"On the Eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five"

“On the Eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five.” Do understand that the line is not referring to 1975 or even 1875 but 1775! The words come from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.”  The poem, famous in American Literature and American History, was written in 1860.

The need for a way to alert the revolutionaries was known and planned for in the months before April, 1775. Actually, a century before, a system of alarms was employed by the early colonists to rally settlers during the Indian Wars. This was reorganized in the early years of colonial unrest and was ready in April of 1775.

As the situation became more tense, the Sexton of North Church, Robert Newman, was given lanterns and two signals, “one if by land, two if by sea,” to use to warn the revolutionaries in Charleston and ultimately those in “every Middlesex village and farm.”

Revere and William Dawes both rode to “spread the alarm” that the British were coming by sea. Revere rowed across the river, which was illegal, but got to Charleston. Both were to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock of their possible capture. Before the night was over, there were at least 40 riders spreading “the cry of alarm” into the countryside.

That “cry” was not shouted but was spread quietly and secretly to avoid alerting the British or British sympathizers.  According to Revere the words he used were “The Regulars, are coming out.” not the familiar “The British are coming!”

Both Revere and Dawes arrived in Lexington and warned Adams and Hancock. When they left Lexington to warn Concord, Samuel Prescott went with them. The colonist’s warning system was so effective, towns 25 miles from Boston knew about the British troop movements before those troops were done unloading their supplies.

Because of the rides of many, the colonists were ready in the early morning of April 19, 1775, at Lexington.  It was there “the shot heard round the world” was fired. The American Revolution had begun. Though the war was not over until Sept. 3, 1783, those riders of 348 years earlier, with their warning of British actions, changed the course of history.