History is rarely cinematic

"So through the night rode Paul Revere; And so through the night went his cry of alarm, To every Middlesex village and farm --- A cry of defiance, and not of fear."

Well, not quite.

Those words are from the Longfellow poem about Revere's "midnight ride." It was the 1861 equivalent of what today would be the movie: "Revere: 2 Fast 2 Furious."

In Revere's own words, here's how he really rolled on the pivotal night of April 18-19, 1775:

"I set off upon a very good Horse; it was then about 11 o'Clock, and very pleasant. After I had passed Charlestown Neck, and got nearly opposite where Mark was hung in chains, I saw two men on Horse back, under a Tree. When I got near them, I discovered they were British officers. One tryed to git a head of Me, and the other to take me. I turned my Horse very quick, and Galloped towards Charlestown neck, and then pushed for the Medford Road. The one who chased me, endeavoring to Cut me off, got into a Clay pond, near where the new Tavern is now built. I got clear of him, and went thro Medford, over the Bridge, and up to Menotomy. In Medford, I awaked the Captain of the Minute men; and after that, I alarmed almost every House, till I got to Lexington."

After rousing John Hancock and Sam Adams (who were both on King George's "most wanted" list) in Lexington, Revere's next planned stop was Concord. In Longfellow's poem Revere arrived there triumphantly ("It was two by the village clock, When he came to the bridge in Concord town"). In reality, he never made it. Revere was arrested by a British patrol halfway there and turned back to Lexington.