The role of militia

By Nancy Battick

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, many people are trying to determine if an ancestor served in the Army, Navy or Marines during the conflict. Very few are asking if they had an ancestor who served in the militia. 

The odds are strong that if your family was in the colonies, you did have an ancestor in the militia. 

The militia, or training band as it was called in early days, was a civic duty required of all able-bodied men and teenagers. They met once a month, furnished their own muskets, and were on call in case of an emergency. The minutemen of the famed call to arms when the British marched to Lexington and Concord were militia. Those who rushed from other towns to assist also were militia men.

Those men who were not able-bodied or who were aged were expected to support the militia financially or with supplies. The men and boys in the militia were there to defend their communities from attack from hostile natives or enemies such as the French in the 

French & Indian War, or later the British in the Revolution and the War of 1812.

They usually met in taverns, not just to “tank” up on drink — though I’m sure that happened — but because at that time taverns and inns were the local meeting places. The militia who gathered in Lexington at Buckman Tavern waited for the British approach before they moved onto the green and faced the incoming troops with disastrous results. Their actions and sacrifices allowed the militia in Concord to assemble, secure the bridge and later “fire the shot heard round the world.”

The men of the militia during the Revolution here in Maine kept watch for invaders from the sea, were called up to reinforce the American Army as needed though General Washington had little faith in militias, followed Arnold to Quebec, and fought the British in skirmishes and at Castine. They also staffed forts. 

Our founders enshrined the right of the militia to exist in the Second Amendment, stating that a well-regulated militia had the right to bear arms. The tradition of militias continued after the Revolution. During the Civil War the militia was known as the Home Guard.

If you’d like to find out if an ancestor served in the militia during the Revolution, you need to look for surviving militia lists or muster rolls. Try the Maine State Archives, town records, area historical societies and libraries. If your ancestor was drafted into the Army from the militia, you may find him in pension applications. These are held in the National Archives. These lists drawn from company reports contain information about what arms an ancestor brought into their companies, the names of those who served with them and the commanding officer.

And while General Washington didn’t trust the fighting ability of the local militias, they nonetheless did their duty and helped win the war.

Columnist Nancy Battick of Dover-Foxcroft has researched genealogy for over 30 years. She is past president of the Maine Genealogical Society, author of several genealogical articles and co-transcribed the Vital Records of Dover-Foxcroft. Nancy holds an MA in History from UM. Reader emails are welcome at nbattick@roadrunner.com.