Listen, my children, and give a pause for the midnight ride of William Dawes.
All right, so Longfellow knew he could get a better rhyme out of “hear” and “Revere,” but the result of his famous poem from “Tales of a Wayside Inn” is that Paul Revere’s fellow rider, William Dawes, is largely unknown to most Americans. So how about three cheers for Mr. Dawes on this Patriot’s Day.
Their momentous ride was set off by Robert Newman, the sexton of the Old North Church, who climbed the church steeple on the night of April 18, 1775, to hang two lanterns there.
The lanterns, arranged by Revere, signaled that the British had begun a march to Lexington in search of revolutionary leaders, particularly John Hancock and Samuel Adams. After the lanterns were hung, Messrs. Revere and Dawes set off for Lexington to warn their fellow patriots. On their way to their next stop, Concord, they were detained by the British. Mr. Dawes was able to slip away, while Mr. Revere was later more famously released on foot. It may be that the former’s skills of stealth served him well on his journey but not so well in the history books.
The British met little resistance on their way to Concord, though the 70 minutemen who waited at Lexington on the morning of April 19 would prove to be able fighters later. The colonists at Lexington had the good sense to disperse after seeing the overwhelming number of redcoats — but not before one of their number, or perhaps a British soldier, fired the shot heard round the world, and the war was on. The battle at Concord’s North Bridge and the ensuing British retreat was a bloody beginning to America’s independence.
The site of the battle is now Minute Man National Historical Park, established in 1959. The park service bought and demolished many modern homes and businesses in the 1960s and restored the fields and orchards, so a visitor can easily imagine the scene that day. The park’s 1,038 acres spread over Lincoln, Lexington and Concord.
Just two states — Maine and Massachusetts — still mark this momentous event in American history. Massachusetts, understandably, celebrates the day more obviously than Maine: It has re-enactments and readings, and runs its famous Boston Marathon. Maine marks it in quieter, but no less patriotic fashion.
And the rest of the states? Perhaps their school children also are on vacation this week, so the lack of observation of this important day in their histories is not so noticeable. Still, a more nationwide effort of reading Longfellow’s poem by those sporting tricorn hats wouldn’t hurt anybody. Except perhaps the forgotten Mr. Dawes.
While it is important to remember the events of Lexington & Concord, it is even more important to remember the spirit those men had for the defense of liberty.
It also wouldn’t hurt us to be reminded that an African American man was wounded defending his country in that battle. One of twelve African Americans who fought that day.
“Prince Easterbrooks (also referred to as Estabrook) served in nearly
every major campaign of the war. An undated broadside identifying him
as ” a Negro Man” lists Easterbrooks among the wounded from Lexington
“in the late Engagement with His Majesty’s Troops at Concord, &c.”
Easterbrooks had enlisted in the company of Captain John Parker, the
first to engage the British at Lexington.”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h2.html
Good history, love it.
Not to mention, the Brits have officially named George Washington as their “greatest ever foe”. It kind of inspires a bit of pride, lest we forget our roots.
(Story of Washington being the Brit’s “greatest ever foe”) –
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9204961/George-Washington-named-Britains-greatest-ever-foe.html
Agreed! Washington was given a group of farmers and shopkeepers and was told, “All you have to do is turn them into an army, perhaps pay them out of your own pocket, and defeat the most powerful empire in the world.”
He lost more battles than he won, and our French allies were crucial to our victory at Yorktown (the majority of the “American” forces at Yorktown were French, and the entire “American” navy at Yorktown was French) — but Washington put together an army that could stand and fight, get beaten, retreat in good order, and come back and fight again. And he occasionally did something absolutely brilliant, such as his small yet important victories at Trenton and Princeton. Bravo to Washington!
And a fine president as well — one of our very best!
Maybe would-be President Michele Bachman will finally realize that the Battles of Lexington and Concord took place in Mass., not in New Hampshire, as she claimed last year while campaigning in Concord, NH.
Paul Revere went on to be commander of the Massachusetts artillery at Castine when the British drove the Massachusetts army and navy up the Penobscot. Revere ended up being court-martialed but was exonerated. Oh, well, can’t win ’em all. I wonder if Longfellow might have worked on some poetry about that episode. Probably not. But Longfellow’s grandfather was at Castine, too.
Yes, and the irony is that Gen. Peleg Wadsworth (second-in-command) was one of the people who wanted Revere court-marshaled — then Wadsworth’s grandson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, turned Revere into a larger-than-life hero!
The story they tell in Castine is that Revere was late, was lazy, was generally missing when he was needed, expressed a desire to not press the attack, was incompetent in his artillery command, that he disobeyed at least two direct orders, and that he abandoned his troops during the retreat to Boston. He got off with a slap on the wrist because Governor John Hancock was his friend, and his trial was held after the war’s end — and people just wanted to put it behind them.
Besides, Massachusetts had already fixed the blame on Admiral Saltonstall, who was from Connecticut (and as an out-of-stater, easier to blame); and he commanded a federal ship, so by blaming Saltonstall they could blame the federal government and get them to assume the debt that Massachussetts had incurred. Gen. Lovell was probably equally to blame, or more so, for the disaster, but Lovell was from Massachusetts. Even back then, people were playing politics.
Also forgotten by many Dr Samuel Prescott who was the only of the three to actually make it to Concord. Revere was more of a political activist and organizer than a military man. The ill fated Penobscot Expedition did nothing to enhance his career. His reputation was greatly rehabilitated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The British expedition was to seize ‘military supplies’ (i.e., guns and ammunition) that the Colonials had collected. Pretty much a BATFE versus Branch Davidians situation, which makes the memorialisation of the Colonials by those who excoriate the Davidians a little droll. Shouldn’t we instead be asking “Why did the Colonials hate their government” in tones of wounded puzzlement?
The difference between hero and terrorist is not what you are fighting for or against. Regardless of right or wrong, good or bad the great men we call the founders were terrorists defying the lawful government with terrorist tactics. The reason we remember them as great men, other than the ideal of freedom is a pretty good idea, is that they won. That is the only difference between history calling you a hero or terrorist, is if you won or lost. After all, the victor is the one who writes the history book.
The Branch Davidians were fighting to hasten the mythical Battle of Armeggedon, the Second Coming, and the End Times. Their fight was based on a kind of religious zealotry and unquestioning support for their leader, David Koresh, that most Americans would find to be at least somewhat delusional.
The Patriots at Lexington and Concord were fighting for “the rights of Englishmen,” and as the war progressed, to establish an independent United States of America. So to me, these are very different causes, and I would not compare the Branch Davidians with the Patriots.