Paul Revere being rowed across the Charles River

“I left Dr. Warrens, called upon a friend, and desired him to make the Signals. I then went Home, took my Boots and Surtout, and went to the North part of the Town, Where I had kept a Boat; two friends rowed me across Charles River . . . They landed me on Charlestown side.”

Letter Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, 1798

Revere’s two friends who rowed him to Charlestown were Joshua Bentley, a boat builder and Thomas Richardson, a shipwright. They would have been perfect for the job: local men who were expert rowers and familiar enough with the shoreline and harbor to attempt this mission in the dark of the night.