"It is the alarm! The redcoats are coming," they said to each other, referring to the British soldiers who wore red uniforms. Then they took their guns, their axes, anything they could find, and they hurried out of their homes, ready to fight.
Through the night, Paul Revere rode toward Concord. At every farmhouse and every village he repeated his call, waking the people.
The alarm spread quickly. The villagers fired their guns and rang the bells, waking anyone up who had not heard Paul's cries. For miles around everyone raced out of their beds and into the streets.
The king's soldiers were surprised to find everybody awake along the road when they thought they would all be asleep at that late hour. And they were angry because their plans had been discovered. When they finally reached Concord, they burned the courthouse to get back at the villagers.
At @Lexington, not far from Concord, there was a sharp fight in which several men were killed. This "shot heard 'round the world" was the Battle of Lexington, and it was the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
But even with the fighting, Paul Revere was successful in his ride -- the king's soldiers did not find the gunpowder for which they were looking. And they were glad enough to march back to their camp without it. It seemed as if every American in the country was out in the street, waiting to defend his or her home and country. The soldiers did not stop until they were once more back in Boston, safe, but only for the moment.
