Behind the legend of Paul Revere the heroic midnight rider lies a deeper and more complicated man—one who, like 
many in the Revolutionary era, clashed with his peers. Paul Revere’s feud with William Burbeck, a fellow Boston artisan and military officer, was one such conflict overshadowed by his famous ride.
Who Was William Burbeck?
William Burbeck, an experienced artilleryman and craftsman, had a long career in Boston’s military circles. He became a prominent figure in Massachusetts’ artillery defenses during the mid-1700s.
He served in Boston’s local militia, eventually rising to the rank of captain in the artillery regiment.
By the time the Revolutionary War broke out, Burbeck had earned respect as an elder statesman of Boston’s artillery forces. He had served for years under the British colonial government. But he supported the patriot cause when tensions rose in the 1770s.
A cannon captured from the British at Yorktown during the American Revolution
Paul Revere’s Feud
In September 1760, 25-year-old Paul Revere took an important step in his life when he joined the local Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew in Boston. A Freemason lodge, the Grand Lodge of Scotland originally chartered it in 1756.
Revere served as an officer in the lodge and attended meetings religiously. He met patriot activists such as Joseph Warren, James Otis, and John Hancock at the lodge. Soon he got involved with the activities of the American Revolution.
George Washington was also a Mason. This print from 1870 portrays him as Master of his Lodge.
Yet, at that same lodge Revere also met his future rival, fellow artisan William Burbeck. He began a feud with Burbeck that would later haunt him and damage his military career.
The rivalry began on March 5, 1773, when Revere voted to kick Burbeck out of the lodge for refusing to hand over the lodge charter.
Burbeck had served as the first master under the charter. Though his term had ended years earlier in 1767, he defied tradition and refused to hand the charter over to the next master of the lodge.
Burbeck may have felt it was his right to hold onto the charter, the only one in existence in the United States issued by the Grand Lodge of Scotland. He may have reasoned he was the only one remaining of those to whom it was granted.
Emblem of the Grand Lodge of Scotland
Yet, some historians speculate that Burbeck, the son of an Englishman, did so because he feared that Revere, the son of a Frenchman, and possibly others in the lodge harbored anti-British sentiment. He may have thought they would use their power in the lodge to break with the Grand Lodge of Scotland and any other British association.
Burbeck Suspended
On April 22, 1773, the lodge once again demanded the charter from Burbeck during a special meeting. Burbeck again refused to comply. The lodge then requested a dispensation from the Grand Lodge to allow it to continue to operate until a copy of the charter arrived from Scotland.
Upon receiving the dispensation on May 13, 1773, the Lodge of St. Andrew suspended Burbeck “until he gives satisfactory reason for detaining the Charter.”
Revere played a central role in this charter dispute. He took charge of the efforts to retrieve it and actively communicating with the lodge members. He warned them of the potential consequences if Burbeck continued to defy the lodge’s authority.
Revere understood that without the charter, the lodge’s legitimacy and operations were at risk. So, he repeatedly emphasized the seriousness of the situation and urged swift action to resolve the conflict.
As a result, on February 10, 1774, a committee was appointed to weigh in on Burbeck’s conduct. It reviewed whether Burbeck was acting within Masonic protocol regarding the charter and if his conduct was damaging or disruptive to the lodge’s governance. The committee also determined what action, if any, should be taken to resolve the dispute and restore unity.
On Jan.y 24, 1775, the lodge offered a compromise. Members voted to reconsider Burbeck’s suspension if he at least presented the charter and laid it on the table each night during their meetings. This was not just a procedural olive branch. It was a calculated move to restore ritual propriety while still limiting Burbeck’s influence.
War Breaks Out
The dispute between Revere and Burbeck ultimately spilled over into other aspects of their lives as well.
A Continental Army artillery unit.
After the Revolutionary War broke out, Burbeck won an appointment as lieutenant colonel in Col. Richard Gridley’s Massachusetts Regiment of Artillery on May 19, 1775. Burbeck reportedly used his new position to block any military promotions Revere tried to obtain.
When Revere tried to secure a military commission as an artillery officer in the Massachusetts Artillery, Gridley refused. Revere soon discovered that the only other person in a position to help him was, unfortunately, William Burbeck.
Not surprisingly, Revere never received that commission. He did, however, have a brief military career as an officer in the Massachusetts Militia. It ended with the failed Penobscot Expedition in 1779, a massive campaign to drive the British from their fortifications in Castine, Maine.
British ships defending against the Penobscot Expedition
During the failed siege, Revere allegedly disobeyed orders. Back in Boston, he faced charges of insubordination and cowardice. Officials then placed him under house arrest for a few days. He was also ordered to resign his command of the fortifications at Castle Island, which protected Boston Harbor.
Paul Revere’s Feud Drags On
Revere fought ferociously to restore his honor. He wrote a letter to Gen. William Heath on Oct. 24, 1779. In it, he complained that many of his fellow patriots, including his old rival William Burbeck, conspired against him. He wrote that they pressured a marine officer named Carnes to accuse him of misconduct.
The fort at Castle Island shortly after the American Revolution
There was one Carnes, who was officer of marines, was persuaded to enter a complaint to Council against me, and they arrested me. After I got home, I awaited on Council; I gave them an account of the expedition. They ordered me to take the command of the Castle again (for during my absence, the command was given to Col. Crafts).
Revere complained his enemies had a long-held scheme to remove him from Castle Island.
But the plan was too deep laid for me to stay there long. General [John] Hancock was appointed one of a committee to fortify the Castle, about the time I was order’d to Penobscot. He went to the Castle the next week after I was gone. He found fault with every thing there, Col. Burbeck urged him on, when he went to Boston he told in all companys that none but Col. Revere would have left the Castle in such a situation…
A Conspiracy Theory
Revere also told Heath that Ned Greene had spread false rumors that the troops refused to serve under him.
Ned Greene was employed by the Committee as a sort of secretary, and he to git me from the Castle propagated that the men would not go to work there, if I staid, so he perswaded this Carnes to enter a complaint against me (this Carnes said upon oath). The Council arrested me on Monday, and ordered me to my house in Boston, and on Wednesday took the arrest off and ordered me to attend the Committee of Enquirey (They gave the command to Capt. Cushing for the time being, since which Gen Handcock [sic] is appointed Captain of the Castle, and Col Burbeck Capt Lieu of the Castle, &)…
John Singleton Copley painted this portrait of John Hancock around 1771.
Revere demanded a court martial to clear his name. Eventually his case went to trial in 1782. The military tribunal acquitted him of cowardice and insubordination, but issued a light reprimand for “unsoldierly behavior.” The debacle ended his hopes of a military career.
Burbeck, meanwhile, continued to serve in various military and civic roles. He retained the respect of Boston’s older military establishment, earning an appointment as colonel of the Massachusetts artillery (which he turned down). He also received high praise from Gen. George Washington, commander of the Continental Army.
On Nov. 10, 1784, the long-drawn-out charter debacle finally came to an end. William Burbeck handed over the charter while on his deathbed.
Legacy of Paul Revere’s Feud
Today, Paul Revere’s feud with William Burbeck is a footnote in Revolutionary War history. But it reflects larger tensions within the American struggle for independence, between old and new, tradition and innovation, experience and ambition.
Their conflict tells us that even among the heroes of the Revolution, ego, politics and personal rivalry played a very real part in shaping history.
The author, Rebecca Brooks, is a direct descendant of William Burbeck. She is a journalist, history writer and publisher of the History of Massachusetts Blog.
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Images: Revolutionary cannon By Jennifer Morrow from San Francisco – Chatham Artillery’s Washington Guns, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93733738. Grand Lodge of Scotland emblem By The logo may be obtained from Grand Lodge of Scotland., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5588043,
