For Patriot’s Day:Bissell Revolutionary War's unherald hero

Paul Revere's role that day has been wildly exaggerated, mainly due to Longfellow's fawning poem. He never even made it to Concord. He was captured by the Redcoats near Lexington. William Dawes is more of hero in that story than Revere. But Revere had the advantage of havng a name many people already knew because he was a well-known Boston artisan and business entrepreneur -- a master silversmith.

As for Israel Bissel -- thanx for bringing him to our attention, Linkat.

Well I felt bad for the poor sap. All that work and no one even knows his name. Kind of funny - my daughter had a field trip to the Paul Revere House and Old North Church last week.

Bissell's ride is even more important (and no, i had not known his name, or that a single rider rode all the way to Philadelphia before this thread) because of the Continental Congress which was to meet in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775. The First Continental Congress had not decided what they would do next, and adjourned in October, 1774 without a decision on war, but had agreed to convene another Congress in 1775. The arrival of the news about Lexington and Concord galvanized the members who were even then assembling, and convinced them they need to take action, and do so quickly. The original Continental Congress had organized a boycott of English goods--but the Second Congress met with war a reality, and began immediately on the assumption that they must guide the war effort.