POV

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Historical look from Moses Pierce’s window

The moment I, Moses Piece, had no clue history was in the making!

I was lying in my bed, having such sweet dreams when a man came running through town yelling at the top of his lungs. Lights in a tower or some such thing.

I asked my wife if she had heard, a long loud snore was her reply.

I lifted the window, threw open the shutters. Looked left, looked right, listened for any sound. The noise maker was out of sight and out of ear. Curious sight though, lanterns burned bright at my neighbor’s, the Revere’s house.

Wm. Clark, my otherside neighbor, hanging out his window called over, “Do you know what this is about?” I shrugged my shoulders, closed the shutters, and put my lantern out.

Snuggled back into bed, pillow crumpled just so, feeling the beauty of my dream folding me in again, when a long loud snore jolted me out of my reverie.

My wife seemed to know even in her slumber when I’m dreaming of another.

Since sleeping and dreaming were not to be, I slipped down the stair and out the kitchen door to the spring house for a pint of cool ale. The Mrs. didn’t know it was I who made these midnight raids on the spring house. She was convinced it was the Revere boy next door who came through our backyard gate. I paid him to let her believe it so.

One day I, Carolyn Chryst, was thinking about what Paul Revere’s neighbors were doing when he ran out the door of 11 North square (then Clark’s square) late at night yelling, “Look for the light in the church tower. The ‘regulars’ are coming-One by sea, two by land.” [Of course no one knows what he really yelled — other than it wasn’t the “British are coming” as technically on that date in time we were all considered British]

Paul Revere was a backstory in the American Revolution until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his famous poem in 1860. Longfellow’s version of the story took a great deal of poetic license, as does mine. Click on the underlined tale of Paul Revere’s Ride if you’d like to read Longfellow’s version.

In my tale, it is true that Moses Pierce lived next door to Paul Revere and William Clark lived on North square. Paul Revere, jr who was 15 at the time, very likely used the neighbor’s yard as a shortcut to the creek, mill pond, or to run an errand for the family.

It is well worth looking up some of the facts about Paul Revere. Paul Revere exemplifies the early American spirit of grit, ingenuity, community, and service. Sadly many of his life experiences are echoed in today’s society- costly disagreements by authorities in life and death matters. Still he persevered, provided for his rather large family (16 children), took care of his neighbors and left his mark on US history- all without being able to read!