William Dawes, Jr. (April 5, 1745 – February 25, 1799) was one of the three men who alerted colonial minutemen of the approach of
British armyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
troops prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord at the outset of the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
.
Dawes was born in Boston on April 5, 1745, to William and Lydia Dawes (
néeNEE, Nee, Née may refer to:* Née or Nee, French for "born", indicates a person's birth surname* Nee , a band in Kannada* NEE, a political party in Flanders, Belgium* "Ne~e?", a 2003 single by Aya Matsuura- People with the family name :...
Boone), and baptised at Boston's Old South Church. He became a
tannerTanner may refer to:* Tanner , the tanning of leather and hides* Tanner , sixpence in British pre-decimal coinage* Tanner stage , stages of physical development in children, adolescents and adults...
and was active in Boston's militia.
William Dawes, Jr. (April 5, 1745 – February 25, 1799) was one of the three men who alerted colonial minutemen of the approach of
British armyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
troops prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord at the outset of the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
.
Early life
Dawes was born in Boston on April 5, 1745, to William and Lydia Dawes (
néeNEE, Nee, Née may refer to:* Née or Nee, French for "born", indicates a person's birth surname* Nee , a band in Kannada* NEE, a political party in Flanders, Belgium* "Ne~e?", a 2003 single by Aya Matsuura- People with the family name :...
Boone), and baptised at Boston's Old South Church. He became a
tannerTanner may refer to:* Tanner , the tanning of leather and hides* Tanner , sixpence in British pre-decimal coinage* Tanner stage , stages of physical development in children, adolescents and adults...
and was active in Boston's militia. On May 3, 1768 Dawes married Mehitable May, the daughter of Samuel and Catherine May (née Mears). The
Boston GazetteThe Boston Gazette was a newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts, in the British North American colonies. It began publication December 12, 1719 and appeared weekly.-Brief History:...
noted that for his wedding he wore a suit entirely made in North America; at the time,
WhigsThe Radical Whigs were "a group of British political commentators" associated with the British Whig faction who were at the forefront of Radicalism...
were trying to organize a boycott of British products to pressure
ParliamentThe Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
into repealing the
Townshend ActsThe Townshend Acts were a series of acts passed beginning in 1767 by the Parliament of Great Britain relating to the British colonies in North America. The acts are named for Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who proposed the program...
.
Role in Boston's militia
It is likely that in September 1774, Dawes was instrumental in helping Boston's militia artillery company secure its four small cannon from British army control. The
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
Provincial Congress"Provincial Congress" can refer to one of several extra-legal legislative bodies established in some of the Thirteen Colonies early in the American Revolution...
certainly sent word to him in February 1775 that it was time to move two of those weapons out of Boston.
Midnight ride
Dawes was assigned by Doctor
Joseph WarrenDr. Joseph Warren was an American doctor and soldier, remembered for playing a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston and for his death as a volunteer private soldier while also serving as chief executive of the revolutionary Massachusetts government.-Life and career:Warren was...
to ride from Boston, Massachusetts, to
LexingtonLexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,355 at the 2000 census.The town is famous for being the site of the opening shots of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775....
on the night of April 18, 1775, when it became clear that a British column was going to march into the countryside. Dawes's mission was to warn
John HancockJohn Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
and
Samuel AdamsSamuel Adams was a statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American republicanism...
that they were in danger of arrest. Dawes took the land route out of Boston through the
Boston NeckThe Boston Neck or Roxbury Neck was an isthmus, a narrow strip of land connecting the peninsular Boston, Massachusetts to the mainland city of Roxbury . The surrounding land was gradually filled in as the city of Boston expanded in population. -History:Boston Neck was originally about wide at...
, leaving just before the military sealed off the town.
Also acting under Dr. Warren,
Paul ReverePaul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution.He was glorified after his death for his role as a messenger in the battles of Lexington and Concord, and Revere's name and his "midnight ride" are well-known in the United States as a patriotic symbol...
arranged for another rider waiting across the Charles River in Charlestown to be told of the army's route with lanterns hung in
Old North ChurchThe Old North Church , at 193 Salem Street, in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent...
. To be certain the message would get through, Revere rowed across the river and started riding westwards himself. Later
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American educator and poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and "Evangeline"...
's historically inaccurate poem "
Paul Revere's Ride"Paul Revere's Ride" is a poem by an American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that commemorates the actions of American patriot Paul Revere on April 18, 1775.-Overview:...
" would focus entirely on Revere, making him a composite of many alarm riders that night.
Dawes and Revere arrived at the
Hancock-Clarke HouseThe Hancock-Clarke House is a historic American Revolutionary War site on Hancock Street in Lexington, Massachusetts. It played a prominent role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord as both John Hancock and Samuel Adams, leaders of the colonials, were staying in the house before the battle. The...
in Lexington about the same time, shortly after midnight. In fact, Revere arrived slightly earlier, despite having stopped to speak to militia officers in towns along the way, because his ride was shorter and his horse faster. After warning Adams and Hancock to leave, Revere and Dawes chose to proceed to
ConcordConcord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 Census, the town population was about 17,000. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature...
in case that was the British column's goal. Revere no doubt knew that the Provincial Congress had stored munitions there, including the cannon Dawes had helped to secure. Along the way, the two men met
Samuel PrescottSamuel Prescott was a Massachusetts Patriot during the American Revolutionary War.- Early life :Dr. Samuel Prescott was born August 19, 1751...
, a local young physician, who joined them.
A squad of mounted British officers awaited on the road between Lexington and Concord. They had already arrested some riders heading west with news of the troops, and they called for Dawes, Revere, and Prescott to halt. The three men rode in different directions, hoping one would escape. Dawes, according to the story he told his children, rode into the yard of a house shouting that he had lured two officers there. Fearing an ambush, the officers stopped chasing him. Dawes's horse bucked him off, however, and he had to walk back to Lexington. He later said that in the morning he returned to the same yard and found the watch that had fallen from his pocket. Otherwise, Dawes's activity during the Battle of Lexington and Concord remains unknown.
Dawes and his companions' warning allowed the town militias to muster a sufficient force for the first open battle of the Revolutionary War and the first colonial victory. The British troops did not find most of the weapons they had marched to destroy and sustained serious losses during their retreat to Boston under
guerrillaGuerrilla warfare is the irregular warfare warfare and combat in which a small group of combatants use mobile military tactics in the form of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
fire.
Quartermaster
During the war, Dawes worked as a quartermaster in central Massachusetts. British POWs from the
Battle of SaratogaThe Battles of Saratoga, sometimes referred to as The Battle of Saratoga conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American Revolutionary War, and are generally regarded as a turning point in the war...
complained to Parliament that he gave them short supplies; his family countered that Dawes believed that they were stealing from farmers while being marched to Boston – as most armies on the march were prone to do.
Later life
His wife died in 1793. Dawes died in
Marlborough, MassachusettsMarlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 36,255 at the 2000 census. The name of this town is sometimes spelled as Marlboro, rather than Marlborough, which is the official spelling.-Pronunciation:...
on February 25, 1799. He is believed to have been buried in the
King's Chapel Burying GroundKing's Chapel Burying Ground is a historic cemetery at King's Chapel on Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts and is the oldest cemetery in the city....
, though his remains may have been moved to his wife's family plot in
Forest Hills CemeteryForest Hills Cemetery in the Forest Hills area of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts is a historic cemetery, greenspace, arboretum and sculpture garden...
in Jamaica Plain.
His great-great-grandson, Charles Gates Dawes, would serve as
Vice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
.
Legacy
The poem by
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American educator and poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and "Evangeline"...
, "
Paul Revere's RidePaul Revere's Ride can refer to a historic horseback ride in American history, the title of a poem written by Longfellow about the 1775 event, and titles of various books that describe the historic event:* Paul Revere's Ride...
", has been criticized by modern historians for overstating the role of Revere in the night's events. Revere may have been a better story, as Dawes and Prescott were more successful in achieving their missions. In 1896 Helen F. Moore, dismayed that William Dawes had been forgotten, penned a parody of Longfellow's poem.
The difference in Revere's and Dawes´ achievement and legacy is examined by
Malcolm GladwellMalcolm Gladwell is a British-born Canadian journalist, author, and pop sociologist, based in New York City. He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996...
in his book
The Tipping PointThe Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference is a book by Malcolm Gladwell, first published by Little Brown in 2000.-Overview:...
, where he concludes that Revere would be classified as a connector whereas Dawes was an "ordinary man".
Dawes's ride is commemorated on a traffic island in
Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, a nexus of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Notably, Cambridge is home to two internationally prominent...
heavily travelled by pedestrians, at the intersection of Garden Street and
Massachusetts AvenueMassachusetts Avenue, known to locals as Mass Ave, is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and several cities and towns northwest of Boston...
in
Harvard SquareHarvard Square is a large triangular area in the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street...
, and known as
Dawes Island. Dawes's passage through the area is represented by bronze horseshoes embedded in the sidewalk, as hoofprints, accompanied by an inscription giving his name and the date, and by historical displays.
External links