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Thaddeus Bowman was the last scout sent out by Capt. John Parker at Lexington, MA, but the only one to find the approaching British troops and get back to warn the militia, on the first day of the American Revolution ("the shot heard 'round the world"). ==Background == In early 1775, the British commander in America, Lieutenant-General Thomas Gage, knew first-hand the level of colonial dissatisfaction with British policies on the rights of the colonists. He feared this could lead to serious violence, and he was under pressure from England to do something to show the power of the Crown. He also knew, through informants, that the patriots had stored a large quantity of gunpowder, cannon and other military supplies in Concord. By sending an expeditionary force out from Boston to seize these supplies, he intended to show the might of the British Empire and hoped to prevent any future hostilities with the colonists.〔Fischer, David Hackett, ''Paul Revere's Ride,'' pp. 43, 75-86, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1994.〕 Patriot leaders, such as John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Dr. Joseph Warren, James Otis, Jr., Benjamin Edes and John Gill, were not only mobilizing public opinion against restrictive British policies, but also kept close tabs on the activities of the British troops in Boston. Edes and Gill were the publishers of the Boston Gazette, a newspaper which printed the multitude of articles written by Samuel Adams, laying out the patriot cause. Their print shop was a favorite meeting place for the leaders of the movement.〔Fischer, David Hackett, ''Paul Revere's Ride,'' p. 20, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1994.〕 On the night of April 18, 1775, the expeditionary force of over 700 soldiers left Boston. Paul Revere rode to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were staying in Lexington (which is on the way to Concord), to leave so they would not be arrested by the British force. Revere had previously arranged the famous lantern signal from the Old North Church to patriots on the other side of the Charles River, so they could spread the word, in case Revere was prevented from leaving Boston.〔Coburn, Frank Warren, ''The Battle of April 19, 1775 in Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville and Charlestown, Massachusetts,'' pp. 22-23, Lexington Historical Society, Lexington, MA, 1922.〕 Revere made it to Lexington at midnight, where he alarmed the town, Adams and Hancock, as well as set in motion a network of alarm riders that fanned out across the colony. John Parker, the captain of the Lexington Militia, mustered his men on Lexington Green and held an impromptu town meeting in the open air. Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Jonas Clarke, the town minister, were there.〔Fischer, David Hackett, ''Paul Revere's Ride,'' p. 151, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1994.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thaddeus Bowman」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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