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Summary: Paul Revere's Ride
Review: In David Fischer's book, "Paul Revere's Ride", one gets a sense of a strong and interesting narrative. The book covers Paul Revere and General Thomas Gage's life as well as the events leading up to Paul Revere's famous ride. The book also discussed the Battles at Concord and Lexington. The book went into great detail of both men's lives as well as both sides of the battles. The title of the book was somewhat misleading because Paul Revere took many rides for liberty and did not act alone on his famous ride. It was a very interesting book because it gave both sides of the battles at Concord and Lexington; however, I found that the appendix were too numerous to keep going back to read. There were just enough pictures to maintain the reader's interest. I thouroughly enjoyed reading this book and David Hackett Fischer brought Paul Revere to life with his well organized narrative. One could almost picture Paul Revere on his horse riding down the street.
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Summary: New Perspective of An American Legand
Review: In Paul Revere's Ride, David Hackett Fischer revisits the familiar story of Revere's midnight ride, but from a different angle.My first impression of the book is that the title does not accurately describe the scope of the book. Fischer's tale is not narrowly focused on Revere's adventure, rather it tells the story within the wider view of the revolution's nucleolus in New England. Make no mistake, were this a movie, Revere would be the leading man, but Fischer also gives prominence to General Thomas Gage, the commander of British forces in North America, and strong supporting roles to the lesser figures that played important parts in the action. I found this to be a fascinating story that reads well. To call this book "action packed" would be an overstatement, but it certainly did not want for drama. I also greatly appreciated Fischer's telling of events from the British point-of-view as well as the colonial. This is a well rounded story of the beginnings of revolution, anchored around the midnight rides of Revere and William Dawes, and should be an enjoyable read for anyone interested in early American history.
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Summary: The Midnight Ride
Review: In this book, David Hackett Fischer investigates Paul Revere's role in the American fight for independence in great detail. His main objective is to offer the first serious study of Paul Revere's midnight ride, what led to it, what really happened, and what followed, thereby uncovering the truth behind the tale. From research in British and American archives, it is centered around two themes. One theme is centered around the American Patriot Paul Revere and the other is centered around British General Thomas Gage. Fischer writes that Paul Revere was more than a "simple atizan", that he was a leader of the Whig movement. He was not alone on the night of April 18, 1775. In fact there were more than 60 men and women to carry the alarm. In 16 chronologically arranged chapters along with maps and appendixes, Fischer supports the fact that Paul Revere was, more than anyone else, the major figure that organized the event and set it in motion. The first few chapters of the book lay the groundwork. We learn that Paul Revere was a Whig leader who lived in Boston and owned a Foundry, a Silver Shop, and a Hardware Store. We also learn that Thomas Gage was a British General who was the commander in chief of British forces in America. The story begins on Sept. 1, 1774 when Gage and the British captured the largest supply of gunpowder in Massaschusetts. Chaos ensued and it became known as the Powder Alarm. The winter of 1774 and the spring of 1775 were spent planning by the British and preparing by the Americans. The middle chapters of the book center around the midnight ride. Late in the afternoon on April 18, 1775, the British were in Boston Harbor and were ready to march. Their movements were reported to Paul Revere and Dr. Joseph Warren. Someone very close to British command aided Warren and Revere. Evidence suggests that is was none other than Margaret Gage, wife of General Gage. Warren, Revere, and William Dawes got things organized. Revere's primary mission was not the warn the countryside. His specific purpose was to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were thought to be the objects of the British expedition. Along the way, many people helped Revere accomplish his mission. Revere was actually captured by British patrol and was freed in time to rescue Hancock and Adams(twice) and to save the secret papers of the Revolution. The British were marching from Boston to Cambridge, then on to Lexington and Concord. The minutemen were ready for them. The late chapters do well to explain what followed. The muster of the minutemen was the product of many years of development. It was the result of careful planning and a collective effort. The battles on Lexington Green were not open skirmishes, but rather a series of controlled engagements. There were six in all, with the Americans winning twice. The second battle at Concord also saw an American victory. The Americans maintained a "circle of fire" around the British and forced them to retreat. Fischer's study is a great piece of work. He has done a wonderful job in fulfilling his purpose, explaining his thesis and has supported their validity. The book vividly depicts the lives of Revere and Gage, especially Revere and supports that Revere was not alone in his efforts, that in fact it was a collective effort with many people aiding him. Their efforts helped the people of Massachusetts prepare for war. It does and wonderful job describing the events and emotions of the time period, when the colonies were declaring their independence and when innocent men and women died and risked their live fighting for that independence. Paul Revere was one of those men, and should be known as a true American Patriot. It is based on American and British archives and is footnoted efficiently and us supported by appendixes and numerous maps. Fischer's work of uncovering the truth behind the myth of Paul Revere should be recognized as a legitimate study.
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Summary: The Hero and his context
Review: Judging only by the number of times I talked about it with friends and family, this is a most impressive book.
David Hackett Fisher has assembled a masterwork of storytelling and fact to tell the story not only of Paul Revere, but of the social milieu in which he operated. My fear in reading modern books about historical heros is that a better-researched telling will rub away some of the hero's luster. "Ride," however, teaches new lessons about Revere, while actually enlarging his contribution to history.
Hackett tells the tale of Revere, a Boston craftsman, who was a member of many of the colonial resistance organizations of his day. No one else knew as many colonial leaders and activists as he. When it came time to warn colonists of the British movements toward Concord (to confiscate stores of powder being stockpiled by local militias) Revere was a handy person to have in the saddle. Unlike the impression given by popular legend, Revere did not ride the countryside at random, but with purpose. Knowing the names and residences of the captains of local militias, he warned them of the British movements, allowing the captains to spread the alarm to their own militias. By the time the sun rose, militias throughout eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire were streaming toward Concord. Though stopped by a British patrol short of his destination in Concord, Revere set out on foot to Lexington to warn resistance leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock and to hide important documents. Revere's presence in Lexington as the British entered town, and his earwitnessing of "the shot heard round the world" were thrilling to read and retell.
Hackett's retelling of Revere's story marks a shift (in my experience) from imagining heros as noble loners working in a social vacuum. Hackett reminds us that though Revere was personally courageous, persistent, intelligent, efficient and resourceful, his heroism required a matrix of others who were already well-prepared to mobilize against the oppressor. Hackett's analysis of the societal context of heroism was the overarching message of the book. Heros like Revere have no usefulness apart from a society primed to act; societies desiring change often need the elan of the individual to spur them forward.
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Summary: Old New England Culture
Review: My own interest in genealogy and Revolutionary War re-enactment led me to buy this book, on several persons' recommendations. I am not a history scholar or even a serious history buff (yet!), but I must say that this book is engrossing! It is not a dry narrative description of an event that most Americans know almost by heart via Longfellow's famous poem. Fischer digs into the "whys" and not just the "hows" of history, which makes it much more interesting to me. For instance, he describes the relationships of the Boston people to each other as well as to the British Regulars who lived among them. He also describes the speech inflection differences ("maash" for marsh, "chaataa" for charter) between the Bostonians and the British, which is a subtle but profound wedge between the two cultures. Through his research of first-hand accounts and later diaries of the events, Fischer reaches into the minds of the principle people and draws the reader into the world of 1775. I highly recommend this book if you want to travel back in time and place yourself on the back of Revere's exhausted and bleeding horse at 2am, or among the Regulars as they slogged through Spring mud at night in a cold April drizzle, or in bed in a quiet town outside of Boston as you hear the agreed-upon alarm of three musket shots and rush out of bed with musket in hand to muster with "nay-baas" at the town green.
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Summary: A heroes Tale
Review: Paul Revere is an American Hero, and this book tells his story admirably, and in meticulous detail. The book covers all the important aspects of the the nations founding.
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Summary: "That memory may their deed redeem"
Review: Paul Revere's Ride is a masterpiece of American history. Although the book's title might suggest a narrow work, this is in fact a comprehensive account of the beginning of the American nation on April 19th, 1775. Using Paul Revere's midnight ride "through every Middlesex village and farm" as a central thread, Fischer weaves together an intricate history of early New England politics and society. Along the way he teaches us about the psychology of war, the organization of armies, the power of popular uprisings, and the role of personal agency in history. The greater part of the book is an hour-by-hour and often minute-by-minute account of the events of April 18th and 19th at Lexington and Concord. During the night of the 18th a detachment of troops from the British garrison in Boston was sent to capture the colonists' supply of arms at Concord, eighteen miles to the west. By the end of the day the British had suffered more than 270 casualties and the sun was setting on the remains of an empire. Quoting the novelist Henry James, Fischer shows how the battles that day formed the hinge "on which the large revolving future was to turn." The quantity of primary source material that exists for this one day in American history is extraordinary, and Fischer and his students have processed it all in an exemplary fashion. Their close scholarship does not intrude on the reading text, but is instead displayed in comprehensive endnotes for those readers who wish to seek out further details. Every American should know the story that is told in Paul Revere's Ride. But it shouldn't be a book just for Americans: all people fighting for their homes and their freedom, in any age and on any continent, can learn from and be inspired by the story of the farmers of Massachusetts on that April morning those many years ago. This is a book for all lovers of liberty, wherever they may be.
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Summary: Captivating narrative packed with information!
Review: Perhaps the best history book I've read in the last two years - and I read A LOT of history books at night. Captivating narrative; so exciting I could not put it down at night. This was, excuse the hackneyed phrase but it is apt here - a "real page turner" in the truest sense of the phrase. I thought Fischer was informative and even handed without being dogmatic. He didn't have any "axes to grind." Rather, in his text and some of his endnotes the author actually points out how other historians have exploited and perverted this part of our early history because THEY had axes to grind! I did not know that some revisionist historians and even the Boston Globe "dumped" on Paul Revere during the late 60s and 70s! How horribly unjustified! Fischer points out how these folks have appropriated the Revere story for their own contemporary ends. But that is a small part of the book. The book actually contains so much more. Wonderfully useful maps, nice character profiles of major participants, a "what happened to them afterwards" section at the end. I really liked this book a lot. A must read if you have any interest in history. Hat's off to Prof. Fischer
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Summary: Revere comes to life once again as a true American Patriot
Review: The book is actually two books in one: the first focuses on Paul Revere and how his life was shaped and changed by events of the day. And his role leading up to the morning of April 19th, 1775. The second is an incredibly descriptive narrative on the first battle of the American Revolution. Names, places, times are all referenced and the reader feels as though they have become a part of the story. And for those who love details, the Appendicies are outstanding. Fischer has delved into every possible account given by those who actually took part and were there on the battle field. This book is really worth a read and will become a favorite reference book to all of those who are lovers of Colonial American History. If you ever get a chance to visit Minuteman National Park, bring a copy of the book along with you to read as you stand upon Lexington Green, the Old North Bridge, Meriam's corner or the many other places referenced in the book. Much has changed but much has remained the same. It'll make the whole trip that much more worthwhile.
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Summary: How it all began
Review: The book was a wonderful follow up to my visit to Lexington and Concord in July. The writer ties everything together beautifully: Revere, his ride, the situation in Boston, the battles, etc. His description of the night of the ride, before the battles, was excellent. I imagined the clock ticking, and Revere riding "to spread the alarm" and the British soldiers struggling through the marsh to the point in Lexington when the first shot was fired.
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