What details does Longfellow include to explain the time and place in which the events of the poem take place?

The landlord speaks in 1860, but the events of the poem are April 1775. The lanterns, which literally feature light breaking into darkness, are more than just the instruments through which Revere gets the signal to begin his ride. As bearers of light and disrupters of the darkness, they signify the enduring American spirit, the will to fight for and preserve justice and freedom. These lights are the lights of democracy, of equality, of the virtuousness of a David fighting a Goliath.