Jan 1

Jan 1 Preparing for Midnight - Paul Revere Delivers the Portsmouth Alarm

OK, so I guess it’s Paul Revere Week.

What can I say? Sometimes I get fascinated with one subject.

This will be the last Paul Revere article for a while.

Another Ride

After returning home from his visit with the First Continental Congress, Paul Revere was again tasked with carrying important information from Boston.

This time, he rode north...to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

With him, he carried a Powder Alarm.

The Portsmouth Alarm

In truth, the Powder Alarm wasn’t something he could carry, it was news.

The information Paul brought with him was that the British Regulars were heading toward the town. They were expected to remove the gunpowder stored at Fort William and Mary.

There were actually several ‘Powder Alarms’ around this time, with this particular announcement best known as the Portsmouth Alarm.

Raiding Fort William and Mary

Revere motivated the local residents to take action.

After receiving the Portsmouth Alarm, John Langdon (who had just returned from the First Continental Congress and later signed the US Constitution), rallied the local militia.

They went to the Fort and, with very little resistance, took the powder to be used by the Patriots.

The following day, John Sullivan (who had also just returned from the First Continental Congress and later served as a Major General in the Continental Army) led more militia to the Fort and took the cannons.

Precursor

Occurring in December 1774, these events had all the makings to become the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

Surprisingly, tensions cooled briefly after the attack on Fort William and Mary.

However, just four months later, Paul would again ride out sounding a Powder Alarm.

Revere would again notify people that the British were coming.

This time, his destinations were Lexington and Concord...

Here are some other Midnight Riders you might not know about:

The Midnight Ride of Jack Jouett

The Midnight Ride of Caesar Rodney

The Five Day Ride of Israel Bissell - The Lexington Alarm to Philadelphia

Paul Revere had an extremely interesting life, which actually gained in importance after the war.

‘The Revolutionary Paul Revere’ is an excellent book that recounts the entire life of this Patriot.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).