The 800 or so British redcoats were mobilized from their barracks at 10:30 pm on 18 April 1775, but after marching through a marsh, soaked to their waists, they needed to wait for supplies that were supposed to already be waiting for them. While they were waiting, news of their advance had reached Lexington. Samuel Adams had left for Lexington in such a rush that he didn’t destroy his documents (a friend destroyed them for him), which illustrated that he no longer felt safe in Boston. Both Adams and Hancock were in Lexington not only for safety, but also to rest and prepare for their trip to Philadelphia for the 2nd Continental Congress.
For the previous two days, the spy network within the Committees of Correspondence (C of C) knew that British soldiers were preparing for an advance west. General Thomas Gage had already sent redcoats just outside the city, and the colonists knew of their advance beforehand. Adams was not surprised that he had been specifically targeted by the British, since he had gone out of his way to be “Enemy #1”. At the same time, poster-size portraits of Samuel Adams (printed in RI) could be purchased by admiring colonists for a half-dollar. To some, Adams was a heroic patriot, to the British and the Tories (Loyalists), Adams was a villain and a traitor.
By 18 April 1775, most of Adams' associates had also left Boston, but Adams remained unintimidated. Adams felt secure in that Revere (and 30+ riders) were constantly observing the British and reporting to Adams, Warren, and Hancock. General Gage was impressed and frustrated by the effectiveness of the Patriot Spy Network, which had alerted targeted patriots, leading to their mass exodus from Boston. Gage was in an impossible situation, tasked with subduing patriots in Boston, which in his mind should have been done long before Spring 1775. Specifically, Gage’s orders when he arrived were to “quiet the minds of the people”, close the Port of Boston, and to prosecute the leading patriots. All of Gage’s efforts to follow his orders activated more-and-more people in-and-outside of Boston to be vigilant, careful, sneaky, and to communicate what they heard and saw to others.
Early in the evening of 18 April 1775 near Lexington, several British officers were seen skulking about. British officers simply didn’t scout out the MA countryside at night without a reason. The assumption was that the British were trying to locate Adams and Hancock, so a 10 - 12 man guard was dispatched to the parsonage where the two men were staying. The British government believed that if it cut off the head of the snake (by capturing Adams and Hancock), Boston and New England would fall back in line. The only question for the British, since capturing the two men was a foregone conclusion, was whether to have their trial in Britain or to hang them in Boston.
Gage was under tremendous pressure to capture Adams as well as to confiscate the munitions in Concord, but Gage understood something that his superiors in London didn’t: his soldiers would be badly outnumbered and outgunned west of Boston if the countryside became fully activated. Gage wanted to avoid triggering hostilities that he knew would lead to a larger conflict, again knowing he was hopelessly outnumbered, even in Boston. Arresting Adams, Gage knew, would make Samuel Adams and the patriots political martyrs, and the British as the aggressors.
Whether by happenstance or an uncanny ability to anticipate events, Adams predicted how crucial Hancock would be down the road. Even though Hancock had adopted the behavior and look of a Colonial aristocrat, Adams recruited him to the cause, correctly concluding that Hancock would revel in the glory as much as his frivolity, as well as having a great amount of money to give to the cause. Hancock wasn’t nearly as brave and fearless as Adams, so Adams made sure that the proud peacock that was Hancock was often in the spotlight. Tories (Loyalists) hated Adams even more after he “seduced’ the 27 year old Hancock into his fold. Hancock proved easy prey for Adams in that Hancock’s ambition was disproportionate to his aptitude and abilities (e.g. believing he was as-or-more qualified to be the Commander of the Continental Army compared to George Washington in June 1775). Most of the time, Adams was able to coax and steer Hancock into any direction he desired.
Revere arrived at the parsonage where Adams and Hancock were located at 12:30 am on 19 April 1775. Revere, while a patriot leader, was not yet the legend that he became, and he was actually barred from entering the parsonage by the security detail. After Revere told the security detail that “the Regulars are coming out”, he was allowed to awaken the household, and Adams and Hancock appeared at the downstairs window. William Dawes, the rider that Revere had dispatched along another route, hadn’t yet arrived at the parsonage, but he appeared at around 1 am . . .