Who Were the Minutemen?
As early as 1645 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, some men were selected from the general ranks of town-based “training bands” for rapid deployment. Men so selected were designated as Minutemen. The Minutemen were often 25 years old or younger, and they were chosen for their enthusiasm, political reliability, and strength. They were the first armed militia to arrive or await a battle. Officers, as in the rest of the militia, were elected by popular vote. Most Colonial militia units were provided neither arms nor uniforms and had to equip themselves. Many simply wore their own farmers’ or workmans’ clothes, while others had buckskin hunting outfits. Some added Indian-style touches to intimidate the enemy, even including war-paint. Most used hunting rifles, which did not have bayonets but were accurate at long range. The rifled musket used by most Minutemen was also well suited to this role. The rifling gave it a much greater range than the smoothbore musket, although it took longer to l
