The Wandering Historian

06/16/2024

It is official now! This summer we will be moving to the Washington D.C. area for my new position. I am still a historian, but I will no longer be working directly for the Department of Defense.

During the next several weeks I will be less active on Social Media to focus on the move. However, I will be sure to document the move and wander all over the East Coast visiting history everywhere I find it.

Until next time…Happy Wandering Everyone!

06/15/2024

June 15, 1859 - The Pig War (a personal favorite to study)

In the Oregon Treaty, the boundary between British Canada and the United States was established at the 49th parallel line from Lake of the Wood in Minnesota to the Rocky Mountains. From there to the “middle of the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver Island.” The problem was that the water mentioned was vague, especially when concerning the San Juan Islands located in the Salish Sea, north of the Puget Sound, and how the channel boundary would move around them. There were three boundaries. One, the British put the boundary below the San Juans, claiming them all. Two, the U.S. put the boundary above the San Juans, claiming them all. Three, a boundary that splits the Islands half to the U.S., half to Great Britain. As you can imagine both countries claimed all the islands, therefore both countries put settlements on the largest island in the archipelago, San Juan. The British placed a fort in the north part of San Juan, while American farmers settled in the south. Both sides settled into an unofficial truce with one another.

This all changed when Lyman Cutlar on June 15, 1859, shot and killed a pig from the British fort that had been continuously breaking into his gardens eating his vegetables. In response, the British promised to arrest Cutlar and evict all Americans from the islands, since after all, it was British territory, and they were nothing more than mere squatters on it. The Americans then requested aid from Brigadier General William S. Harney (the anti-British commander of the Department of Oregon), who set Captain George E. Pickett and his Company D, 9th U.S. Infantry to ease the tension on the island. The British responded as one might think they sent a 31-gun steam frigate, HMS Tribune that was joined by the HMS Satellite and Plumper shortly, to dislodge Pickett from the islands. The buildup of forces continued from both sides for several months, until an uneasy joint settlement of the San Juan was proposed and was reached by General Winfield Scott, who had been sent by President Buchanan to settle the matter and prevent another U.S. v. British war.

For the next 13 years, there was an odd arrangement of cohabitation in San Juan, until in October 1872 when Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany finally settled the question of ownership of San Juan. Wilhelm ruled that the U.S. held the rightful claim and established the boundary between the U.S. and British Canada would run through the Haro Strait. This agreement ended the now-infamous Pig War between the U.S. and Great Britain, where there was only one casualty…a pig.

Note: All pictures and captions are courtesy of the National Park Service unless stated otherwise.

06/14/2024

June 14, 1775: The U.S. Army is Born...

The Senior Service, the First Branch, the U.S. Army. No matter what the name the mission of the Army has been nearly the same for the past 249 years. Protect and defend the United States against all enemies…while the how and where that mission is conducted has changed, the dedication to that mission has not.

June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution “Resolved, that six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia…as soon as completed, shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under the command of the Chief Officer in that Army.” Becoming a part of one of these companies also required an oath of enlistment, “I have, this day, voluntarily enlisted myself, as a soldier, in the American Continental Army, for one year, unless sooner discharged: And I do bid myself to conform, in all instances, to such rules and regulations, as are, or shall be, established for the government of the said. Army.”

Happy Birthday, Army!

The photo is from my commissioning in 2005, on the campus of the University of Washington.

U.S. Army UW Army ROTC

06/08/2024

On This Day In History…June 8, 1995

On June 2, 1995, Air Force Captain Scott “Basher 52” O’Grady was flying in the hostile area of Bosnia and Herzegovina (near Mrkonji Grad) during the Bosnian War when his F-16C was struck by a 2K12 Kub surface-to-air missile fired by a Bosnian-Serb Army element. O’Grady was a part of the 555th Fighter Squadron stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, which conducted semi-regular missions over Bosnian airspace. O’Grady’s F16C was severely damaged, and he was forced to eject from his aircraft, once on the ground, O’Grady would spend the next several days evading the Bosnian Army and a population he was told would be hostile to him.

Fortunately for O’Grady, he was a graduate of Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training from Fairchild AFB (he is a native of Spokane by the way) and was able to survive by camouflaging his face and body with dirt and mud, eating leaves, grass, and bugs, and collecting rainwater in plastic bags. On June 8, 1995, O’Grady made positive radio contact with 510th pilot Captain Thomas “T.O” Hanford, who was able to also confirm his identity and location and then sent his approximant location to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Marines found O’Grady through his use of yellow smoke, 20 Marines jumped from their CH-53 Sea Stallions, and rescued Captain O’Grady. The 2001 movie “Behind Enemy Lines,” is loosely based on Captain O’Grady’s experience.

06/06/2024

Part 3 of the D-Day History piece I wrote for my wing.

446th Airlift Wing

The 446th and 728th have something in common beyond their current alignment, they were both D-Day bombing elements, except the 446th was not a support element. The 446th led the entire D-Day bombings, with a plane piloted by Colonel Brogger named “Red Ass.” The 446th set the standard for what was expected from bombers on D-Day. The 446th Heavy Bombardment Group was activated in April 1943 at Davis-Monthan Field, California and their specialty airframe was the B-24, the Liberator.

After their creation and extensive training in the United States, the 446th left for England. They were arriving in Bungay, England south of Norwich also in East Anglia. Due to their proximity to Bungay, the 446th earned the nickname “Bungay Buckaroos,” and flew from the Flixton airfield for the duration of the war. During their service over 6,000 personnel would serve at Flixton, flying 273 missions, losing 58 aircraft and 447 men, still the 446th managed to drop over 16,000 tons of bombs on Axis targets.

While there is no clear or distinct reason the 446th was selected as the D-Day bombing leader, we do know that Colon Brogger (the group commander) led the formation for not just the 446th but the entire bombing mission. It was this mission that would help to determine what kind of fight the invasion forces would encounter. Around 2:00 am, the Red Ass was the first plane to take off from Flixton (other aircraft at other bases would take off at different times to meet the correct link-up times and location), leading the 8th Air Force as it made its way toward Normandy. The 446th began hitting their targets roughly 5 minutes minus H-Hour, this did not provide much distance between Allied bombs and Allied soldiers. This is why many bombers held their payload hoping to avoid hitting Allied soldiers as they captured beach defenses. Once their payloads were released all the bombers then had to make their way back to their home base, a task easier said than done. The Luftwaffe and anti-air defenses posed a significant threat to the bombers, who despite multiple gunners and fighter escorts still took the brunt of downed planes during D-Day.

D-Day was not the beginning of the 446th’s war story, rather it was the middle of it. The 446th had already completed numerous missions before D-Day, including Big Week, preparatory bombings that would lead up to D-Day. Beyond D-Day, the 446th, like many other similar units, kept performing missions across Germany to stop the German war machine and cripple its infrastructure. This included moving supplies deep into the European continent, into France and the Netherlands, where they conducted low-level supply drops. After the war, the 446th’s mission changed from dropping bombs to dropping and transporting any kind of cargo imaginable. Like the 97th and 728th the 446th would support nearly every conflict after World War II, with one different distinction. In 1955 following the Korean War, the 446th Air Troop Carrier Wing was activated and would eventually become the 446th Airlift Wing

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06/06/2024

Part 2 of the D-Day History piece I wrote for my wing.

728th Airlift Squadron

Much like the 97th and hundreds of other squadrons and units, the 728th was created out of necessity to fight in the war and provide an organization for the hundreds of thousands of draftees and volunteers. The 728th was constituted on May 14, 1943, as a heavy bombardment squadron at Geiger Field, Washington (now Spokane International Airport), this makes the 728th the only squadron in the current organization of the 446 Airlift Wing constituted in Washington, a true “homegrown” squadron. The 728th crews found themselves flying B-17s, The Flying Fortress, which had a much greater range and payload capacity than a C-47, making it ideal for long-range bombing missions. The 728th was stationed in Deopham Green, England near Norwich, England in East Anglia, where they would be stationed for the duration of the war, assigned to the 452nd Bombardment Group.

From Deopham Green, the 728th would conduct bombing missions across the European front, even striking deep into the heart of Germany attacking, factories, and vital infrastructure. Many of the crews that would eventually comprise the bulk of the 728th, were not a part of them when they were constituted, rather they came from Florida where B-17 crews were created and trained. From Florida, they would often fly the same aircraft they would fight in across the Atlantic Ocean to England. Their bombing mission came at a cost though. Throughout the war the 728th lost 128 aircraft, due to enemy fire, crash, or other reasons giving the 728th an estimated 38-42% survival rate for the war. In total, the 728th flew “…250 missions and 7,279 sorties out of Deopham Green. They dropped a total of 16,446 tons of bombs on marshaling yards, aircraft-assembly plants, aircraft component works, ball-bearing factories, synthetic rubber plants, and oil installations.”

On 6 June 1944 around 2:00 am the 728th along with thousands of other bombardment squadrons took to the skies to conduct one of the most important, if not the most important, missions they would fly for the entire war. The 728th was part of the preparatory bombings of the landing area and beyond for the Allied invasion of Normandy, France in Operation OVERLORD. The objective of the bombings was much like the objectives of the paratroopers. The bombings were intended to cut lines of commutation, avenues of approach, beach defenses, and other troop support methods, in short, to isolate the Normandy beachhead. However, these bombings were both successful and unsuccessful because many of the bombers were concerned with Allied troop casualties delayed dropping their bombs but still dropped them on Axis infrastructure but failed to effectively strike beach defenses. In total, the 728th contributed to the drop of over 2,500 tons of bombs during the D-Day support bombings.

The ability of the 728th to persevere despite the amount of loss of personnel and aircraft is what has echoed throughout their service. The 728th has participated in nearly every American conflict since World War II, slowly changing its mission from bombardment to airlift support. Most recently in the War on Terrorism, the 728th was part of the first C-17s to actively support operations in Afghanistan and later Iraq, establishing a legacy of service.

06/06/2024

Part 1 of the D-Day history piece I wrote for my Wing.

Until recently when anyone thought about the heroic actions during the D-Day invasion, most thoughts went to the ground fighting units, the beach invaders, the paratroopers, and Naval and Coast Guard personnel, which is not wrong but also not the entire story. When the book “Masters of the Air” became a hit streaming series it showed a previously underrepresented part of the D-Day invasion, the air element. The sheer number of air elements that took part in D-Day is astounding, and the 446th Airlift Wing and the 97th and 728th Airlift Squadrons were part of the massive air movement, these are their D-Day stories.

97th Airlift Squadron

The 97th Troop Carrier Squadron was constituted on 25 May 1943, joining the 440th Troop Carrier Group as they formed at Baer Field, Indiana, now the Fort Wayne International Airport . From here, generally speaking, crews would learn the C-47 and one another, because once the crew was created it would stay together. This was true for a majority of the crews regardless of the airframe they were flying. Keeping crews together helped to foster trust and cohesion as a crew. Trust and cohesion are critical to success for a flying crew, much like the ground forces you need to trust the man next to you can and will do his job seamlessly and in line with the whole crew.

The 97th arrived in England at Bottesford in March 1944 but were quickly moved to Exeter, England, located in the Southwest or Cornish Peninsula of England, where they would begin preparing for their role in D-Day . Unlike the 728th and the 446th the 97th were not dropping bombs, they were dropping Paratroopers. To be precise, 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Infantry Division, who were part of Mission ALBANY in support of Operation NEPTUNE (the airborne invasion of D-Day) . These Paratroopers represented the spearhead of the Allied troops invading during D-Day, playing a critical role in allowing the main body of the invasion force freedom of maneuver.

Following a predetermined flight path (see map 1), the 97th took loaded its Paratroopers, and took flight around 11:00 pm 5 June, but by the time the Paratroopers would jump (approximately 1:40 am) the main invasion force would only be a few hours from landing. Out of the 45 C-47s that took flight in Serial 16, amazingly only three were lost due to enemy fire or other causes. Meaning that the 97th had an aircraft survival rate of 93.4% considerably high for the experimental type of operation they were conducting. In total, the 97th transported and dropped over 1,000 of the 13,000-plus paratroopers in Operation NEPTUNE.

Mission ALBANY would just be the start of the 97th’s role in airborne operations. The 97th would go on to support Operations MARKET GARDEN and VARSITY, carrying their airborne knowledge as they continued to serve, even up to Operations JUST CAUSE and NORTHERN DELAY. However, it is their contributions and success in Operation NEPTUNE that allowed the 97th to support those future operations. Almost from their constitution the 97th, and many other troop carrier squadrons, were training, working, and building toward their eventual support of Operation OVERLORD.

06/06/2024

This is the crew of the B-24 Liberator Bomber, “Red Ass”. This was the crew that led the entire aerial bombings of Normandy 80 years ago today. Young men like this were the true masters of the air.

Kneeling, Left to right: Lieutenant John McKenna, Jr., Colonel Jacob Brogger, Captain Charles Ryan, Lieutenant John Goss.

Standing, Left to Right: Lieutenant Banks Jacobs, Staff Sergeant William Barlow, Technical Sergeant Howard Weaver, Lieutenant Michael Paczan, Staff Sergeant Joseph Parkin, Technical Sergeant Stuart Merwin, Staff Sergeant Jesse Davis, Staff Sergeant Bruno Corrindino

06/04/2024

05/27/2024

Memorial Day is always an emotional time for me. I lost more than a few brothers and sisters in arms who were my friends. I was closer to some than others, but they were family, nonetheless. I shared lunches with them, worked with them, laughed with them, and lived my life in the Army with them. There is not a day that goes by that those who I knew best are thought of, they were all great Americans. They volunteered for a job that less than 1% of the American population will ever do and they paid for America’s continued freedom with their lives. They are unsung heroes of America, my friends, and the thousands before them. Each one deserves of the honor “American Hero.” I take time every day, but particularly on Memorial Day to remember my fallen friends. To honor their memory and ensure that their sacrifice is not forgotten or misused.

Today I remember those who I was closest to in service…You may be gone but you will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, your duty is done, until we meet again on Fiddler’s Green.

SFC Jonathan Lowery (14 DEC 2007, Iraq)
1LT Jeremy Ray (20 DEC 2007, Iraq)
CPT Rowdy Inman (26 DEC 2007, Iraq)
SGT Benjamin Portell (26 DEC 2007, Iraq)

05/26/2024

May 26, 1647

A young woman named Alse (Alice) Young becomes the first person to be executed for witchcraft in New England. There is not much information about why she was suspected, tried, convicted, and executed for witchcraft. From what can be pieced together is a single sentence by Colonial Governor John Winthrop Jr. where he notes “One of Windsor arraigned and executed at Hartford for a witch.” and then another sentence from the Town Clerk Matthew Grant,” Alse Young was hanged,” both entries are marked for the same day. Beyond that, there is no confirmed record of Young’s charges or trial.

One possible hypothesis for Young’s ex*****on is that there was an influenza outbreak in the Hartford area and she may have been blamed, but there is no evidence to support this. Most likely the site of Young’s ex*****on is an area once known as Gallows Hill, where today you can find the Old State House. At the time of her ex*****on, Young did have a daughter, (Alice Young Beamon) who found herself accused of witchcraft 30 years later in Springfield, Massachusetts (but not executed).

Young was not alone though. In 1648 Mary Johnson of Wethersfield was executed after she “confessed” (it does not say under what kind of circumstances she confessed) to entering into a compact with the devil, making her confession the earliest witchcraft confession in the Colonies. Joan and John Carrington were executed in 1651 for witchcraft. All three of these trials give the Colony of Connecticut some of the first Witch Trials and easily the first witch ex*****on in American history. However Alse Young did finally receive justice on February 6, 2017, when by a unanimous vote the Windsor Town Council exonerated her and Lydia Gilbert (the second women in Connecticut to be executed for witchcraft) of all their charges, along with nine other women.

NOTE: I found one book written about Alse Young. “One of Windsor” by Beth M. Caruso. One of Windsor

05/25/2024

May 25, 1738: King George Inadvertently Creates the Mason-Dixon Line.

The Cresap's or Conojocular War dates back to the founding of the Colony of Pennsylvania in 1681. Where their charter defines their southern border as "a Circle drawn at twelve miles distance from New Castle (Delaware) Northward and Westward unto the beginning of the fortieth degree of Northern Latitude, and then by a straight Line Westward to the Limit of Longitude above-mentioned." This was a significant mistake because drawing the border at the "fortieth degree of Northern Latitude" meant that the rapidly growing city of Philadelphia would be considered in Maryland since it was situated well below the "fortieth degree of Northern Latitude." Maryland took this to mean that had legal rights to the land based on the border described in the Pennsylvania Charter.

By 1724, tensions were high, and sporadic violence had occurred throughout the most disputed region (the Conejohela Valley). The British crown instructed both sides to work out their border peacefully, which both sides took to mean sending more people into the area to settle it. Maryland sent Thomas Cresap (who was once the land agent for the Calvert family, the founders of the Maryland Colony) who established a permanent Maryland presence in the Conejohela Valley via a trading post.

By 1738, both colonies had either instigated or responded to violence from the other, until finally King George I officially intervened on May 25, 1738, and forced each colony to sign a peace treaty and placed the border roughly 15 miles south of Philadelphia. However, it was not until surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon came through in 1767 to survey the line agreed upon in 1750 (39 degrees and 40 minutes north) that the board dispute was finally put to rest, and the U.S. got the "Mason-Dixon Line."

05/14/2024

May 14, 1610.

To say that François Ravaillac was disturbed may be an understatement. Ravaillac was born to an educated family and therefore was educated himself and a part of the wealthy class. However, Ravaillac began to experience visions he believed from a divine source about King Henry IV, France, and its future, becoming a Catholic zealot due to his visions. At first, these visions instructed him that all Huguenots in France needed to be converted to Catholicism. Ravaillac made three attempts to inform King Henry IV of his vision. After his third rejection to see the king, the visions changed. Through his visions, Ravaillac became convinced that Henry IV’s decision to invade the Spanish Netherlands was the start of a war against the Pope and therefore an affront to God and the Church. Ravaillac took this to mean that he had to stop Henry IV.

On May 14, 1610, Ravaillac waited in the Rue de la Ferronnerie in Paris for Henry IV to pass by. As Henry IV entered the Rue de la Ferronnerie his carriage slowed due to the traffic caused by the Queen's (Marie de'Medici) coronation ceremony. Ravaillac rushed the carriage and stabbed Henry IV in both his sides in the ribs. Ravaillac attempted to flee but was apprehended immediately by police, put on trial, found guilty of “Regicide” (assassination of a king), and executed. First, though, he was tortured for the names of his accomplices (at the time it was believed that Ravaillac had accomplices), until he was executed via being drawn and quartered (an ex*****on method reserved for those who commit regicide) on May 27, 1610. There was little doubt of Ravaillac's guilt since Hercule de Rohan, Duc de Montbazon was with King Henry IV when he was attacked (and injured himself) and Ravaillac never denied his actions.

During his torture, Ravaillac said the following about his actions, “I know very well he is dead; I saw the blood on my knife and the place where I hit him. But I have no regrets at all about dying because I've done what I came to do.”

05/10/2024

May 10, 1676

What is it about America that makes people want to rebel against authority? Let me introduce you to Mr. Nathaniel Bacon, a young charismatic leader who holds the distinction of being the first rebellion leader in America. You see in May 1676 Bacon was a part of the Colony of Virginia, believed to be residing in Jamestown or close to it. Even though the Colony of Virginia had exceedingly fertile soil and crops grew plentifully the farmers were not profitable since most of their crops or the profit from them went to pay the high colonial taxes. What this meant is that you could only be successful in Virginia if you had a plantation size tract of land. This was not the case for many of the farmers, which when you combine high taxes with the falling prices of to***co and the occasional raid by the local tribes, well then someone like Nathaniel Bacon starts making a lot of sense.

Contrary to the Colonial Governor's (William Berkeley) wishes and attempts to keep the peace (by attempting to appease both sides, the white settlers, and the native tribes); he was failing because men like Bacon (mostly Bacon) were pressuring Berkeley to allow expansion westward into tribal lands. Another factor is that Berkeley was manipulating trade laws to ensure that he and his elite friends properly benefited from the trade. What makes Bacon such an interesting rebel leader is that he came rather late to Virginia and when he discovered that Berkeley was not doing what he felt was right for the Colonial Governor to do...well he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Bacon first insisted that Berkeley authorize and fund westward expansion and when he was refused, Bacon gathered his supporters and seized the land they believed was rightfully theirs anyway. Bacon first gathered his white supporters, and convinced the Occaneechi to help them against the Susquehannocks, only to turn on the Occaneechi and take their lands as well. Berkeley labeled Bacon a rebel. From here things escalated quickly, Berkeley could not punish Bacon in the Colonial Assembly (because Bacon was a part of it), Bacon accused Berkeley of not protecting the white settlers, Berkeley continued to lose support and eventually had to ask for British soldiers to come to Jamestown to protect it and fight Bacon. Bacon on the other hand gathered increased support until after being accused of inciting rebellion and committing treason. Infuriated by these last accusations, Bacon returned to Jamestown and burned it down.

By the time word reached King Charles II, Bacon's Rebellion was already fading away. Notably from the loss of Nathaniel Bacon (he died of dysentery) and without him the rebellion just broke up. Berkeley hanged 23 of Bacon's supporters but he was removed from his post as Colonial Governor and called to the King's Court to explain his actions (he wanted to keep hanging people). Berkeley never saw Charles II; he grew sick from the crossing and died before his day in court.

05/09/2024

The British Crown Jewels are some of the most protected objects in the world, despite being on public display. The Crown Jewels have always been guarded by physical boundaries and ever-present guards, leading many to think that they cannot be stolen. Thomas Blood was not just a person who thought the Crown Jewels could be stolen, he did steal them…for about 10 minutes. Blood was first known for escaping justice from a plot to seize Dublin Castle, and kidnap James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland then ransom him. The plot was exposed and most of his co-conspirators were executed, except Blood who escaped. Blood did not “lay low” for long, he had the idea to steal the British Crown Jewels.

Blood posed as a clergyman and over weeks gained the confidence of Talbot Edwards (the Master of the Jewel House, where the Crown Jewels were kept). Blood even arranged a marriage between his fictitious nephew and Edwards’ daughter. On May 9, 1671, Blood and three accomplices tricked Edwards into showing them the Crown Jewels after hours. Once in the Jewel House, Blood and accomplices reviled their rapiers from inside their canes, secured Edwards, and then took the Crown Jewels. They smashed most of them flat to better conceal them under their clothes. However, Edwards’ son Wythe was returning home from military duty just as the robbery was nearing its end and alerted the Tower Guards.

All four thieves were caught, but Blood refused to speak to anyone but King Charles II. Blood was brought before the King, asking him, “What if I should give you your life?” Blood replied, “I would endeavor to deserve it.” No one knows why but the King gave Blood a full pardon, land in Ireland, and £500 annually (or £127,000 today). Much to Lord Butler’s dismay, Blood became a common figure in the Court after that and was buried at St. Margaret’s Church (Christchurch Gardens now) upon his death. Though it is commonly believed that Blood was exhumed shortly after his burial to confirm he was still there, given his reputation for trickery.

04/27/2024

My day job is cool.

04/25/2024

04/18/2024

“Listen, my children, and you share hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, on the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Nearly every American child is taught at school about the midnight ride of Paul Revere, but contrary to Longfellow’s poem there is much more to the story of Paul Revere. The British were not just invading the colonies, many believed they were after known Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock who were hiding in Lexington, then it was believed the British would proceed on to Concord to destroy the munitions being collected there. Interestingly enough British forces had no orders to arrest anyone, everything the Patriots believed would happen was based on their own conclusions.

Still, the Patriots had been preparing for a large British invasion that would quell their uprising/rebellious intentions, when General Thomas Gage ordered British soldiers to move to Lexington and Concord, the Patriots were ready. However, detailed knowledge of British movements eluded Dr. Joseph Warren (a critical person in early American intelligence). This knowledge gap is what prompted the necessity of a midnight ride. Revere asked a friend (probably Robert Newman) to light lanterns in the tower of Christ Church (now Old North Church) signaling him and fellow Sons of Liberty nearby in case Revere failed to get out of town (Boston).

Revere did get out of town but first, he was rowed across the Charles River to Charlestown by Joshua Bentley and Thomas Richardson to get into position to wait for the signal from the church. Revere was also not the only rider (just in case Revere was captured) William Dawes left on the same signal bound for the same destination, but his route was longer than Revere’s (since Revere was rowed across the Charles). However, both Dawes and Revere faced considerable danger; they were riding at night and being hunted by British patrols out looking for message riders. Both Dawes and Revere succeeded in the mission to warn the Patriot militia along their routes and in Lexington and warn Adams, and Hancock, though they were aided in the last part of their ride to Concord by Dr. Samuel Prescott.

According to several sources, Revere did not ride up to the house where Adams and Hancock were shouting “The British are coming!” Rather he said “Noise! You’ll have noise enough before long! The regulars are coming out!” Arriving in Lexington, Revere was greeted and welcomed inside where he was joined by Dawes about 30 minutes later, after refreshing themselves they continued to Concord where they encountered Prescott during their ride and a British patrol. Dawes escaped and went back to Lexington, Revere talked his way out of capture and made his way back to Lexington as well, while Prescott escaped and completed the mission to Concord.