Remembering Paul Revere
This year is the beginning of “high season” for anniversaries of major events in the history of the American Revolution, including the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington & Concord, just celebrated in April. One of the people who is closely associated in our minds with that anniversary is Paul Revere, famous for his “Midnight Ride” to warn the people of Lexington that “the British Are Coming.” We want to take a moment to also commemorate Paul Revere himself, who died on this day on May 10, 1818 at the advanced age of 83.
To summarize Revere’s life in a few paragraphs is a challenge, as he represented so many things to so many people during his life in Boston during the Revolutionary War era. The son of a French Huguenot silversmith, Revere took up that trade, first as an apprentice to his father, then carrying on the business after his father died. Over time Revere became one of the leading artisans in Boston. While not a “gentlemen,” his clientele included many of the more prominent families of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and he gradually became a frequent participant in the social life of the elite gentlemen of Boston. He also started a family: with his two wives, Sarah and Rachel, he sired sixteen children, and by all accounts he was a loving father.
As conflicts between the American colonies and the British government escalated over the decade from 1763 (the end of the French & Indian War) to December 1773 (the Boston Tea Party), Revere became a member of the Sons of Liberty, a group of men who became the de facto leaders of the rebellion against British rule. Revere carved out an important role for himself: he became the “go to” person to carry message between and among the rebel leaders, riding his horse for days on end to deliver important news to political leaders in other cities and towns on the eastern seaboard. Indeed, well before his famous “Midnight Ride” in April 1775, Revere had travelled thousands of miles over the period 1773-1775 serving as one of several “express” riders who traveled north to Maine, south to Philadelphia, and all parts in between. Historians scratch their heads as to how Revere came to be such an excellent rider, as he was for all intents and purposes a “city boy,” and didn’t even own a horse!
During this time, Revere continued to work long days and nights at his trade as a silversmith, while also pursuing other trades, including engraver, merchant, and dentist (he was well known for his skill at making false teeth!). Revere made a good living, but he was always subject to the stresses and strains of the local economy, and his income rose and fell depending on how Boston itself was faring. The various trade embargos imposed by both the British and the colonists didn’t help matters, but he survived.
While Revere wanted to serve in the Continental Army, for mysterious reasons he was never accepted, so he found ways to serve the Cause in other ways. He operated a powder mill to make gun powder, for example. Later on, he learned how to make cannons, and he produced a large number of them for use by the American forces. Revere served in the Massachusetts militia for a time, but his service was not noteworthy, except for the one actual combat experience he had that proved disastrous. This was the “Penobscot Expedition,” a land and sea battle that took place in the summer of 1779 at the Penobscot River on the coast of Maine, in which Revere served in the artillery unit. Based on witness testimony, Revere was accused of being a coward, and of defying orders from his commander to take the battle to the enemy. Revere was relieved of duty, but he would not stand for it. Revere demanded a court martial to clear his name, and the matter went to trial. He was not found guilty, but neither was he completely exonerated. For centuries, historians have argued about the truth of the charges against Revere. Suffice it to say that the evidence is contradictory and sketchy at best, and the episode did not cause lasting damage to Revere’s reputation.
Revere had an extraordinarily successful career after the war, including as the founder of the Revere Copper Company, which still exists today. He continued to find new ways to make money as an artisan and merchant, including making bells for churches and public buildings, and making rolled copper for use in sheathing buildings and other structures. His manufacturing enterprises used many innovative technologies, and he received a number of government contracts as a result. It would not be wrong to say that he was one of the early founders of the industrial revolution.
Revere outlived both of his wives, and a number of his children. He remained politically active until the end of his life. Revere’s contributions to American politics, art and culture were prolific, and for this we honor him today, the 207th anniversary of his death in 1818.