White House: Road to Liberty: The Ride of Paul Revere

You've seen the picture. One rider, one sleeping town, one mission. But that legendary night was about more than just one man.

Dr. Warren received word the British were marching northwest to Lexington to capture Sam Adams and Hancock and push through to Concord to destroy the stockpile of Patriot munitions.

They would snuff out a rebellion before it could spark a revolution. Someone needed to get there first to warn them. So they sent for me.

To most folks in Boston, I was a silversmith.

But to the Sons of Liberty, I was their courier.

One with enough experience to ride swiftly and evade the dangers that lie ahead that night.

But to be safe, Dr. Warren called upon a Mr. Dawes to take a longer, much safer route through Boston Neck. If one of us was stopped, the other had to get through.

The code was simple: one lantern if they marched out by land, two if they crossed the river by sea.

The signal, undetected by the British soldiers but clear to those who needed it.

That night, the moon shone bright enough to illuminate the dangers hiding in the shadows.

You there!

Stop!

I had to change course, adding more time to my route when every second counted. They weren't just marching now, they were hunting.

The regulars are coming out.

I was careful not to alert loyalists. For every house I stopped to warn, the redcoats continued their march. And I alarmed almost every house on the way to Lexington.

Quiet! Don't make so much noise.

Noise? You'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out!

The first mission was accomplished. Hancock and Adams had been warned. But the redcoats were still coming.

Much to my surprise— relief— Dawes had made it, and for one dangerous heartbeat, it felt like we'd beaten them. Message delivered, but Lexington wasn't the only target. Concord was still ahead.

By good fortune, we were joined by fellow patriot Dr. Prescott. He knew these roads the way a sailor knows the stars.

Faster, Scott! If you go an inch further, you are a dead man! That's the trick of a night chase. You don't hear the hunters until they're already beside you. With a daring leap, Prescott cleared the wall, allowing Dawes to break free and leaving me to try to buy more time.

If you don't tell the truth, I'll blow your brains out.

He wanted answers. Where I'd come from, when I left, who I was. Not easy to answer with a pistol in your face.

They had stopped the rider, but they couldn't stop the warning. Town to town, the countryside woke before the army arrived. The message was already loose, thanks not just to one man on one horse, but to many men Uniting for one cause.