Paul Revere Never Finished His Ride

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We all know about Paul Revere's Ride, right? We all know about how Paul Revere rode from Lexington to Concord to warn the Americans that the British were coming. We all know about how he rode through the streets yelling, "The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!"

We all know about it; yet it isn't true.

The truth is that Paul Revere never finished that ride that come to be named after him. Paul Revere was stopped by a British patrol on his way to Concord. He never made it!

In fact, he was riding with two other men, only one of whom succeeded in warning the Americans in Concord that the British were coming.

William Dawes also rode with Paul Revere that night. He, too, was stopped by a British patrol. He managed to escape, as did Dr. Samuel Prescott, the third rider.

Revere, meanwhile, didn't escape until much later, and without his horse. He walked back to Lexington and made it there in time to witness part of the battle on Lexington Green.

Dawes, meanwhile, got lost in the dark and never made it to Concord.

Only Dr. Samuel Prescott reached Concord, where he delivered the warning, "The British are Coming!" And when the British came to Concord, the Americans were ready.

Why is Paul Revere famous? Several reasons:

• He was a well-known figure in the Revolutionary community. He was a silversmith who made lots of things out of silver and sold them to all kinds of people, including the Sons of Liberty.
• He made the famous engraving of the Boston Massacre that stirred up so much hatred for the British.
• He was the subject of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem that became very famous. 

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