Israel Bissell, also spelled Bissel (1752 – October 24, 1823), was a patriot

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 ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. On April 19, 1775, British forces fired on colonists in Lexington and Concord, inciting 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 ...

. Bissell 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 ...

. The Lexington Alarm message was carried by Bissell through eastern Massachusetts,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and ultimately to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The order stated that Bissell was to travel through Connecticut, which he did, traveling along the Old Post Road 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 ...

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

, where the dispatch included an order to take the message to Philadelphia. In New York, General

Alexander McDougall Alexander McDougall (1732 9 June 1786) was a Scottish-born American seaman, merchant, a Sons of Liberty leader from New York City before and during the American Revolution, and a military leader during the Revolutionary War. He served as a maj ...

added an order to obtain a new rider to convey the message to Philadelphia. According to the

Sons of the American Revolution The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...

and Elizabeth Norton Hunt, Bissell went the entire way to Philadelphia. Along the way, Bissell shouted "To arms, to arms, the war has begun", and carried a message from Joseph Palmer asking townspeople to send soldiers to the fight.

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

of Pomfret, and others mustered soldiers and headed for the battlegrounds in Massachusetts.

Early life

Israel Bissell was born in 1752 in East Windsor of the

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 ...

of the

British Colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...

. He was the son of Israel Bissell Sr. His family settled in East Windsor after they immigrated from England. Bissell was a

who carried mail between Boston and New York for the British Crown (subject to decisions made by King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

and the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

). When the British fired

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

from the post of

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...

for the British Colonies, the

Patriots 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 ...

established mail routes. Bissell worked for them, transporting the mail, including dispatches for the

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It p ...

along the same route. In preparation for a war, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety chose Bissel to carry the call to arms from Watertown when the war began.

Lexington Alarm

Dispatch

On April 19, 1775, Joseph Palmer of the Committee of Safety sent Israel Bissell on a ride through Connecticut to warn colonists that the war with Britain had begun. The purpose of the dispatch 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 ...

at the

Battles of Lexington and Concord 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 ...

. Bissell carried the "call to arms" message to Worcester, south and west through Connecticut, and ultimately to Philadelphia. The New York copy of the dispatch stated: Bissell left Palmer and traveled to Worcester, passing many people walking towards Lexington. Along the way, Bissell shouted "To arms, to arms, the war has begun" and "the war has begun, the war has begun". Townspeople rang church bells and fired cannons to alert neighboring colonists. Bissell averaged about per day on the journey, requiring him to obtain fresh horses along the route. According to tradition, Bissell's horse was exhausted after the first leg from Watertown to Worcester. Bissell said to have made the trip within two hours, crossing a distance of that was generally one or two days travel for a post rider. Scheide states that Bissell may have arrived in Worcester in the late afternoon or evening and rested overnight to get to Brooklyn by 11 a.m. on April 20, 1775. The

state that Bissell left Worcester for Connecticut on the morning of April 20, 1775, Monroe Stearns said, "Bissell rode so hard that his horse dropped dead in Worcester that night. The next morning he got a fresh horse, and rode on." As stated in the notice, Bissell was to ride throughout Connecticut, and yet he delivered the message to New York and ultimately to Philadelphia, where the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

convened. Bissell generally had to convince the townspeople that the dispatch was not a false alarm. The dispatch was copied for the town's records, with the original order by Joseph Palmer and attestations of the previous stops. Bissell took a break at some of the stops to get a nap and some food before he took the dispatch for the next stop on his route. Townspeople printed the alarm in broadsides and newspapers. At New Haven, the dispatch was amended to include an order to take the message on to Philadelphia, "We thought it necessary and expedient to communicate by express, expecting your speedy aid to forward the same to the Congress at Philadelphia..." At New York, the dispatch was amended by General

to obtain a new rider to convey the message to Philadelphia. According to the

, several historians believe that Israel Bissell rode the entire route to Philadelphia. From New York, the message was delivered at stops in New Jersey, before going on to Philadelphia.

Timeline

The timeline of the ride is based on the date and the time of the attestations at Bissell's stops. The attestations meant that the signers understood that the war had begun. The stops were: * April 19, 10 a.m.,

* 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 ...

* April 20, Pomfret, Connecticut - Bissell told

, who was plowing his fields with his son Daniela, that the war had started. * April 20, 11 a.m.,

Brooklyn, Connecticut Brooklyn is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The populat ...

* April 20, 4 p.m.,

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

* April 20, 7 p.m.,

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

* April 21, 1 a.m.,

Lyme, Connecticut Lyme is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Conn ...

, where he took a ferry across the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

. * April 21, 4 a.m.,

Old Saybrook, Connecticut Old Saybrook is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 10, ...

* April 21, 7 a.m.,

Killingworth, Connecticut Killingworth is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning ...

* April 21, 8 a.m., East Guilford, Connecticut * April 21, 10 a.m.,

Guilford, Connecticut Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Connecticut, Madison, Branford, Connecticut, Branford, North Branford, Connecticut, North Branford and Durham, Connecticut, Durham, and is situated on Inter ...

* April 21, noon,

Branford, Connecticut Branford is a shoreline New England town, town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, about east of downtown New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Regi ...

* April 21 or 22,

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

* April 22, 8 a.m.,

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Connecticut, Trumbull, Easton, Connecticut, Easton, Weston, Connecticut, W ...

* April 23, 2 p.m. received per General McDougall, attestation at the 4 p.m. meeting of the Committee of Sixty,

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

* April 24,

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

* April 24, 9, a.m.,

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

A message was said to be delivered to Trenton by Comm. Eben Hasard. * April 24, 5 p.m.,

Bissell may have traveled with two horses 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 ...

to Worcester. Bissell then rode the Lower Post Road, where he headed south into Connecticut, and crossed the Middle Post road at Pomfret. From there, Bissell traveled a road from Norwich to New London. After his arrival, colonists and people in neighboring towns were alerted by the firing muskets and ringing of church bells that the war had begun. Samuel Parsons of New London added a note, "You will see, by a Letter to your Committee of Correspondence, the necessity of rallying all your forces immediately... We shall march before noon tomorrow." Answering the call,

of Pomfret, and others mustered soldiers and headed for Massachusetts. Putnam assembled men for the Connecticut Militia, commanded them on their march to Boston, and arrived there at dawn. Benedict formed a group of soldiers in New Haven, including

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

students and soldiers from the Connecticut State Guards, and followed Putnam to battle. Fraunces Tavern Block

A riot erupted in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, with news of the battles in Lexington and Concord. The colonists seized arms at

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

and supplies destined for Boston. The patriots set two sloops on fire, closed the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

, and took possession of the

Custom House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

. Men joined the militia. By the time the news of the Lexington Alarm made it to Philadelphia, 50,000 armed colonists marched for Boston. In Philadelphia, 8,000 people assembled when they heard the ringing of the

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American Revolution, American independence located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of Pennsylvania State House, now know ...

. Bissell returned to Connecticut. Copies of the manuscript were sent to other locations, like Maryland, North Carolina, and other areas. See this notice printed in Baltimore.

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. Israel Bissell spread the word about the start of the war. His usual 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.

The war and after

After completing his ride, Bissell returned to Connecticut, where he joined the army alongside his brother, Justis. They both were among the men from

East Windsor, Connecticut East Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 11,190 at the 2020 United States census ...

, who served under Captain Wolcott. His father, Israel Sr. also served in the war. The younger Israel served in June 1775, in Captain Stoughton's company, and, in 1776, he served under Captain Wolcott for one month. His father died in 1776, and Bissell returned to the family home to take care of the farm. After the war, Bissell moved to

Middlefield, Massachusetts Middlefield is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 385 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Middlefield was first settled in 1780 an ...

, where he became a sheep farmer. Bissell married Lucy Hancock of Longmeadow, who gave birth to four children. Bissell, his wife, and three children moved to a farm in Hinsdale, Massachusetts in 1790. Bissell died there on October 24, 1823, and he was buried in the Maple Street Cemetery in Hinsdale. The

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

placed a historical marker beside his grave in 1967. Printed on the marker is "In Memory of Israel Bissell, post-rider from Lexington to Philadelphia alerting towns of the British attack at Lexington April 19, 1775." Isadore Goodman of Pittsfield donated the former Israel Bissell homestead to the Conservation Commission of Hinsdale to be used as a historical memorial.

Legacy

Hinsdale historian Marion Ransford reported that the Daughters of the American Revolution installed a special marker at Bissell's grave. In the late 1990s, David Roth artists made paintings for the Union Oyster House of Boston of historical figures including Israel Bissell.

In popular culture

Bissell was the subject of "Ride, Israel, Ride", an epic poem by Marie Rockwood of

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridg ...

. ''The remarkable ride of Israel Bissell'' is a partly fictional account of Bissell's ride written by Alice Schick, Marjorie N. Allen, and Joel Schick in 1976. Gerard Chapman wrote the poem, "Listen my children and you shall hear of Israel Bissell of yesteryear, a poet-less patriot whose fame, I fear, was eclipsed by that of Paul Revere." Bissell was portrayed by David Bluvband on the cult public access program, '' The Chris Gethard Show'' in the episode " 18th Century American Gladiators", which aired in August 2014. Bissel was mentioned in ABC's show, ''American Housewife'', Season 5 Episode 2.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * There is a map of Bissell's route on page 42. *

External links

*
DW Roth: BissellBroadside
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bissel, Israel 1752 births 1823 deaths People from East Windsor, Connecticut People of Massachusetts in the American Revolution Patriots in the American Revolution People from colonial Massachusetts People of Connecticut in the American Revolution People from Middlefield, Massachusetts