AT THIS POINT
ON THE OLD CONCORD ROAD AS IT THEN WAS,
ENDED THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF
PAUL REVERE
HE HAD ABOUT TWO O'CLOCK OF THE MORNING
OF APRIL 19, 1775, THE NIGHT BEING CLEAR AND THE
MOON IN THE THIRD QUARTER, GOT THUS FAR ON HIS
WAY FROM LEXINGTON TO CONCORD, WARNING THE
INHABITANTS AS HE WENT, WHEN HE AND HIS
COMPANIONS, WILLIAM DAWES OF BOSTON, AND DR.
SAMUEL PRESCOTT, OF CONCORD WERE SUDDENLY
HALTED BY A BRITISH PATROL, WHO HAD STATIONED
THEMSELVES AT THIS BEND OF THE ROAD. DAWES,
TURNING BACK, MADE HIS ESCAPE. PRESCOTT,
CLEARING THE STONE WALL, AND FOLLOWING A PATH
KNOWN TO HIM THROUGH THE LOW GROUND, REGAINED
THE HIGHWAY AT A POINT FURTHER ON, AND GAVE THE
ALARM AT CONCORD. REVERE TRIED TO REACH THE
NEIGHBORING WOODS, BUT WAS INTERCEPTED BY
A PARTY OF OFFICERS ACCOMPANING THE PATROL,
DETAINED AND KEPT IN ARREST. PRESENTLY
HE WAS CARRIED BY THE PATROL BACK
TO LEXINGTON. THERE RELEASED AND THAT
MORNING JOINED HANDCOCK AND ADAMS.
THREE MEN OF LEXINGTON, SANDERSON,
BROWN AND LORING, STOPPED AT AN EARLIER
HOUR OF THE NIGHT BY THE SAME PAROL,
WERE ALSO TAKEN BACK WITH REVERE. |
