The Minute Men!
Lara W.
The Hartwells and their Tavern
Zana, Lindsay, Michelle, and I at Hartwell Tavern with two Minute Men.
The minutemen were a military group made up of American Colonists whocould
be called upon at anytime to fight. The Hartwells had three sons named
Samuel, Isaac, and Jonathon who were a part of this militia. The minutemen
of Massachusetts made up one third of the Continental Army that was led
by George Washington. These colonists were called the minutemen because
they were prepared to fight "at a minutes notice".
The minutemen of Massachusetts were the most famous minutemen of the Contintental
Army. When the militia of Massachusetts was reorganized in 1774, "The
Provincial Congress provided that one-third of all the new regiments were
to be made up of minutemen." These minutemen fought side by side with
the militia at the battle of Lexington and Concord.
The minutemen were "volunteers" equipped with weapons but they were nothing
compared to real soldiers or the soldiers of England. They were armed
with farming tools, had no real uniforms, and didn't even have enough
money to eat. The minutemen were fighting, freezing, and starving for
their freedom and the freedom of the other colonists but many times the
farmers would give food to the British troops for money rather than feed
their own armies. These minutemen were referred to as "Patriots". These
groups of minutemen were later organized in all colonies.
One of the main places that they fought at was called The
Bloody Angle. The Bloody Angle was a place near Hartwell Tavern where
many soldiers, from England and the colonies, lost their lives. Due to
the minutemen's knowledge of the area they had a greater advantage. Knowing
where they were and what was available there, they hid behind walls, trees,
and rocks and fought for their freedom.
The minutemen had no real commitment to their "army". They would come
and go as they pleased. When the battle was very challenging or when things
were looking down many soldiers would cease fighting and return to their
homes. General Washington never had an accurate count of how many men
were in his Army group because they would come and go, as they wanted.
After real militias were formed the minutemen disappeared. But they were
not forgotten. Many of these men lost their lives during battle and suffered
greatly but it was partly due to them that we are a free country today.
Bibliography:
Liptake, Jessica. "Touring Minute Man." (17 Oct. 2000) (19 Oct.2000) Http://www.nps.gov/mima/touring/htm.
Tour guide. Personal interview. 20 Oct. 2000 "National Military Park."
11
Oct. 1999 (24 Oct. 2000) A Continuing Revolution 1775-2000." The
Minute Man Messenger 2000 Edition: 4, 5, 7
"Minute Man" (26 Oct. 2000) http://www.nps.gov/mima/
"Minute Men". Crollier's Encycopedia. 1993.