Okay, so what am I talking about today? I usually like to write with a flair for the humorous, and tongue-in-cheek is my weapon of choice. I'd like to say that my perspective on things going on around me is indicative of this; I interpret everyday events and stories with an eye to the funny side, if there is one. As a writer, I feel very strongly about my mission to entertain my readers, and injecting humor wherever I can is what I like to do.
I'd like to say that I ascribe to the school of thought exemplified by the great American author Mark Twain. Please don't misunderstand what I' saying here; I don't think my work is anywhere near his level of excellence, only that I'd like my readers to enjoy my writing as much as his readers have loved his for so long. He had a knack for finding humor in everything; that's why I've enjoyed his writing all my life.
Humor is good for the soul; it helps us make the stress of a normal day a little easier, and can ease our pain when nothing else will. I'm not claiming to be "Mr. Smiley Face" all the time; I have my problems just like everyone else out there, but if I can dig out a single morsel of humor from something, then I try to pass it along. Here's a story that may not make you laugh, but may change the way you think (your perspective) about our country's early beginnings.
I was reading a friend's blog a couple days ago. It was about Paul Revere's not-so-famous ride to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, several months before his most famous ride to warn the towns of Concord and Lexington that the British were coming. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized Revere and his ride in a poem he wrote in 1860 called "Paul Revere's Ride." Longfellow decided to use Revere as his hero, claiming the "midnight ride" was made by Revere to warn the Massachusetts towns of Medford, Lexington and Concord of the approaching British troops.
Revere did not make the ride alone; another patriot, William Dawes, accompanied him to Lexington, where they were joined by a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott. On the way to Concord, the three men were stopped by British troops; Revere was captured and brought back to Lexington. Of the three, Dr. Prescott was the only one that made it to Concord to warn the colonials to prepare for the advancing British regulars. The first recognized shots of the Revolution were fired there in the coming hours.
But because of Longfellow's famous poem, it became accepted as historical fact. Paul Revere got all the credit and Concord and Lexington became famous for being the beginnings of our American revolution. That was all thanks to Longfellow's perspective of a very important time in our history; the reality was that his work, having so many inaccuracies, has been labeled a work of fiction, and not fact, as had become the custom for over a hundred years.
The facts were that Revere rode to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on December 13, 1774, to warn the local patriots that there was two regiments of British soldiers sailing to their city to defend a small fort in the harbor that served as a British munitions post. King George had made it illegal to purchase ammunition to stop the colonists from stockpiling for the expected uprising on the horizon. Inclement winter weather slowed the British ships down, so the soldiers didn't make it to the fort in time to defend it.
Fort William and Mary was only defended by six British soldiers, so on two separate occasions, the local patriots attacked the fort and took all the gunpowder and cannons that were there. By the time the British regulars arrived, the munitions were long gone. Of course, the cannons and gunpowder were eventually used against the British after the Revolution started. One account has it that many of the soldiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston were from southern New Hampshire and used the seized ammo and cannons against the British there in that famous battle.
So Revere's ride to Portsmouth, a ride he actually completed, resulted in a huge success for the local patriots there. In reality, this skirmish was four months ahead of what happened in Lexington and Concord, so by rights, the city of Portsmouth should hold the title of "Birthplace of the American Revolution," but thanks to one man's perspective, history says otherwise!
Funny - ha ha? Probably not, but funny from the ironic side, certainly. I was born twenty miles south of Portsmouth, and I can't recall ever hearing this story before this week. Because of a world famous fictional account by a famous poet, Portsmouth is just another beautiful seaside colonial city that most people in our country will never hear about.
I tip my tri-cornered Revolutionary-era hat to the patriots of Portsmouth, New Hampshire! Their state flag proudly proclaims "Live Free or Die;" it actually was a way of life in this revolutionary little city in 1774.
As always, please share this to your timelines or forward to your friends if you enjoy. Thanks!
Mark T. Bradbury, Author
Literary Associate of Little Pond Publishing
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