One if by land ...

- Paul Revere´s Midnight Ride

During the war, the colonists also used messengers on horses to pass along information about where British soldiers were stationed and where they were going. In 1775 Paul Revere, a silver-smith living in Boston and a spy for the colonial army, was warned that the British army stationed in Boston was preparing an attack. Revere was given the order to watch a local church tower, where his fellow spies would give him a signal to tell him which way the British were coming by hanging either one or two lanterns in the tower – "one if by land, two if by sea ...". At ten o´clock Revere saw one lantern in the tower – the British were coming by land! He jumped on his horse and rode through the moonlit countryside, warning the residents that British soldiers were approaching. By sunrise, enough colonists had gathered in Lexington, Massachusetts to fight the British. This was the first major battle between the colonists and the British.

Taverns

Most of the news the colonists read about was days, sometimes weeks old. The best way to receive the most up-to-date information was to visit a local tavern. Travellers would spend a night at a tavern exchanging information, news and stories with the assembled crowds. In this way, information moved from town to town with each passing traveller.