American Heroes~PAUL REVERE (1734-1818)~by rldubour

 

PAUL REVERE (1734-1818)

Born in December in Boston’s north end
His name forever~~ an American legend.
Son of Deborah and Apollos Rivoire’
Changed to Revere as we know it today.

The seventeen fifty-six he did volunteer
To fight the French at Lake George that year.
A second lieutenant, he showed no fear
In the colonial militia is Paul Revere.

In fifty-seven he married Sarah Orne
Together they saw eight children born.
In seventy-three Sara passed away
Leaving her family, went to her grave.

Soon after he married Rachel Walker
Outgoing, friendly and quite a talker.
Poised and polished, she loved to debate
Much like his first wife, she also had eight.

April eighteen in seventy five
Unknown to Paul would be his famous ride.
That evening a note dispatched to his house
By Dr. Joe Warren told him to rouse.

Instructing to ride to Lexington, Mass.
The British were coming no time to pass.
The aid of two friends he crossed the Charles River
For Adams and Hancock a note to deliver.

He looked to the bell-tower of Christ Church
For a prearranged signal his eyes did search.
Briefly there hung two lanterns aglow
This told Revere what he had to know.

Then borrows a horse from Deacon John Larkin
In Charlestown he starts, his ride would begin.
One if by land and two if by sea
With a kick from his heels was off on his steed.

Three men on horseback were riding that night
The birth of a nation was now in sight.
The two other riders had different routes
This to insure the message got out.

Dr. Sam Prescott and William Dawes
Riding to Lexington for the same cause.
The alarm being sounded everyone knew
The British were coming, they knew what to do

This night was all planned by the “Sons of Liberty”
This is how it began, our countries history.
The birth of a nation with help from these three
Prescott, Dawes and Revere~~ American Heroes they be.
Prescott, Dawes and Revere~~ American Heroes they be.

AUTHOR NOTES*

Reveres primary vocation, a trade he learned from his father, was that of goldsmith/silversmith, meaning he worked in both gold and silver. His silver shop was the cornerstone of his professional life for more than 40 years
Reveres political involvement arose through his connections with members of local organizations and his business patrons. As a member of the Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew, he was friendly with activists like James Otis and Dr. Joseph Warren. In the year before the Revolution, Revere gathered intelligence information by “watching the Movements of British Soldiers,” as he wrote in an account of his ride. He was a courier for the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, riding express to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. He also spread the word of the Boston Tea Party to New York and Philadelphia.
Revere died of natural causes on May 10, 1818 at the age of 83, leaving five children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The son of an immigrant artisan, not born to wealth or inheritance, Revere died a modestly well-to-do businessman and a popular local figure of some note. An obituary in the Boston Intelligence commented, “Seldom has the tomb closed upon a life so honorable and useful.” Paul Revere is buried in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground. For the record, acting under Dr. Warren, Paul Revere arranged for another rider waiting across the Charles River in Charlestown to be told of the army’s route with lanterns hung in Old North Church. To be certain the message would get through, Revere rowed across the river and started riding westwards himself. Later Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere would focus entirely on Revere, making him a composite of many alarm riders that night.
William Dawes, Jr. April 5, 1745~~February 25, 1799.
Dr. Samuel Prescott August 19, 1751~~He was captured by the Royal Navy and died between November 23, 1776 and December 26, 1777 while a prisoner in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Dr. Joseph Warren June 11,1741~~June 17,1775