I began out as a silversmith and dentist and was a ring leader in the Boston Tea Party where the British Tea consignment floated away down the Boston River but it was after i began working as a courier, traveling to New York and Philadelphia to report on the political unrest in Boston that i found fame. My Legend is that of a late night, horse riding patriot who warned that the British were invading by galloping from village to village, warning all the locals to get tooled up and prepare for a fight.
The truth is that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow took a few liberties and embellished the story somewhat in his poem.
As my surname 'Revere' rhymes with 'hear', i got top billing and as i was trying to keep my dash secret and not alert the British, screaming the 'British are coming' at the top of my lungs when a section of the population were loyal to the British Crown would have been an excellent way to get my chops busted after the first or second time i yelled it so it was more of a whisper to a few men i thought i could trust.
Then there is the distance covered, far too much for one man which is why there was 40 of us in relay whispering it behind our hands to each other.
Another thing that failed to make the poem was how we took a break from starting America by stopping at pubs for some liquid refreshment on the way, at one pub some British sentries questioned me and i surrendered while my colleague, Sam Prescott, rode on to the next town.
In reality, of the 40 people involved in the operation, i was the only one to get caught and surrender although i was later released but because my name is easier to rhyme, Americans celebrate my achievements instead of the guys who actually completed their section of the rides.
So because Longfellow's poetry was not too hot, and his rhyming skills went to pot so rather than try to rhyme anything with Prescott he went for the easy shot but it makes me look good so tough luck Sam, history belongs to those with better rhyming surnames.
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