Profile of the Day: William Dawes

William Dawes

As British forces prepared to march onto Lexington and Concord on April 18, 1775, two patriots set out on horseback to warn American colonists of the British advancement. While everyone may know the story of Paul Revere’s midnight ride, the story of William Dawes’s ride is often forgotten.

Revere and Dawes embarked on different routes across Massachusetts in the event one was be captured. Dawes was assigned to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that they were in danger of arrest. After arriving at Lexington about the same time, Dawes and Revere proceeded to Concord together and were joined by a young patriot, Samuel Prescott. Along the way, they were met by British officers on the road. The three men rode in different directions hoping one would be able to escape. Revere was detained, while Dawes lost his horse and was forced to walk back to Lexington. According to lore, Dawes lured two officers to the yard of a house and tricked the men into believing it was an ambush. Only Prescott made it to Concord to warn the militia there. The warnings by Dawes and the others allowed the militias to successfully confront the British troops, marking the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.

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