower. Their conduct last night surprisedthe admiral and the English gentlemen,who observed that these were not a r^obof disorderly rabble, (as they had beenreported) but men of sense, coolness andintrepidity."

It may well be imagined that Revere sup-plemented this brief description of the

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The True Story of Paul BevereBoston Tea Party with a more detailednarrative. The news he brought soonspread among the New Yorkers, and theygathered in the pubhc places in great num-bers. Needless to record, the crowd was inhigh spirits, and one and all declared thatthe ships with tea on board, which wereknown to be at that time nearing NewYork, must be sent back or the tea de-stroyed. They proclaimed their enthusi-astic approval of what the Bostonians haddone and sent the exciting news on to Phil-adelphia. Revere then returned home, andwhen he announced that Governor Tryonhad declared that the tea ships bound forNew York would surely be turned back, allthe bells in Boston were rung. Reveremade this trip in eleven days, arriving inBoston on the 27th of December.^ Thenext day he was appointed one of the" watch " of twenty-five placed over Cap-tain Hull's vessel and cargo by the level-headed patriot leaders to prevent any of the

^ Newell's Diary.L52]


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Messenger of the Revolutionheadstrong among the populace from doingunwarranted damage.A short time after the grand destructionof tea in Boston harbor, word was receivedof another consignment intended for NewEngland consumption, and members of theresolute band that had destroyed the firstshipments disposed of the second lot in thesame fashion. This episode was alluded toin a letter which Revere wrote March 28 tohis friend John Lamb * in New York

" You have no doubt heard the particu-lars, relating to the last twenty-eight chestsof tea ; it was disposed of in the same man-ner, as I informed you of the other, andshould five hundred more arrive, it wouldgo in the same way. Yesterday a vesselarrived from Antigua, the captain saysyour tea vessel was to sail three days afterhim, so by the next post I shall expect tohear a good account of it." ^

* Isaac Q. Leake, Memoir of the Life and Times ofGeneral John Lamb, p. 81.

^ The tea vessel bound for New York referred to in[53]


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The True Story of Paul RevereThe famous Boston port bill, intended to

operate as a boycott against the port ofBoston, received the royal signature and be-came law March 31, 1774. It was printedin the Boston newspapers of the 10th ofMay, and went into effect June 1. Onthe 12th of May, the Conmiittee of Corre-spondence having directed Warren to callthe meeting, representatives from Boston,Dorchester, Roxbury, Newton, Brookline,Cambridge, Charlestown, Lynn, and Lex-ington gathered in Faneuil Hall to delib-erate on " the critical state of affairs."Samuel Adams presided, and it was votedto be the sense of the meeting that "if theother colonies come into a joint resolutionthis letter was the Nancy, Captain Lockyier. She wasnot allowed to land her cargo, being required uponher arrival to put back to sea. But another ship, theLondon^ Captain Chambers, arriving about the sametime at New York with eighteen chests of tea on board,was boarded by the patriots, the tea discovered afterits presence had been strenuously denied by the cap-tain, and destroyed. Captain Chambers was sent backto England with Captain Lockyier on the Nancy.

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Messenger of the Eevolutionto stop all importation from, and exporta-tion to, Great Britain and every part of theWest Indies till the act be repealed, thesame will prove the salvation of NorthAmerica and her liberties; and that the im-policy, injustice, inhumanity, and crueltyof the act exceed all our powers of expres-sion. We, therefore leave it to the justcensure of others, and appeal to God andthe world."The next day formal action was taken ata town meeting at which Adams again pre-

sided as moderator. It was agreed to sendthis appeal, prepared by Adams, to thesister colonies:

" The people receive the edict with indig-nation. It is expected by their enemies, andfeared by some of their friends, that thistown singly will not be able to support thecause under so severe a trial. As the verybeing of every colony, considered as a freepeople, depends upon the event, a thoughtso dishonorable to our brethren cannot be

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The True Story of Paul Revereentertained as that this town will be left tostruggle alone."

" A committee," says Newell/ " waschosen to go to several towns. Mr. P. Re-vere was chosen to go express to York andPhiladelphia, &c., &c." " My worthy friend,Revere," writes Dr. Thomas Young, aprominent Boston Son of Liberty, toJohn Lamb of New York, " again revisitsyou. No man of his rank and oppor-tunities in life deserves better of thecommunity. Steady, vigorous, sensible andpersevering." ^

Revere set out on the 14th, and reachedNew York a few days later, delivering hismessage to the Committee of Fifty-One.On the 20th he arrived at Philadelphia ; andthat very night the citizens held a massmeeting, at which the " execrable PortBill " was denounced, and a vote passed not

* Diary. Massachusetts Historical Society Proceed-ings, 1876-1877, p. 352.

* Quoted by Goss in his Life of Revere, Vol. 1,p. 149.

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Messenger of the Bevolutionmerely conveying sympathy to the Bostonpatriots but making the latter's cause theirown.^ The Committee of Correspondenceappointed at this meeting prepared a replyto be sent to Boston, and a copy was alsotransmitted to New York and the southerncolonies, accompanied by the importantrecommendation that steps should be takenat once for the calling of a general congressof the colonies.

Revere's return from this trip was dulyrecorded in the news of the day. In theEssex Gazette of May 30, 1774, appearsthis item:

" On Saturday last, Mr. Paul Reverereturned from Philadelphia, having beensent express to the Southern Colonies, withintelligence of the late rash, impolitic andvindictive measures of the British Parlia-ment, who, by the execrable Port Bill, haveheld out to us a most incontestable argumentwhy we ought to submit to their jurisdiction;

^ Frank M. Etting, Historical Account of IndependenceHall, p. 74. [57]


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The True Story of Paul Revereand what rich blessings we may secure toourselves and posterity, by an acquiescencein their lenity, wisdom, and justice. Noth-ing can exceed the indignation with whichour brethren in Rhode Island, Connecticut,New York and Philadelphia have receivedthis proof of ministerial madness. Theyuniversally declare their resolution to standby us to the last extremity."The New York Sons of Liberty appear

to have taken action in sympathy with theirBoston brethren without waiting for theappeal which Revere brought, since resolu-tions were passed by them, and a letter datedMay 14, the day Revere left Boston, wasprepared, exhorting the Boston patriots tostand firm. These were despatched to Bos-ton by John Ludlow. Benson J. Lossing,whose fondness for romance is one of hisdefects as a historian, wrote a very prettyimaginative account of a meeting betweenRevere and Ludlow.^

1 Our Country, Vol. 2, p. 71 6.[58]


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Messenger of the Bevolution" Ludlow," says Lossing, " rode swiftlywith them, [the New York resolutions] on

a black horse, toward the New Englandcapital. He told their import as he coursedthrough Connecticut and Rhode Island.Near Providence, on the edge of a woodthat was just receiving its summer foliage,by a cool spring, he met Paul Revere, ridingexpress on a gray horse, bearing to NewYork and Philadelphia assurances of thefaith and firmness of the Bostonians, and toinvoke sympathy and co-operation. Reverealso carried a large number of printedcopies of the act made sombre by heavyblack lines, and garnished with the pictureof a crown, a skull and cross-bones, un-doubtedly engraved by Revere himself.These he scattered through the villages onhis way, where they were carried about thestreets with the cry of 'Barbarous, cruel,bloody and inhuman murder! ' Revere andLudlow took a hasty lunch together at thespring, and then pressed forward on theirholy mission."

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Messenger of the Revolutioncarry copies of the famous Suffolk Re-solves/ with a letter of Warren's, to theMassachusetts delegates in attendance onthe Continental Congress then in session atPhiladelphia. He arrived six days later,on the 17th, and on the same day the re-

^ The resolves had been adopted at a convention ofdelegates from all the towns in Suffolk County who firstmet in Dedham, September 6, but adjourned three dayslater to the home of Daniel Vose in Milton. This oldhouse, located a few steps from the bridge across theNeponset River at Milton Lower Mills, is still standing.On its front is a tablet with this inscription

"IN THIS MANSIONOn the 9th day of September, 1774, at a meeting ofthe delegates of every town and district in the countyof Suffolk, the memorable Suffolk Resolves were adopted.They were reported by Major-General Warren, who fellin their defence in the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 1 7,1775. They were approved by the members of theContinental Congress at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia,on the 17th September, 1774. The Resolves to whichthe immortal patriot here first gave utterance, and theheroic deeds of that eventful day on which he fell, ledthe way to American Independence. ' Posterity willacknowledge that virtue which preserved them freeand happy.' "

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The True Story of Paul Beveresolves were read in Congress. John Adamswrote to his wife of their reception:

" The esteem, the affection, the admira-tion for the people of Boston and Massa-chusetts which they expressed, and the fixeddetermination that they should be supportedwere enough to melt a heart of stone. Isaw tears gush into the eyes of the old,grave, pacific Quakers of Pennsylvania." ^But the Congress did something more

than gush. It promptly passed resolutionscondemning the acts of the British Parlia-ment which had called forth the SuffolkResolves, thereby placing its official en-dorsement upon the latter, and Revere wasable to bring the interesting news of thisimportant action back to Boston.

In October Revere was again sent toPhiladelphia. The Continental Congresswas still in session there. The ProvincialCongress of Massachusetts was also in ses-

^ The Works of John Adams, edited by his grandson,Charles Francis Adams, Vol. 2, p. 380.

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Messenger of the Revolutionsion and anxious to know what was trans-piring at Philadelphia. Samuel Adamswas one of the Massachusetts representa-tives to the Continental Congress, and onthis occasion Revere carried letters to himfrom Joseph Warren and, no doubt, toothers in the Quaker city from friends inBoston.In the following December Revere made

the last trip on horseback as an official mes-senger of which we have a record, beforethat fateful ride of which Longfellow sangand which brought him fame. This De-cember ride, while not so long as the tripsto Philadelphia, had an element of risk andadventure similar to that of the 18th ofApril, 1775, and was of hardly less im-portance to the patriot cause. By an actof British authority the colonies had beenprohibited the further importation of gun-powder and military stores, and an expe-dition was arranged for the relief of FortWilliam and Mary at Portsmouth, whichwas rightly believed to be in danger of

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The True Story of Paul Revereattack by the provincials. But the evervigilant Sons of Liberty in Boston learnedof the reinforcements intended for the fort,and quickly planned to notify the " Sons "at Portsmouth. Revere, of course, was theone selected to carry the information.On the afternoon of December 13 Revere

rode up to the house of General Sullivanin the little town of Durham with his warn-ing news, and, after baiting his nearly ex-hausted horse, rode on to Portsmouth.Eleazer Bennett, the last survivor of theparty which raided the fort, has left a cir-cumspect account of the affair:

" I was working for Major Sullivan," hesays, " when Micah Davis came up and toldme Major Sullivan wanted me to go toPortsmouth, and to get all the men I couldto go with him. The men who went, asfar as I can remember, were Major JohnSullivan, Captain Winborn Adams, Eben-ezer Thompson, John Demeritt, Alpheusand Jonathan Chesley, John Spencer, Micah

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Messenger of the EevolutionDavis, Isaac and Benjamin Small of Dur-ham; Ebenezer Sullivan, Captain Langdonand Thomas Pickering of Portsmouth;John Griffin, James Underwood, and Alex-ander Scannel. We took a gondola belong-ing to Benjamin Mathes, who was too oldto go, and went down the river to Ports-mouth. It was a clear, cold moonlightnight. We sailed down to the fort at themouth of Piscataqua Harbor. The waterwas so shallow that we could not bringthe boat to within a rod of shore. Wewaded through the water in perfect silence,mounted the fort, surprised the garrison,and bound the captain. In the fort wefound one hundred casks of powder andone hundred small arms, which we broughtdown to the boat. In wading through thewater it froze upon us." ^

^ Ballard Smith in Harpers Magazine, July, 1886,p. 239 et seq. Dr. Alonzo H. Quint told the Massa-chusetts Historical Society (Proceedings, 1873-1875, p.450), at its meeting of March, 1875, that he heard thisstatement taken from Bennett, who lived until 1851."A vain tradition," said Dr. Quint, "has obtained

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The True Story of Paul RevereIn a letter to L

the true story of paul revere (1905)

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