. >> there were several other men, the most important of which was william dawes, who rode off of bostonnd route to go and warn people in lexington and concord. the other man is a man named dr. samuel prescott, who was actually out visiting his girlfriend that night and was roped into helping with the business when he met up with revere and with dawes in lexington. >> so, then why did longfellow leave out those two men? >> that is a great question, and there are many historians and academics who've researched that particular piece. their answers seem to be that what longfellow was striving at was finding a way to inspire individuals to take up their place in history and to do an action that could help to change the course of events in their country. >> others offer a different explanation. they say that the poem's opening line... >> "listen, my children..." >> "...and you shall hear..." >> "...of the midnight ride..." >> "...of paul revere." >> ...just wouldn't have worked if "dawes" and "prescott" were added. longfellow created a legend that turned paul revere into one of our nation's m