The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-07-03
Paul Revere's
Midnight Ride

Revered Is the name of Paul Revere,
But listen, my children, and you shall
The truth about that midnight ride
That reused every man in the country
side.
So the immortal Longfellow might
have commenced his historic poem
and gone on to relate that the Ian
terms were hung in the North church
tower only to warn the Charlestown
committee of safety, so that in case
Revere were captured crossing the
Charles river from Boston, other mes
sengers might be sent from Charles
town. For, it would appear, Revere
knew the intention of the British even
before he crossed the river.
In Revere's own words "a letter to
Rev. Jeremy Belknap, dated January
/, 1898, and published by the Old
South association, Boston,:
1.-The Sunday before, by desire of
DR.. Warren, had been to Lexington,
to Messrs. Hancock and Adams, who
were at the Rev. Mr.. Clark's. l re-
turned at night through Charlestown;
there I agreed with Colonel Conant
& some other gentlemen, that If the
British went out by water, we would
shew two Lanthorns in the North
Church steeple; and if by Land, one,
as a signal; for we were apprehensive
1t would be difficult to cross the
Charles River, or get over Boston
Neck"
Revere at Medford.
But two friends rowed Revere
across the river, past the British man
of-war Somerset, and successfully
landed him. After he got going on
his horse and had evaded two British
sentinels he made for Medford where,
he says, II awaked the captain of the
Minute Men and after that, alarmed
almost every house, till got to Lex
ington." There he found Messrs. Han
cock and Adams and told them it was
believed the British soldiers were
either on their way to Lexington to
take them prisoner or bent for Con-
cord for the purpose of destroying the
Colonists' store Of guns and NUM-
lions.
But another messenger had been
: dispatched by Doctor Warren before
Revere left Boston. William Dawes
had gone by the longer land route, via
Boston Neck to Lexington. through
Roxbury and Cambridge. At the time
there were no bridges from Boston to
the towns on the other side of the
Charles river. Dawes reached Lex
ington about half hour after Revere.
Setting out together for Concord
the two messengers met young DR..
Samuel Prescott who agreed to accom-
pany them and help spread the alarm
among. the people, many of whom he
knew. But halfway to their destina-
ton the trio were held up by mount
ed British officers and forced off the
road into a pasture Again, in Re
vere's own words, doctor Prescott
jumped his horse over a low stone
wall, and got to Concord" Dawes
also escaped and reached Concord
Soon after the doctor.
Back In Lexington.
Revere, however, was questioned
thoroughly by the British officers and
conducted back to Lexington, where
his captors, alarmed by the firing OF
a volley of guns, released Revere and
rode off with his horse.
Then Revere for the second time
that night sought out Hancock and
Adams, told them what had happened
and helped Hancock's secretary, Mr..
Lowell, carry trunk of papers from
the tavern to another house whittier
Hancock and Adams had fled. After
Revere and Lowell had passed
through our militia, numbering some
fifty or sixty, "who were on a green
behind the Westinghouse" they saw
the redcoats appear and heard the
first shot fired by the British. Then
volleys of shots, and the first battle
of the Revolution was on.
So when Longfellow wrote: 1T was