click on this link to read Paul Revere's accounting of his midnight ride from Charlestown, MA to Lexington, MA:
http://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=97 (his original draft deposition for the MA Provincial Congress)
http://www.masshist.org/database/99 (recounting of same events 20 years later, in a letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap)
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/lexington2.htm (Lexington and Concord from a British officer's view. NOTE: Can't find the primary source document for this. I always like to compare tranlations, copies, etc., with the original piece of writing. Sometimes, I find that the secondary author editorializes on behalf of the original author.)
This is another description of the events from a different British regular. His description doesn't sound as civilized as the above account, nor is his opinion of the "rebels" as cordial. In the beginning paragraph, he mentions, "after going a few miles we took 3 or 4 People who were going off to give intelligence; about 5 miles on this side of a Town called Lexington," I wonder if that was Revere, Dawes, and Prescott? Good news, you can view the original document! http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/amrev/shots/concord.html
Here are 3 videos to watch. In the 3rd video, you'll get a chance to see the REAL road on which Paul Revere, Sam Prescott, and Billy Dawes rode. You'll also see lots of stones walls (which are still present throughout New England). These made great hiding spots for Colonial soldiers, and offered protection against the well-trained British regulars who were trained in open-ground combat. http://www.kidport.com/reflib/usahistory/americanrevolution/Video/LexingtonConcord.htm
Here's a diary excerpt from Matthew Patten in New Hampshire a mere 24-hours after the battles at Lexington and Concord. Remember, no internet or cell phones were used; the colonial alarm system alerted the colonists all throughout the colonies. Men were called to arms to aid their fellow patriots in Boston. Read April 20th entry: http://americainclass.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Patten-Diary.pdf and http://americainclass.org/tipping-point-of-the-revolution/
The Midnight Ride of William Dawes by Helen F. Moore, Century Magazine, 1896
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.
http://www.paul-revere-heritage.com/midnight-ride-william-dawes.html
For the interested parents, this copy of a 1912 publication is a vividly detailed accounting of the battles at Lexington and Concord. It's a really fascinating read (if you have time).... http://archive.org/stream/battleofapril19100cobu/battleofapril19100cobu_djvu.txt or choose other formats to read here: http://archive.org/details/battleofapril19100cobu or pdf (takes a while to load) here: http://ia700305.us.archive.org/1/items/battleofapril19100cobu/battleofapril19100cobu.pdf
Fun Website: http://www.paulreverehouse.org/ride/index.html , http://www.paulreverehouse.org/kids/activities.html - Lots of different things to click on each page.