USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Lines 42-43. The creepiness continues as Longfellow reminds us of the dead people in the churchyard (a graveyard around a church) down below. He imagines them being like an army asleep in a camp ("their night-encampment").

Detailed explanation-2: -He hears the sound of British soldiers as they go down to their boats. What does Paul Revere’s friend hear as he wanders about the town at night? He was signaling with lanterns that the British were coming by sea. Why does Paul Revere’f friend climb the Old North Church Tower?

Detailed explanation-3: -Paul Revere tells his friend to use a lantern to signal when the British are coming. Some people know that the British soldiers will come into town at night. Half of the soldiers will march across land, and the other half will come by boat.

Detailed explanation-4: -The slender white steeple of Old North Church is a cherished symbol of American freedom, the place where two signal lanterns dispatched Paul Revere on his famous 1775 ride to warn the colonists of approaching British troops.