All That Talk About Paul Revere's Ride

 

All that talk about Paul Revere’s ride, it was just that—talk.

Revere never made it to Concord. British patrols caught him partway through the night and put an end to his famous gallop. He warned a few towns, did his job, and then his ride was over.

 

He also wasn’t alone. William Dawes rode out of Boston the same night, slipping past guards by taking a longer, quieter route. Dawes actually made it farther than Revere did, reaching Lexington and continuing on after Revere was stopped. A third rider, Samuel Prescott, carried the alarm the rest of the way to Concord.

 

But history has a funny way of picking favorites. Longfellow needed a clean story, one hero, one horse, one midnight cry. Dawes didn’t rhyme as well. Prescott barely made the poem at all.

 

The alarm still spread. The militia still turned out. The war still began.

 

It just didn’t happen the way the poem says.