Boston's History

“Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere…” is the opening verse of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem about the legendary American Revolutionary War hero.  On the night of April 18, 1775 the British army prepared to march from Boston to Concord, MA to destroy a munitions depot that the Colonists had stocked.  Two riders set out that night to warn the troops in Concord and anyone on the way that “The British were coming”.  Waiting in Charlestown, on the other side of Boston Harbor, Paul Revere saw two lanterns shining in the belfry of Boston’s Old North Church, the signal that the Redcoats were taking the shorter route, crossing the Charles River by ferry before starting their march.  William Dawes also rode out from Boston taking the longer land route and later joined Revere west of Lexington on the road to Concord.  Dawes and Revere then enlisted a third rider, Samuel Prescott to join them in alerting people in the towns along the way to Concord, but the three were arrested by a British patrol before reaching their destination. Dawes and Prescott escaped, but only Prescott succeeded in making it to Concord to warn the Colonial troops.  Revere never made it to Concord that night although Longfellow gives him the full credit.

The true story of Paul Revere’s ride, as I just summarized was one of the many historical facts that I learned on a recent weekend trip to Boston with my wife.  With only a short time to see the city, we took a walk on the Freedom Trail, a terrific 2.5 mile walk through the history of our country’s birth.  A line of red bricks in the middle of the sidewalk marks the Trail and takes the follower to some of the most important locations in Revolutionary war time.  The Trail starts at Bunker Hill in Charlestown.  A monument on the crest of the hill marks the spot where American colonists engaged the British Army in one of the early battles and a musket demonstration by a volunteer in Colonial uniform helps the imagination.

Our next stop was the USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides”, the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy that still sails our waters on ceremonial occasions.  First used during the war of 1812, the undefeated ship is moored in Boston Harbor and active duty sailors give the public a great tour that explains the workings of the ship and how sea battles were fought 200 years ago.  Crossing the Charles River into Boston proper, the Trail meanders through the North End neighborhood.  Now an Italian section with great local restaurants on every block, the North End is one of the oldest parts of Boston, and also contains Paul Revere’s house and the Old North Church.  Nameplates in the church identified which pews had been rented by the wealthier members of the congregation in 1775. Surprisingly, one of the pews was reserved for General Thomas Gage who was the commander of the British Army in New England.  We think of war in terms of a clear cut battle between two sides with little in common.  However the nameplate was evidence that at least prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, the British worshipped with the locals on Sundays. Heading south through the city, the Trail passed historic places such as Faneuil Hall, the Quincy Market, the sight of the Boston Massacre, and the Old State House before ending at Boston Common.  If you’re able, seeing a city on foot is the best way and the Freedom Trail in Boston provides a great history lesson as well as good exercise.

The American Revolution actually began on a bridge in Concord on the morning of April 19, 1775 when an organized regiment of the Colonial army, having been warned of the British approach by Prescott, advanced and fired on the Redcoats.  The ensuing battle pushed the British all the way back to Lexington.  Reinforcements from towns and farms between Lexington and Concord joined the Colonists in the bloody battle that day.  From that point, there was no turning back; America was at war with England and the next six years decided the fate of the two countries. 

Minuteman National Park encompasses the site of the old battle road between Concord and Lexington and there is a walking trail with markers of important events.  A visitor center provides a very good presentation that ties all of the events together.  Standing on the soil where history was made gives one a closer connection to the past and taking advantage of the history of Boston, our history, is something that a visitor should not miss.