T'was the 18th of April in '75...

A few lines from the Longfellow poem:

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,

And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark

Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;

That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,

The fate of a nation was riding that night...

"Awaken..."
Paul Revere's ride, 18 April 1775
Reproduction of painting by William Robinson Leigh.
Library of Congress collection

A less poetic, more factual telling of the ride can be found here.