Paul Revere Court-Martial: 1782 - The Penobscot Expedition, Initial Allegations Against Revere, Revere Court-martialled At His Own Insistence

patriotic revolution american acquitted

Defendant: Paul Revere
Crimes Charged: Disobedience of an order; leaving the Penobscot River without orders from his commanding officer
Chief Defense Lawyer: No record
Presiding Officer: No Record
Chief Prosecutor: No Record
Court: No Record
Place: Boston, Massachusetts
Date of Trial: February 1782
Verdict: Acquitted on both counts

SIGNIFICANCE: The reputation of Paul Revere as a patriotic hero of the American Revolution was tarnished by the accusations made against him after the disastrous Penobscot expedition in 1779. A court-martial was eventually held, at Revere's insistence, in 1782, and he was acquitted.

Paul Revere has become an icon in the mythology of the American Revolution largely as a result of the historically inaccurate account of his famous "midnight ride" given in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's popular poem. Revere was born in 1735, the son of a Boston silversmith. He took up his father's craft and excelled in it. His contributions to the design and manufacture of fine silverware justify his place in history perhaps as much as his patriotic and military exploits.

Additional Topics

Paul Revere Court-Martial: 1782 - The Penobscot Expedition

The legendary night ride to warn the patriots of the advance of British troops took place in April 1775. Paul Revere was captured by the British, but released without his horse. As the Revolutionary War progressed he was given command of a garrison at Castle Island in Boston Harbor, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Then, in 1779 he was made commander of the land artillery on the Penobscot Expe…

Paul Revere Court-Martial: 1782 - Initial Allegations Against Revere

The charges brought against Paul Revere were a consequence of the confusing events that ended this ignominious expedition. The major blame for the disaster lay clearly with Commodore Saltonstall, and he was court-martialled and dismissed from the service. Other factors at work, how-ever, resulted in the charges against Revere. There was bad feeling and rivalry between the different branches of the…

Paul Revere Court-Martial: 1782 - Revere Court-martialled At His Own Insistence

Several months after all hostilities in the Revolutionary War had ceased and only after several more petitions, Revere was reluctantly granted the courtmartial he wanted. By this time, all references to cowardice had disappeared from the charges, and the allegations had been reduced to two: The court, consisting of one general and 12 captains, met in February 1782. Its ruling, though late and not …

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User Comments

3 months ago

The Hick Town Times

In fact, Paul Revere was not the grandfather of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The grandfather of Longfellow was General Peleg Wadsworth, the American general who brought the charges against Revere. It' unlikely that Longfellow knew this; he probably just decided "Paul Revere" was easier to rhyme than "Joseph Warren" or "Samuel Prescott."

8 months ago

Longfellow made Paul Revere a Hero because Revere was his Grandfater.
At no time during the war did Paul Revere did anything even remotly heroic.

about 1 year ago

Elphaba Thropp

Thank You this was an amazing help in my report and information about the penobscot expedition and Paul Revere. The citing was made easier too!
Thanks again,
Elphaba.