The term was used at the 18th century. They were men in arms that were small hand-picked elite men that required to be fast and able to think quickly. Minutemen were selected by their commanding officers. They were around twenty five years old or younger. They chose them based on enthusiasm, loyalty and natural strength. The Minutemen were the first armed …show more content…
They were called minutemen because they were used as a form of emergency. On one minute, Minutemen had to be ready to fight against any foreign force and notify the other soldiers. Concord, was the first town to have them. According to Samuel Thompson, who was a Massachusetts militia officer, "...when our men were gone, they sent eleven more at one minute's warning, with 3 days provision..." This organization was set up to help the regular military. The organization had started in sections of the colony and Massachusetts. But then the congress told towns to start the …show more content…
They were also important because they could warn the troops that the redcoats were coming. Service in the militia was required by law, minute men were volunteers. The minutemen trained more than the militia. About two or three times per week. These men were paid because of the training they did. Militia men, the ones who were not minutemen only trained once every few months, and were paid only if they were called out of their town. Minutemen had to keep their arms and equipment with them at all times and had to be ready to fight at all time and with a minute notice.
Minutemen were better organized and battle-tested than any other military helpers, even though they didn’t have a central commander. When a big battle was about to occur, Minutemen companies from many towns combined their soldiers to create a stronger force. Their organization was based on a selection by vote and all Minutemen had to sign a pledge. When there was no fight, they trained between two to four times a year. Minutemen’s organization also depended on their communication, from which they developed an elaborate system of alarms and