Smith proved more forceful than most, however, and once he assumed responsibility for the defense of the colony he held every man responsible for militia duty. The display of military prowess combined with competent diplomacy permitted New England to avoid major conflict during the early years of settlement.Gradually over two decades, New England and Virginia transformed their ad hoc militias into formally structured militia systems.

The founders of the first New England colony in Plymouth (1620) hired a military adviser, Miles Standish, to oversee the colony’s defenses. As the militia began to move, a shot rang out from an unknown source.

Men of property remained active in the militia while it functioned as a policing force at home, but most landholders avoided active duty on the frontier or expeditions by paying a fine for nonservice. While this patrol gathered intelligence, it also alerted the colonials that the British were planning to move against them. Charging forward the British drove the militia from the green. Coming ashore through waist-deep water, the column paused to resupply before starting their march towards Concord around 2:00 AM. In contrast, New Englanders from across the entire social spectrum turned out for an offensive expedition against French Canada in 1745. It also was the stage upon which a community reconfirmed the ranks of citizenship and the social order. This led to an exchange of fire which saw Pitcairn's horse hit twice. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Rushing to Boston, the Massachusetts militia was soon joined by troops from other colonies ultimately forming a force of around 20,000. The fighting at Lexington and Concord proved to be the opening battles of the American Revolution. Facing the prospect of the colony’s starvation and total collapse, Smith declared martial law and organized reluctant settlers to raid corn supplies of local Native Americans. By the 18th century, militia training days were important community events in colonial society. Afterward, while the men drilled on the green, women cooked feasts and children socialized with other youngsters. The royal government determined to establish an effective militia by mandating universal military service for every man between the ages of 17 and 60. The militia played a very important role in the War of American Independence. Militia duty was burdensome to busy tobacco planters. They insisted on electing the officers who would lead them, set the geographic limits of their service (often refusing to leave their own provinces), stipulated the rations and supplies to which they were entitled, and demanded discharge at the agreed expiration of their enlistment. The Massachusetts militia adapted by creating special units of troops drawn from the trained bands based on particular skills, for example, tracking and marksmanship.Their first major expedition during the Pequot War (1637) proved a tactical success but revealed shortcomings in command. In this fashion, the militia poured fire into the British ranks, while avoiding major confrontations, until the column reached the safety of Charlestown. Once serious fighting began, however, the New England colonies reverted to the established model of the expeditionary forces in which recruits tended to be single young men able to handle the rigors of military life. After damaging surprise attacks by Native American warriors in 1675, New England towns contributed more than 1,000 militia troops for a retaliatory provincial expedition. Not only did the men come together to drill, the entire community joined in a civic holiday and a picnic, opened with a prayer by the minister of the congregation. The Revolutionary Militia . After British regulars restored order, the royal government promptly restructured the Virginia militia, hiring professional soldiers for frontier duty and reserving future local militia service to the “better sort.”From 1689 to 1763, the demands on the militia system shifted predominantly to providing expeditionary forces to support British wars with Spain and France. Militia existed in the colonies long before the American Revolution. Departing Lexington, the British pushed on towards Concord. As a remedy, New England colonies joined in a cooperative military establishment, the United Colonies of New England (1643).