Militias mostly trained on a seasonal basis, but minutemen companies were established to provide more regular training (sometimes weekly) of the best men in the militia. The first shots were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington. As a precaution, these items were often hidden or left behind by minutemen in fields or wooded areas. On May 25th Prescotts company captains, to make sure that there would be no change of command, certified in writing to the Honorable Congress of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay now sitting in Watertown that they were well contented with their officers.. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Stephen Jenkins company, Col. Gerriahs regiment. The real power of the confederation was that all four of the colonies promised to contribute soldiers to an alert force that would fight anywhere in the colonies. During the battle of Bunker Hill the 6th Massachusetts Regiment, under the command of Colonel John Nixon, was positioned in the redoubt onBreeds Hillnear Captain Jonathan Brewer and CaptainWilliam Prescottregiments. British sentries were also aware of the activity, but most apparently did not think it cause for alarm. Samuel Sewall gives an account in the History of Woburn: Mr. Marrett next conducted Mrs. Jones illustrious visitors to the house of Mr. Amos Wyman, situate in an obscure corner of Bedford, Billerica and Woburn Precinct, where were collected the women and children of several of the neighboring families, who had fled thither for safety; fearing that if they remained at home, the regulars might come, and murder them, or carry them off. More militiamen arrived soon thereafter and inflicted heavy damage on the regulars as they marched back towards Boston. Moses Willmarths (9th) co., Col. John Daggetts (4th Bristol Co.) regt., which marched in response to the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, 7 days; also, Capt. Ward Swifts company of militia, which marched on the Lexington Alarm, Israel HAZENsson-in-lawNehemiah Jewett (1737 in Ipswich, Mass 1815 Ipswich, Mass.). They were planning on marching only to Concord, but since they had met up with patriots ready to fight in Lexington, battle resulted. Samuel Baldwins co., Col. Dikes regt. built his country house about 1666 on the outskirts of Woburn, now part of Burlington. Benjamin Adamss co., Col. Johnsons regt. For the first time in combat formation, these men moved towards battle at the North Bridge. Elizabeth (Pierce) Wyman, wife of Amos, is said to have fed her visitors boiled potatoes, pork and bread instead of the salmon which her guests had planned to eat at the Lexington parsonage, and Hancock is reported to have sent a cow to his hostess at a later date in appreciation of her hospitality. Some of these units were in action on April 19, 1775, but contrary to popular thought, most of the colonial units that responded that day were not minutemen companies, but regular militia. Nehemiah Jewett from Ipswich served three days in Capt. Marker in Lexington Reed Jr. Nathan Reed John Robbins Philip Russell Benjamin Sampson Joshua Simonds John Smith Phineas Smith Simeon Snow Phineas Stearns Jonas Stone Jr. John Tidd Samuel Tidd Joseph Underwood Benjamin Wellington Enoch Wellington John Winship Sylbanus Wood James Wyman Nathaniel Wyman Six of Thomas COLEMANs grandsons marched on the alarm of April 19. These numbers were based on the size of the state, and many had a difficult time filling their quotas. He also made sure that every men in his company had a good musket, cartridge box, canteen, and bayonet. April 15, 2023 Tower Park Battle Reenactment, Lexington, MA - 3pm gather Monroe Tavern, 4pm battle at Tower Park April 16, 2023 Paul Revere's Ride - Hancock Clark House, Lexington MA April 17, 2023 PATRIOTS' DAY Contact the Adjutant for more details or to hire the Minute Men for your venue or event. It is during the retreat from the redoubt that Joseph Warren was killed. John was was shot in the head at the Battle of Fort Ann near Saratoga and died instantly. Phelix Cuff, an African-American man from Waltham Timothy Danielson Isaac Davis Thomas Dawes William Dawes Prince Estabrook, an African-American from Lexington Christian Febiger Brigadier General Nathaniel Freeman Joseph Frye Thomas Gardner Toby Gilmore Baxter Hall John Hancock John Hannum III Lemuel Haynes George Robert Twelves Hewes when Lexington was fought. ; enlisted Aug. 15, 1777; discharged Nov. 30, 1777; service, 4 mos., with Northern army. Oliver was in Salem, NH early in 1775 was due either to a visit or in the expectation of hostilities. At Cambridge, they joined the hundreds, later thousands, of militiamen who were to bottle up General Gages Regulars, until the British had to abandon Boston in March of 1776. The plan decided on by the British command was to fortify both Bunker Hill and Dorchester Heights. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Their experience suited irregular warfare. This included the 27 provincial regiments of 1775, the 16 numbered Continental regiments of 1776, the 15 Massachusetts regiments of 1777, and Jacksons Additional Continental Regiment, which later became the 16th Massachusetts Regiment. Nathaniel Hutchins, Col. Cilleys Regiment. [7] These minutemen were to comprise one-quarter of the whole militia, to be enlisted under the direction of the field-officers, and divide into companies, consisting of at least 50 men each. John Bakers co., Col. Moses Littles (17th) regt. Harassed for miles, British soldiers began to go house to house clearing families from the buildings along the road. Initially, the militia units took time to mold into Continental units. In the beginning, Congressional leaders believed a force of approximately 20,000 men in 26 battalions would be sufficient. For example, the old 2nd Middlesex Regiment of Foot (a provincial unit that had seen action in the French and Indian Wars) had divided into a militia regiment under Colonel David Green and a Minuteman regiment Colonel Ebenezer Bridge. The campaign was primarily concerned with the formation of American colonial irregular militia units, and their transformation into a unified Continental Army. ; service, 21 days; company stationed at Tiverton Oct. 7, 1777. Dows Company began as the Hollis, NH Militia Company. Ichabod Wades (Light Infantry) co., Col. George Williamss regt. [Warren was commissioned aMajor Generalin the colonys militia shortly before the June 17, 1775Battle of Bunker Hill. This FREE annual event brings together educators from all over the world for sessions, lectures, and tours from leading experts. Thomas JEWELL IIIsson-in-law John Eastman (1739 in Rumford, Merrimack, New Hampshire 8 Jul 1777 in Fort Ann, Washington, New York). Jacob Gerrishs Company, Col. Moses Littles Essex County Regiment. The militia and minuteman companies still were organized by town and trained typically as an entire unit in each town two to four times a year with the Minutemen receiving extra training. By the next morning, Boston was surrounded by a huge militia army, numbering over 15,000, which had marched from throughout New England I'm also including our relatives who enlisted in 1775. Worcester County had managed to already complete the organization and staffing of three Minuteman regiments by April 1775.[10]. Oliver was a saddler. Upon returning to Lexington, Smiths expedition was rescued by reinforcements underBrigadier GeneralHugh Percy. Josiah Sawtells Company, grandson Daniel Balcom (1739 Attleboro 1788 Attleboro), Genealogy and the 2nd Ammendment | Miner Descent, Ridge Trail Loop El Cerrito NaturalArea. Several of our cousins were in Asa Lawrences company including Benjamin Jewett, David Hazen and Nathaniel Shattuck. Captain, One of the biggest mysteries of April 19, 1775, is who fired the first shot at Lexington. He was first a private in Capt. Ceremonies Continental Army Dozens of these interviews were conducted in the days, weeks, and months after the fighting. The bullet, which was extracted, is still preserved; but the effects of the wound are said to have eventually caused or hastened his demise. Because Prescotts men thought they would be relieved after the breastworks were completed, they took only their entrancing tools, a minimum supply of ammunition, and almost no food or water. Fact #5: The Lexington militia did not intend to fight the British Regulars. Colonel Prescotts nine companies became the 10th Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Line. Once the patriots attained victory at the Battle of Concord, they saw that they could get their chance to become an independent country. Samuel Adams and John Hancock spent the night of April 19, 1775 with the Wymans. He was a Justice of the Peace from 1777 on. The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Commander-in-Chief even issued orders concerning the use and care of privies, but men relieved themselves wherever they felt. while at Trenton Dec. 31, 1776, and Jan. 1, 1777; Also, Capt. Fact #6: No one knows who fired the first shot at Lexington. At a Meeting of the Alarm List and Training Band of the Foot company, in Topsfield, on the 5th of December, 1774 to choose officers for the said Company, (agreeable to the advice of the Provincial Congress), voted, Mr.Stephen Perkins, chairman; voted, Mr.Joseph Gould. Edward HAZEN IIsgrandson-in-law Nathaniel Shattuck (1746 Groton 1815Groton), Shattuck, Nathaniel, Groton Private, Captain Asa Lawrences Company; Col. William Prescotts Regiment Muster Rolls dated Aug 1 1775; Enlisted as a private, 25 April 1775, Service 3 months, 8 days; Also company returned dated Oct 6 1776 reported absent, Francis RICHARDSONsgrandsonJedediah Richardson (1747 Attleboro, Bristol, Mass 1838 Shipton, Richmond, Quebec). Join us July 13-16! Washington did his best to navigate the issue, but his long-range goal was to create an American army, not an army based on former colony identities. In New Hampshire, minutemen took over Fort William and Mary and confiscated weapons and cannons there. Much of the sickness was traceable to unhealthy sanitation and poor personal hygiene. Only a few of the militia were known to have returned fire. Here aredriving directions. In 1672, the Massachusetts Council formed a military committee to control the militia in each town. ; pay abstracts for Jan.-May, 1776;also, pay abstract for June, 1776, dated New York; Also, account of guns returned by persons in the 26th regt. 26 days;also, company return [probably Oct., 1775]; age, 17 yrs. was a Physician, Revolutionary War veteran. This brought many more citizens to Samuel Adams's side, and he pressed the Committees of Correspondence to hold County Conventions to revamp the militia. 1666 Francis Wyman House 56 Francis Wyman Rd, Burlington, Mass. These militia units served as the backbone of protection from Native American tribes on the frontier and foreign foes like the French. He was at Bunker Hill and 9 Jul 1776 was a 2nd Lieut under Lieut. Thereafter, until the end of 1776, Read served as colonel in command of several regiments of theMassachusetts Line. The fighting along the Battle Road grew bloody as the Regulars marched from Concord towards Lexington and back to Boston. Brown quotes Continental Army soldier Benjamin Thompson, who expressed the "common sentiment" at the time, which was that minutemen were notoriously poor marksmen with rifles: "Instead of being the best marksmen in the world and picking off every Regular that was to be seen, the continual firing which they kept up by the week and the month has had no other effect than to waste their ammunition and convince the King's troops that they are really not really so formidable. One of the more famous ones being the Culpeper, Virginia Minutemenwhich fought at the Battle of Great Bridge on December 9, 1775. Their companies were still organized by town, and so it was very common for their counterpart militia company to contain relatives and friends. Among the reinforcements wereJoseph Warren, the popular young leader of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, andSeth Pomeroy, an aging Massachusetts militia leader. Reuben Dow (1729 Salem NH 1811 Hollis, NH ). Not many years since, it was a current report in Lexington, that Hancock, in gratitude to Mrs. Wyman for her kindness to him and Adams at her house, in their flight for fear of the British, made a present to her of a cow. Balcom,Elijah, Douglas.Private, Capt. Nathan Gages company of Bradford, Massachusetts which marched on the alarm Apr 19 1775 to Cambridge and participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Jedediah, Private, Capt. The Day being Spent, a Motion was made for said Meeting to be adjourned to the next Morning,9 oclock; the Question was put and passed in the Affirmative and accordingly said Meeting was adjourned to said Time. Ward Swifts (2nd Sandwich) co. of militia, which marched in response to the alarm. 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