John Pulling (captain)

John Pulling was an American captain, vestryman and Patriot who signaled Paul Revere from the Old North Church in Boston before Revere's midnight ride.

In the days before April 18, 1775, Revere had enlisted the help of Pulling and Robert Newman, the sexton of the North Church, to send a signal by lantern to alert colonists in Charlestown as to the movements of the troops when the information became known. In what is well known today by the phrase "one if by land, two if by sea", one lantern in the steeple would signal the army's choice of the land route while two lanterns would signal the route "by water" across the Charles River (the movements would ultimately take the water route, and therefore two lanterns were placed in the steeple). Pulling was a logical choice to help signal. He was heavily involved with the church, and was a vestryman.[1] If caught with the lanterns, he could provide a meaningful excuse for being in the church.

On the evening of April 18, Pulling hung two lanterns from the steeple of the church for just under a minute, just long enough for the militia in Charlestown to see but not long enough to catch the attention of the British troops occupying Boston.[2]

References
  1. "Events of April 18, 1775". The Old North Church. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  2. "John Pulling". LostPine. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
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