Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

Dr. Joseph Warren, of the Sons of Liberty, sends for Paul Revere and asks him to ride to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that British troops are marching in to arrest them.

Two friends row Revere across the Charles River to Charlestown, Boston, MA, where Revere checks to be sure that the Sons of Liberty had seen the signals he had arranged from the Old North Church. One lantern was to hang if the British were coming by land, and two were to hang if they were coming by sea. Revere borrows a horse from a friend and begins his ride. He was nearing Charlestown Common, towards Cambridge, when he saw two officers on horse-back, standing under the shade of a tree, in a narrow part of the road. He was nearly captured but managed to escape.

Revere reaches Medford, MA, and rides north along the Mystic River. He wakes the Captain of the Minutemen in Medford and continues to alarm every house along the way.

Revere reaches Lexington to find and Adams and Hancock at the home of Rev. Clark. He warns them of the British threat. At 12:30am, William Dawes, who hd also been sent to warn Adams and Hancock, arrives. He and Revere decide to continue on to Concord, where the local militia has been storing weapons, ammunition, food, and provisions.

Along the way, Revere and Dawes meet Dr. Samuel Prescott, another Sons of Liberty member, and the three men continue on towards Concord together.

Just outside of Lincoln, about halfway to Concord, Dawes and Dr. Prescott warn a house; meanwhile, Revere spots two British officers. He calls to Dawes and Prescott and rides ahead, intending to arrest the officers. He quickly finds himself surrounded by four British officers, as are Dawes and Prescott when they ride up. The three are directed into a field. Dr. Prescott tells Revere he is going to make a run for it. He then jumps a stone wall and escapes. Revere also breaks away, making for a wooded area where he can escape on foot. Instead he runs into more officers and is captured. Dawes escapes by galloping to a nearby farmhouse and hiding.

Revere is questioned by the British soldiers, taken back with them to Lexington, and released without his horse.

Revere is helping Adams and Hancock escape, when Hancock suddenly rermembers a trunk full of important papers left at the Buckman Tavern. Revere enters the Buckman Tavern to get Hancock's trunk.

Revere takes the trunk out of the Buckman Tavern. Soon after, he hears the first shot fired on Lexington Green, The Shot Heard 'Round the World. As Revere is preoccupied with lugging the trunk up the road outside of Lexington, he doesn't see who fired first.