I recently read a book that described the War of 1812 as an American civil war.
Indeed I would go so far as to say the War of Independence was a civil war, not fought between Americans fighting to overthrow foreign “British” rule but between British Americans with different opinions about how to govern the place.
Revere didn’t shout “The British are coming!” as post-war revisionists made out because they all regarded themselves as British, but “The regulars are coming!” a different thing entirely posing the struggle not as a fight against foreign oppressors but between the forces of an over-bearing state and local volunteer militias, who were fighting for freedom from central government and their hired minions.
You can see why federally funded state employees in government-run schools find such an idea frightening and prefer to brainwash the children into believing the war was against foreigners.
They were 200 years too early.
The only way it would have been a civil war is IF the only troops fighting were the folks for revolution who lived in America and the folks who were against revolution who lived in America. That was not the case. The crown sent troops (British and others) to fight those who were in revolt.
The fact that you actually thought Paul Revere said “The British are coming” (while a popular meme and too often taught) just says you don’t read enough history.