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Before Doctor Joseph Warren sent Paul Revere to Lexington, he sent William Dawes. Dawes and Revere took separate routes to get to Lexington so the information of the British would arrive safely.

Dawes avoided a group of British guards by jumping over a wall. He reached Lexington at about 12:30 a.m on the 19th of April. This was about half an hour after Paul Revere arrived. At 1:00 a.m. they rode on together to go to Concord, but they had another messenger with them; his name was Samuel Prescott. Later on they were caught by British guards. Dawes and Prescott escaped. While escaping Dawes's horse bucked him off and ran away; Dawes had to walk back to Lexington. Prescott made it to Concord.

Dawes was born in Boston in 1745. He became a tanner. He may have fought in a Bay war . He died in 1799.