Margareta_Case (@Margareta_Case)

@Gabriels_Horn On the night of April 18, 1775, after learning that the British were sending out a force to seize the Patriot arsenal at Concord, Joseph Warren dispatched two riders to spread the alarm and alert the Minutemen. One of those riders was, of course, Paul Revere, who is remembered by most Americans for his famous “midnight ride.” Today is the birthday of the other rider, who despite taking the same risks and accomplishing his mission, is relatively unknown and is largely forgotten—the Patriot William Dawes. A Boston tanner, militiaman, and Son of Liberty, Dawes fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill and served as a quartermaster for most of the war. He died at his home in Marlborough, Massachusetts in February 1799, at age 53. Dawes’ fellow rider Paul Revere achieved immortality thanks to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1860 poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” Longfellow knew the history well but altered it for literary effect. William Dawes became one of the poem’s historical casualties. Many have speculated over the years that Longfellow chose to give Revere all the glory because “Revere” was better suited for rhyming. “Listen my children and you shall hear/of the midnight ride of William Dawes” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. In 1896 Helen Moore published a poem, parodying Longfellow’s and turning the spotlight on the neglected Mr. Dawes: The Midnight Ride of William Dawes I am a wandering, bitter shade, Never of me was a hero made; Poets have never sung my praise, Nobody crowned my brow with bays; And if you ask me the fatal cause, I answer only, “My name was Dawes.” ‘Tis all very well for the children to hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere; But why should my name be quite forgot, Who rode as boldly and well, God wot? Why should I ask? The reason is clear -- My name was Dawes and his Revere. When the lights from the old North Church flashed out, Paul Revere was waiting about, But I was already on my way. The shadows of night fell cold and gray As I rode, with never a break or a pause; But what was the use, when my name was Dawes! History rings with his silvery name; Closed to me are the portals of fame. Had he been Dawes and I Revere, No one had heard of him, I fear. No one has heard of me because He was Revere and I was Dawes. Of course, it is just and proper to remember and honor Paul Revere. But let’s also remember to give a tip of the proverbial hat to his comrade William Dawes. Finally, this bit of William Dawes trivia: his great-great-great grandson Charles Gates Dawes was Vice President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge.