Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet born between 1807-1882. He was part of the "Fireside Poets" known for poems that were read around fires. Longfellow wrote in a lyric style, expressing personal feelings and emotions about subjects. One of his most famous poems is "Paul Revere's Ride", which was published in 1860. The poem dramatizes the ride of Paul Revere to warn the American colonists of the approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. Though the poem takes some artistic liberties, it helped establish Paul Revere as a famous patriot and national hero.