Profile of the Day: Paul Revere

On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere began his infamous ride to warn American colonists that British forces were advancing toward Lexington and Concord.

Image: Paul Revere’s ride / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Revere and fellow rider William Dawes successfully reached Lexington to warn Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock before setting out towards Concord. Along the way, they were joined by Samuel Prescott, a young patriot. Of the three men, Prescott was the only one to arrive to Concord to warn the militia there. Revere was eventually detained by the British on the way to Concord, but by then, the three men had already triggered a system of “alarm” and “muster” that had been carefully developed months before. The Battle of Lexington and Concord ensued, and with it, the American Revolution.

Although Paul Revere was only one of many to deliver the warning to American colonists, his famous ride was immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride.”

View Paul Revere’s Geni Profile