After all, when Paul Revere made his ride, all of the colonists were British.
I've always believed that his alarm was more specific: "The Regulars are coming!" or maybe "The Redcoats are coming!" or something that implied that it was British regular military forces that were on their way.
It would make sense if it had occurred in an area settled primarily by people who didn’t come from Great Britain.
There are oddly similar stories from other parts of the colonies:
http://highered411.com/Readings/BETSY%20DOWDY.pdf
I seem to recall that he referred to them as “the regulars”.
Also, this author should have mentioned that Revere was not the only rider that night. Longfellow made him the most famous, though.
At the end of August, we will be visiting the Boston area. Our trips are usually centered on history, mostly the Revolutionary War period — and actually anything related to George Washington. Really looking forward immersing myself in the history.
Good info here:
https://www.paulreverehouse.org/the-real-story/