Minute Men

Think of how rural areas handle fire emergencies. It’s a trained volunteer muster squad. And if the town doesn’t donate funds for materials, the men buy their own equipment. Minute men were like that.

Although the terms militia and minutemen are sometimes used interchangeably today, in the 18th century there was a decided difference between the two. Militia were men in arms formed to protect their towns from foreign invasion and ravages of war. Minutemen were a small hand-picked elite force which were required to be highly mobile and able to assemble quickly. Minutemen were selected from militia muster rolls by their commanding officers. Typically, 25 years of age or younger, they were chosen for their enthusiasm, reliability, and physical strength. Usually about one quarter of the militia served as Minutemen, performing additional duties as such. The Minutemen were the first armed militia to arrive or await a battle.

Prior to the war, America was being fought over between Britain France, Spain, and the Netherlands for “god gold and glory”. While it may seem extreme for soldiers to have occupied the town, this was normal for the time and place. Police forces did not exist in the 18th century British world, so soldiers were the default option for quelling riots, rebellions, and other disorders. Despite being frequently called upon to serve as armed peacekeepers, British soldiers weren’t trained in skills like de-escalation, peer intervention, or crowd control, which help reduce tension and the risk of bloodshed. For many generations, every town in Massachusetts organized and maintained its own “training band”; military or militia units, comprised of local inhabitants who would turn out in times of emergency, often acting as an auxiliary to the regular military forces of Great Britain. When the danger had passed, the militia would return to their homes and private lives. Generally, all able-bodied men between 16 and 60 were required to serve in the militia companies and would muster annually for drilling. By the 17th century smaller groups within the town militia were arranged as first responders and were quick, agile, and kept ready for deployment “in a minute’s notice”. These became known as “minute companies” and comprised about a quarter of the town militia. In general town militia were armed and equipped at their own expense. They were held in poor regard by British officials who thought them ill-trained amateurs at best, and country bumpkins at worst. At least until the Battle at Lexington and Concord.

-Source Links-

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/what-minuteman

https://www.ushistory.org/people/minutemen.htm