What Happened on the Evening of April 18? by Paul Revere

The ride of Paul Revere on the evening of April 18 and early morning of April 19, 1775 is one of the most famous of all the stories of this Era. The statement below is his account of what happened on his ride. The details here are far less in number than that often provided. One thing we know, he did not go through the countryside shouting "The British are coming!!!" as that would have made no sense. At that time he and all the colonists in Massachusetts were British. He would have yelled "The Regulars are coming!!!!" Those words were enough to wake up the entire countryside and motive men, boys and even some women to arms - and to possible death.

I was sent for by Docr. Joseph Warren . . . on the evening of the 18th of April, about 10 o'Clock; When he desired me, "to go to Lexington, and inform Mr. Samuel Adams, and the Honl. John Hancock Esqr. that there was a number of [Regular] Soldiers . . . marching to the bottom of the Common, where was a number of Boats to receive them; it was supposed, that they were going to Lexington by the way of Cambridge River, to take [Adams and Hancock] or go to Concord, to distroy the Colony Stores." I proceeded immediately, and was put across Charles River [in a boat rowed by friends] and landed near Charlestown Battery, went in town, and there got a Horse. . . . I sett off, it was then about 11 o'Clock, the Moon shone bright. I had got almost over Charlestown Common, towards Cambridge, when I saw two Officers on Horse-back . . . in a narrow part of the roade. . . . One of them Started his horse towards me, the other up the road, as I supposed, to head me should I escape the first. I turned my horse short, about, and rid upon a full Gallop for Mistick Road . . . and finding He could not catch me, [he] returned: I proceeded to Lexington . . . and alarmed Mr. Adams and Col. Hancock. After I had been there about half an hour Mr. Daws arrived, who came from Boston, over the Neck; we set off for Concord and were overtaken by a young Gentleman named Prescot, who belonged to Concord, and was going home; when we had got about half way from Lexington to Concord, the other two, stopped at a House to awake the man, I kept along, when, I had got about 200 Yards a head of them, I saw two officers as before . . . in an instant, I saw four of them, who rode up to me, with their pistols in their hands. [They] said . . . "If you go an inch further, you are a dead Man" . . . We attempted to git thro them, but they kept before us and swore if we did not turn into that pasture, they would blow our brains out.