The Midnight Ride of……William Dawes

     They called him Billy. His real name was William Dawes, Jr., ancestor of Marietta’s noted Dawes family. He rode with Paul Revere on his famous 1775 midnight ride. But Dawes was left out of the story, along with a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott. To paraphrase author Christopher Klein, “While Paul Revere galloped into history, his fellow rider(s) William Dawes (and Samuel Prescott) galloped into undeserved oblivion.”

William Dawes, oil painting by John Johnston, circa 1785-95, viewed at historyofmassachusetts.org

The popular though inaccurate story comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1861 poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” Longfellow wrote it to inspire patriotic fervor just prior to the Civil War. He simplified the facts to make it more memorable to readers. He succeeded.

So, what really happened? On April 18, 1775, 700 British soldiers were on the move to destroy military supplies at Concord, Massachusetts. Colonists learned of the British action, though they believed their objective was to arrest patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock at Lexington. They sprang into action to warn them. It wasn’t just Paul Revere. Patriot activist Dr. Joseph Warren assigned two riders to take alternate routes in case one was captured. Revere also arranged for the lantern signal at Old North Church to alert others.

Billy Dawes was the first rider, dispatched at 9:00 pm, prompting his descendants to label him “First Rider of Revolution.” He had a longer and riskier route through the British checkpoint at Boston Neck. Dawes had unique qualifications for this mission. He was a trusted patriot and member of the Massachusetts militia, The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. Billy often spied on the British in plain sight, posing as a tipsy farmer or quaffing a pint while listening to British loyalists in taverns.

Paul Revere started around 10:00 pm. He was ferried across the Charles River, procured a horse from Deacon Larkin, and headed for Lexington.He arrived first at midnight to warn Adams and Hancock. Where was Dawes? “He must have been stopped,” thought Revere. Dawes arrived at 12:30. They then realized that the British had a bigger objective in mind: the military supplies at Concord. The two set off urgently to notify local defenders. On the way they met Dr. Samuel Prescott as he was returning from visiting his sweetheart in Concord. After ascertaining that he was a loyal patriot, he joined Dawes and Revere. Prescott used his knowledge of local people to spread the word.

Ironically, neither Paul Revere nor Billy Dawes made it to Concord. They and Prescott were surrounded by a British patrol. Revere was captured, interrogated, and released - without his horse. He returned to Lexington. Dawes escaped but soon after was thrown by his horse which ran off. He lost his watch. Only Prescott, the local guy who volunteered on the spot, evaded the British and warned Concord.

All three riders courageously did their job by notifying crucial people on their routes. The Minutemen responded. Hostilities began at dawn on April 19, 1775, with “the shot heard round the world.” Patriot militias drove the British force back to Boston. The Revolutionary War had begun.

Yes, Paul Revere played an important role in patriot resistance and as a rider that night. But the warning to Lexington and Concord that “The British are coming!” was truly a team effort.

William Dawes, Jr. found his lost watch, continued to help the patriot cause, served as a quartermaster during the war, and later operated a grocery business. His great grandson was General Rufus Dawes of Marietta. 

Dr. Joseph Warren died at the Battle of Bunker Hill just two months later. Samuel Prescott never married his sweetheart; he died in 1777 as a prisoner of war. Paul Revere remained an active patriot, suffered through a disastrous command in the war, and continued as a successful businessman in Boston.

Marietta College Ambulance Corps

     There is a monument at the corner of Gilman and Virginia Streets in Harmar. It sits near busy traffic lanes, yet offers a serene view of the Ohio River. It was a gift of France, donated as part of the Northwest Territory Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1937-38 in appreciation for the service of the World War I Marietta College Ambulance Unit. On October 17, 1920, French military attaché General Collardet decorated the Corps members for their “noble service.” The solemn ceremony took place in Muskingum Park in the presence of college faculty and community members.

Twenty young men, primarily students from Marietta College and Miami University, had volunteered in 1917 to serve in the Ambulance Corps. Beman G. Dawes, Jr. organized the group with help from his father and others. The group received a rousing send-off by thousands of Mariettans on May 22. 

Photo of Ambulance Corps Ceremony in Marietta College Yearbook, from Marietta College Legacy Library Special Collections. CLICK TO ENLARGE

They landed in France at Bordeaux bearing the first American flag carried by a military organization in WW I. The Corps were actually assigned to “camion service,” not ambulance service, driving large Pierce Arrow trucks to move supplies because that was the most pressing need when they arrived. Yet the “Ambulance Corps” moniker stuck. It was strenuous, dangerous duty, often conducted at night. 

Photo of Ambulance Corps in France with last names written at bottom. From Marietta College Legacy Library Special Collections. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

Several letters from corps members gave fascinating views of their experience. 

Donley Parr from Dayton OH reported in a letter to his brother that the liner Rochambeau which transported the men was followed by German U-Boats. In the U-Boat zone of the Atlantic, “passengers slept on deck in chairs.” Luckily for them, they saw no submarines, but U-Boats sank the Mississippi which followed their boat. The cruise ship menu - offering “French bills of fare” - were not to the group’s liking; they missed their typical American food from home.

On landing at Bordeaux, no one greeted them; they had to fend for themselves at first. Parr described the country as “very attractive and beautiful…It’s wonderful to see the great (patriotic) enthusiasm for their cause. We in America do not appreciate what it means to be fighting for existence.”

 H. Ellis Sibley wrote in a letter that they saw other Americans there. “A fellow named Hall knew friends” of the group. He went out yesterday and failed to come back…So it goes….It is a pretty grim business…..Today we (saw) part of the Aisne battlefield. There were barb-wire entanglements and trenches by the hundreds…We have heard big guns often.”

“The weather here is most peculiar to us…we roast during the day and nearly freeze during the night under three blankets…it rains frequently and our barracks leak!”  

Sibley learned about the war first hand from men on the front. A Canadian soldier was on leave after 32 months. Physically he was ok, but “his nerves were shot.” “Sherman was right,” Sibley astutely observed, referring to General William Tecumseh Sherman’s quote admonishing those who glamorize war. “War is hell,” Sherman bluntly stated. 

A newspaper article reported on Rutherford M. DeArmon’s experience with “the famous Marietta College Ambulance Corps.”  He said the corps members were treated well, including a seven day leave after three months during which they toured Nice. His photos and the reporter’s narrative document the destruction wrought by German artillery. Orchards were “laid waste,…houses shown in ruins, churches were not spared….” Other photos show “stacks of shells ricked up like wood” in public parks and captured German planes on exhibit, plainly showing the German cross. 

The “Ambulance Corps” turned truck drivers worked until mid-November of 1917 when their enlistment ended. Many transferred to other American military units after that. The French recognized not only their dedication but their excellent work doing a difficult task - as civilian volunteers.

Sidebar notes: 

I was surprised to read that the president of Marietta College at the time, George W. Hinman, criticized the Ambulance Corps group. The Marietta Times reported that he called them “cowards,” saying that they recruited their parents to pull strings for them to avoid the draft. I saw no other indication of draft dodging as a motivation for their service.

Your author was curious how the idea for the Ambulance Corps came about. Before researching, I had thought it was a purely grass roots student idea which became an altruistic reality. But I noticed the names of some prominent business people, including parents, who provided financial and other help. So, did the students recruit the parents to help or did the parents recruit the students? It’s not clear; perhaps it was a team effort

Notice of Beman G. Dawes, Jr.’s engagement to Miss Janet Newton appeared in the Washington D. C. Times Herald on July 9, 1917 while Dawes was in France.

H. Ellis Sibley’s father, W. G. Sibley was in New York to see off his son to France. He was editor of the Gallipolis (OH) Tribune and quite a renowned angler. The Idaho Statesman newspaper reported on Sibley’s advice given at New York for successful fishing. He extolled the value of “spitting on the bait” to improve fishing success. “Many fishermen scoff at the idea,” he explained, “but the practice is one of the best aids to anglers.” Why would an Idaho newspaper publish fishing advice given by a man from Ohio offered while he was visiting New York City? Who knows, but it’s entertaining.