The Midnight Ride of Billy Dawes

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In 1775, before the battle of Lexington, William Dawes and Paul Revere were dispatched to rouse the country. Samuel Prescott joined them enroute. They ran into a British patrol and Revere was captured. Dawes and Prescott got away. 

(From Reggie Dawes's Home Pages about the Dawes family.)

For the full story, see: 
Forget Sarah Palin and Paul Revere: What About the Midnight Ride of William Dawes? 
-Charlie Jones, The People’s Almanac

The Midnight Ride of William Dawes

I am a wandering, bitter shade,
Never of me was a hero made;
Poets have never sung my praise,
Nobody crowned my brow with bays;
And if you ask me the fatal cause,
I answer only, "My name was Dawes"

'Tis all very well for the children to hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere;
But why should my name be quite forgot,
Who rode as boldly and well, God wot?
Why should I ask? The reason is clear --
My name was Dawes and his Revere.

When the lights from the old North Church flashed out,
Paul Revere was waiting about,
But I was already on my way.
The shadows of night fell cold and gray
As I rode, with never a break or a pause;
But what was the use, when my name was Dawes!

History rings with his silvery name;
Closed to me are the portals of fame.
Had he been Dawes and I Revere,
No one had heard of him, I fear.
No one has heard of me because
He was Revere and I was Dawes.

The above poem is a parody of Longfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Written by Helen F. Moore, it was published in 1896 in the Century Magazine.