170 THE FEENCH BLOOD IN AMEEICA 



The Midnight 

 Ride 



pertaining to the public good, watching closely the 

 course of political events in the pre-revolutionary 

 days. "With well-considered, settled opinions, his will 

 was strong ; while his general gifts rendered him com- 

 petent to great emergencies, and equal to great events. 

 The result was, that in a crisis like that of rousing the 

 people to conflict on the eve of the first struggle for our 

 Independence, he was the wise counsellor at home, and 

 the daring actor in the field." 



Eevere took many rides in the service of the Eevolu- 

 tionary party, but most famous of them all was the ride 

 on the night of the 18th of April, 1775 — "the most im- 

 portant single exploit in our nation's annals." Long- 

 fellow's account is known throughout the land ; and there- 

 fore the insertion of the following extracts from Eevere' s 

 own version of the affair is made at the risk of repeating 

 a well-known story : 



Revere's 

 Telling of the 

 Story 



April i8, 1775 

 Committee on 

 Watch 



The Lantern 

 Signals 



In the fall of 1774, and winter of 1775, I was one of upwards of 

 thirty, chiefly mechanics, who formed ourselves into a committee for the 

 purpose of watching the movements of the British soldiers, and gain- 

 ing every intelligence of the movements of the Tories. We held our 

 meetings at the Green Dragon Tavern. We were so careful that our 

 meetings should be kept secret, that every time we met, every person 

 swore upon the Bible that they would not discover any of our trans- 

 actions but to Messrs. Hancock, Adams, and one or two more, . . . 

 In the winter, towards the spring, we frequently took turns, two by 

 two, to watch the soldiers, by patrolling the streets all night. The 

 Saturday night preceding the 19th of April, about twelve o'clock at 

 night, the boats belonging to the transports were all launched, and 

 carried under the sterns of the men-of-war. We likewise found that 

 the grenadiers and light infantry were all taken off duty. From these 

 movements we expected something serious was to be transacted. 

 . . . I agreed with a Colonel Conant and some other gentlemen^ 

 that if the British went out by water, we would show two lanterns in 

 the North Church steeple ; and if by land, one as a signal ; for we were 

 apprehensive it would be difiicult to cross Charles River, or get over 

 Boston Neck. ... I then went home, took my boots and surtout, 

 went to the north part of the town, where I kept a boat ; two friends 

 rowed me across Charles River a little to the eastward where the 



