Today In History: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, “If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch
Of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,—
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country-folk to be up and to arm.”

-- from Paul Revere's Ride, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

On April 18, 1775 Boston silversmith and patriot Paul Revere rode by horse to alert the colonial militia of the British forces about to attack in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts -- battles fought the following day that signified the start the American Revolutionary War. First, Revere placed two lanterns on the Old North Church steeple in Boston to warn citizens and patriots that troops had left Boston and were crossing the Charles River. Accompanied by William Dawes, a tanner by trade, Revere and his fellow militiaman, under direction of General Joseph Warren, set out late at night on slightly different routes to Lexington to meet up with Samuel Adams and John Hancock, American statesmen and Founding Fathers. Joining the horseback mission on a third route was Samuel Prescott,  American physician, who was heading home to Concord from Lexington; Dr. Prescott was the only one to actually reach Concord where he gave word to the town sentry to ring the First Parish Church bell. While Revere was captured en route by the British, Dawes was thrown from his horse and walked back to Lexington.

Despite its historical inaccuracies, the vivid poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is well known in both U.S. history classes and American literature. The midnight ride of Paul Revere, and fellow revolutionaries, is still re-enacted in remembrance of their contributions to American history and the "Shot Heard Around the World."

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Curtis, G. W. (1909, Feb 17). Famous Gems Of Prose: Paul Revere's' Ride. Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922)
• Paul Revere's Story of Famous Ride: Stirring Events of April 19, 1775, and the Night Before, as Told in a Sworn Statement Made Soon Afterward.  (1911, Apr 19). Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922) 
• Henry, W. L. (1924, Apr 18). Poems for Boys and Girls: Paul Revere's Ride. Boston Daily Globe (1923-1927) 
• Boston Hangs Lights for 'Paul Revere Ride': Descendant Puts Signal in Belfry for Trooper Who Will Re-Enact Event of 1775.  (1926, Apr 19). New York Times (1923-) 
• Historical Events of 1775 Reenacted in Greater Boston: Patriots' Day Is Observed with Parades, Exercises and Ride of Paul Revere. (1933, Apr 19). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Wisner, W. H. (1952, Jul 13). Visitor Traverses Historic Route of Revere's Ride: Writer Travels Paul Revere's Historic Route. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• Small, A. (1957, Apr 17). Story Behind Fateful Ride of Paul Revere: The Story Behind Revere's Ride Into Pages of History. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• Small, A. (1957, Apr 18). Paul Revere Carried Quiet Alarm in Ride: Paul Revere Rode Thru the Night to Carry a Silent Alarm to Minutemen Revolultion Touched Off by Massacre. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• Small, A. (1957, Apr 19). 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' Is Redcoats' Knell: Paul Revere Ride Rallied Forces of Colonists. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• Paul Revere's Ride. (1998, Apr 14). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Reardon, P. T. (2000, Mar 30). Why Little Things Can Mean a Lot. The Washington Post (1974-) 
• History of 'the Midnight Ride' Still Burns Bright. (2000, Apr 17). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 

Tips:

• Conway, Stephen. A Short History of the American Revolutionary War. First edition. London ;: I.B. Tauris, 2019. e-book
• Deming, Brian. Boston and the Dawn of American Independence. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme, 2015. e-book
• Revere Copper and Brass Incorporated. Paul Revere, Pioneer Industrialist. New York (State): N.p., 1951. e-book

Images:

• Paul Revere's Ride, April 19, 1775, Courtesy of New York Public Library
• Paul Revere and Old North Church, Photo by TanRo, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons