Paul Revere never shouted 'The British are coming!' The ride was secret, British patrols were about, and colonists still saw themselves as British; witnesses recalled him saying 'The Regulars are coming out.'

1775

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The event

• Paul Revere's midnight ride1775 · Boston. On the night of 18 April 1775 the silversmith Paul Revere rode out to warn the militia that British troops were moving. He did not shout 'The British are coming!': the mission was secret, and colonists still thought of themselves as British.

18th century

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