In what ways is General Gage a sympathetic character towards the Americans in David Hackett Fischer's Paul Revere's Ride?

According to David Hackett Fischer in his book,
Paul Revere's Ride, the primary characters in this historical
account are Paul Revere, a merchant and organizer of the "Bostonian resistance," and
Lieutenant-General Thomas Gage, a high-ranking British officer. While Gage may
originally have tried to keep peace in the New England colonies as long as possible,
according to Fischer, Gage was not an overly sympathetic figure in the Boston area. Over
time he would come to hate the Bostonians in his dealing with them—in his capacity of
the British military commander, and they would "return the
favor."

Gage saw himself very differently than the
colonists did. He believed he was "liberal and fair-minded." He was married to an
American. When first assigned to the Boston region, he genuinely admired the
Americans.

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Unlike many other British officers, Gage did not
pursue women, gamble, or drink to excess. Instead, he focused his energies on having the
best regiment...

And he was
known among his friends as a man of "fair play."

However,
Fischer describes Gage as a haughty man with aristocratic manners, which by itself would
have alienated him from common colonial folk. Fischer reports that Gage was a snob and
poorly informed—Gage had no real appreciation for how much the colonists resented
England's presence: in essence he under-estimated them. Gage was also mistaken in his
perceptions that the colonists were poorly organized and
weak.

Besides riding to warn of the approach of the
British, Revere was the consummate organizer. These different colonial "civilian"
organizations that Gage believed were inept, were actually guided by Revere's genius for
handling details, and they were quite adept. And even while Gage
may have been slow to recognize the strength and determination of
the colonists, those he answered to in London felt the colonists were nothing more than
an annoyance—"rabble" to be suppressed by force with Gage "moving quickly and decisively
to detain and disarm their leaders."

The Americans were
careful not to act as the aggressors against the British, waiting instead for the enemy
to make the first move. Gage was just as cautious, but was still being pressured by his
superiors. Things came to a head at Lexington, though no one is sure who "fired the
first shot."

Gage commanded the British leaders and troops
beneath him as best as he was able, though the military leaders below him made many
costly mistakes. Gage is presented as a good soldier, dedicated to the task at
hand. Gage may have been different from other British leaders at the start—having some
sympathies for other British countrymen who had settled in New England—but soon he
detested them and foolishly under-estimated them as unworthy
adversaries.