Paul Revere Timeline

Our Paul Revere Timeline and Map provide historically accurate information for students about the chronology and geography of his famous ride on April 18 & 19, 1775

Paul Reveres Ride Map Color

Timeline of Paul Revere and William Dawes

April 16 - April 19, 1775

Timeline of Paul Revere
This information is part of a 26 page Paul Revere Unit Study.

April 16, 1775

Afternoon: Paul Revere made an unhurried and non-famous trip from Boston to Lexington and Concord, a trip he made many times with messages between Sam Adams and John Hancock. He let them know that the British grandiers were planning an expedition to Concord soon. The weapons in Concord were hidden by the colonists. Good thing too. Because on the night of his famous ride, they wouldn’t have had time to hide those cannon.

April 18, 1775

9:00 pm April 18 - Dawes Leaves by Boston Neck
10 pm British begin crossing Charles River by boat. It takes them about four hours to get across. Meanwhile Revere is contacted & prepares to leave.
11 pm Revere crosses Charles River and arrives in Charlestown
11:30 Reaches Medford

April 19, 1775

12:30 - 12:45 am Revere reaches Lexington, warns Adams and Hancock, is joined by Dawes and another patriot named Samuel Prescot.
1:00 pm Captured! A British patrol captures Revere enroute to Concord. Prescot escapes and continues Revere’s mission to Concord. Dawes escapes but loses his horse and walks to Lexington.
1:30 Prescot reaches Concord, sounds the alarm, and continues 5 miles west to Acton, bringing their milita to Concord. (They will repulse the British at the Concord North Bridge.)
2:00 The British Regulars have crossed the Charles River and begin marching to Lexington. Meanwhile, the British patrol takes Revere back to Lexington and steals his borrowed horse.
3:30 Revere helps escort Adams & Hancocks away from town, but returns to get a trunk of important papers for Hancock.
4:57 British Regulars arrive in Lexington. Some milita that gathered from Revere’s call are on the Green.
5:00 The Shot Heard Around the World: The Battle of Lexington and the Revolutionary War Begins. About 70 militiamen face off against 700 British Redcoats. Eight militiamen die, nine are wounded; but only one British soldier is wounded. Revere is at a house in Lexington moving the trunk and hears the shots.
7:00 The British Regulars arrive in Concord. They capture the few supplies that aren’t hidden and set three cannons on fire. The milita flee.
9:00 By now 3000 militamen have gathered in Concord. Led by the brigade from Acton, they repulse the British at the North Bridge. The Redcoats flee to Boston, but are harrassed and shot at by the milita on their way back. More than 250 British are killed or wounded.

Paul Revere's Ride Map

Paul Reveres Ride Map Color Map of Paul Revere's Ride - black and white

Map of Paul Revere's Ride

The two maps are part of the Paul Revere Unit Study and corresponding to the information in the timeline above. Students can follow along, locate starting and ending locations, and note the place of Revere's arrest.

The unit study provides a black and white version of the map as well as a color version.