Isaac Bissell (January 25, 1749 – July 28, 1822) was a

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

post rider Post riders or postriders describes a horse and rider postal delivery system that existed at various times and various places throughout history. The term is usually reserved for instances where a network of regularly scheduled service was provid ...

who delivered mail between

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. On April 19, 1775, the British made an attack on Lexington and Concord, igniting the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. He was assigned to alert

American colonists The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of the Americas, European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen Colonies, Thirteen British Colonies a ...

of the news and rally them to assist the Massachusetts

minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

. Traveling from

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Sq ...

, on the

Upper Post Road The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts, that evolved into one of the first major highways in the United States. The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road (now U.S. Ro ...

, and through

Connecticut Colony The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...

, he carried the

Lexington Alarm The Lexington Alarm announced, throughout the American Colonies, that the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War began with the Battle of Lexington and the Siege of Boston on April 19, 1775. The goal was to rally patriots at a grass roots ...

message from Joseph Palmer. He rode again in July 1779 to deliver the New Haven Alarm. Bissell served the Connecticut Militia throughout the Revolutionary War.

Early life

Isaac Bissell was born January 25, 1749, in Windsor, of the

. His parents were Samuel and Mary Bissell, the daughter of Isaac Kibbe of

Enfield, Connecticut Enfield is a New England town, town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, first settled by John and Robert Pease of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. ...

. Isaac's father died September 18, 1759. From '' Burke's Distinguished Families of America'', the first Bissell family member to arrive in the British colonies was Captain John Bissell. He arrived in the

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes spelled Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on t ...

in 1628, and after twelve years, he settled in Windsor, Connecticut. Bissell was a

who rode on horseback between Boston and Hartford, Connecticut Colony on the

, a mail delivery route. After

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

, he stopped at Springfield, before going to Hartford in Connecticut.

Lexington alarm

Dispatch

British soldiers opened the

with the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. In the siege, Patriot (American Revolution), American patriot militia led by newly-installed Continental Army commander George Wash ...

and

Battle of Lexington The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 were the first major military actions of the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot militias from America's Thirteen Co ...

, when they marched from Boston to Lexington, outnumbering the patriot soldiers on April 19, 1775. That day, Joseph Palmer of the Committee of Safety met Isaac Bissell at the Lexington Green. He sent Isaac Bissell on a ride to and through Connecticut to warn people that the war with Britain had begun. Other post riders carried the message throughout a network of mail routes in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Post riders rode through bad weather, poor road conditions, and moonless nights, which controlled whether they were able to travel three or four miles an hour. The purpose of the call to arms was to have militias in five colonies rally to support the

of the

Massachusetts militia This is a list of militia units of the Colony and later Commonwealth of Massachusetts. * Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (1638) * Cogswell's Regiment of Militia (April 19, 1775) * Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia (April ...

. The copy of the dispatch at

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

, states: Bissell first rode to

Marlborough, Massachusetts Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,793 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high ...

, and his next stop was to Worcester on the

in the afternoon, where his horse (or

Israel Bissell Israel Bissell, also spelled Bissel (1752 – October 24, 1823), was a patriot post rider who delivered mail between Boston, Massachusetts and New York. On April 19, 1775, British forces fired on colonists in Lexington and Concord, inciti ...

's horse) fell dead due from exhaustion outside the town meetinghouse. The town clerk, Nathan Baldwin, made copies of the dispatch. From Worcester, another rider carried the alarm south to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, while Isaac Bissell traveled west on the Upper Post Road on the morning of April 20. Bissell continued on to Springfield, where the dispatch was recorded with the names of 61 townsmen, and then to Hartford. On April 20, 1775, armed companies of men from Springfield, West Springfield, and Suffield began their march for Boston. Other riders spread the message to other towns from each of his stops. The six-day journey throughout Connecticut required Bissell to obtain fresh horses along the route. In Connecticut, the message reached 48 towns and 4,000 men answered the call to arms. Within a few hours of receiving the dispatch, men from the towns that Bissell stopped at were ready to march to Boston.

Timeline

Isaac Bissell traveled per hour across his route. The speed varied depending upon whether he was traveling on a moonless night or in inclement weather. * Lexington Green, April 19 or

, April 19 *

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, arrived April 19 afternoon and traveled west the morning of April 20 *

, a copy of the dispatch at Springfield shows that Isaac Bissell was the bearer of the message. It is worded similarly to the dispatch delivered by

. *

Wethersfield, Connecticut Wethersfield ( ) is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located immediately south of Hartford along the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 27,298 at the time ...

, John Silas General Joseph Hawley stated the Bissell's role was important to rally soldiers for the battles in Concord and Lexington. Shortly after townspeople got the word that the war had begun, people headed for the battle, either individually or as members of three companies.

Two post riders named Bissell

Isaac Bissell took a westerly route in Massachusetts, from Worcester, down to Hartford, and then throughout the Connecticut countryside for a total of six days. The dispatch that Isaac carried to Springfield identifies him as the bearer.

, sometimes confused with Isaac, was a postrider who spread the Lexington Alarm south through Connecticut, reportedly to Philadelphia. Israel Bissell's normal mail route was from Boston to New York. The dispatch carried by Israel Bissell through Connecticut and to New York identified him as the bearer. The copy of the call to arms that arrived in Philadelphia identified the bearer as Trail Bisel or Bisiel.

Revolutionary War

At the time that the war broke out, Bissell was living in

Suffield, Connecticut Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region, and located in the Connecticut River Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

. Bissell made two rides as a call to arms. The first time was the

of April 19, 1775. He sounded the New Haven Alarm in July 1779. Bissell served in the Connecticut Militia during the war. He first served as a private in Captain Elihu Kent's Company of the Suffield, Connecticut Militia. In 1776, he served as a sergeant in Captain Harmon's Company of Colonel

Erastus Wolcott Erastus Wolcott (September 21, 1722 – September 14, 1793) was an American politician and a Connecticut state militia commander during the American Revolutionary War. He served in the Connecticut General Assembly for over twenty years and was a ...

's Regiment, participating in the

(April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776). After the Siege of Boston, Bissell did not serve again until the British attacked Connecticut in 1779, when he served in Captain Simeon Sheldon's Company.

Personal life

Bissell married Amelia Leavitt on July 4, 1776. Born December 12, 1757, she was the daughter of Captain John Leavitt. They had sons Isaac and Horace, or Asaph. After the war, Bissell worked as a blacksmith in Suffield. He operated the business at his six-acre property, with the house called the Timothy Swan House. He sold the property in April 1788. Amelia died November 15, 1809, and was buried in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...

. Bissell died on July 28, 1822, and was buried at the Old Center Cemetery in

. A Revolutionary War marker resides at his grave.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bissel, Isaac 1749 births 1822 deaths Patriots in the American Revolution People from Windsor, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Revolution