Crown Resistance Day

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#006633" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="175d6c00ddvuru.jpg"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="60eb8b80.jpg" border=0 width="184" height="184" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#0066FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Acton Minutemen</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT> |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Acton Minutemen"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id100.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Acton Genealogies"><U>Acton Genealogies</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 19, 1775"><U>April 19, 1775</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Acton Minutemen and Militia Companies "><U>Acton Minutemen and Militia Companies </U></A>   |   <B>Crown Resistance Day</B>   |   <A HREF="id140.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Isaac Davis Trail"><U>Isaac Davis Trail</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id135.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="History of Patriots Day"><U>History of Patriot's Day</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Town of Acton"><U>Town of Acton</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Landmarks"><U>Landmarks</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Davis Monument"><U>Davis Monument</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cemeteries"><U>Cemeteries</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id101.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stories, Poems and Songs"><U>Stories, Poems and Songs</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resources"><U>Resources</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Related Links"><U>Related Links</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U>Contact Me</U></A></div> <div> Crown Resistance Day</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> October 3, 1774 - Acton's Crown Resistance Day </div> <bR> <div> Acton played its part and we find that a special town meeting called on October 3rd, with Capt. Samuel Hayward acting as moderator, the town took three important steps. In the first place Josiah Hayward was elected as representative to the General Court if and when the governor dared to call it into session. Secondly, Francis Faulkner and Ephraim Hapgood were chosen as delegates to a provincial congress to be held at Concord the second Tuesday of October. Thirdly, Ephraim Hapgood, Francis Faulkner, John Hayward, Mark White and Capt. Samuel Hayward were elected as a committee of correspondence for the town.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="5fe219d0.jpg" border=0 width="545" height="157" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Book Antiqua" >           </FONT>This date of October 3, 1774, together with the list of men just mentioned should be well marked. It defines the time when Acton cast in its lot against the Crown and the committee sets out in relief forever those were guide the political destiny of the town in the very earliest stages of its progress along the chosen path of resistance. - History of The Town of Acton  by Harold R. Phalen</div> <div> Middlesex Printing, Inc., Cambridge, MA., Copyright 1954 pg. 66</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#prelude_to_war" TITLE="Crown Resistance Day"><U><I><B>Prelude to War</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I>T</I><I>he events of Novemeber 3, 1772  through the Spring of 1775</I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#the_meaning_of_crown_resistance_day" TITLE="Crown Resistance Day"><U><I><B>The Meaning Of Crown Resistance Day</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I>The average colonist in the outlying towns did not become enraged enough defy the Crown until 1774 when </I></div> <div> <I>England closed the port of Boston. This was when each of the towns set up their </I></div> <div> <I>Committees of Correspondence and elected representatives to attend the various Colonial Con</I><I>gre</I><I>sses.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>C</B></I><A HREF="#celebration_of_crown_resistance_day" TITLE="Crown Resistance Day"><U><I><B>elebration of Crown Resistance Day</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I>  On the last Sunday in September 1967, the Acton Minutemen</I></div> <div> <I> and the Town of Acton initiated the celebration of Crown Resistance Day</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Town of Acton initiated the  <A NAME="celebration_of_crown_resistance_day"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>celebration of Crown Resistance Day</div> <bR> <div> T<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" >he History of the Acton Minutemen and Militia Companies (Volume 2) page 74</FONT></div> <div> Charles R. Husband</div> <div> A Member of  the  Acton Minuteman and the Acton Historical Society</div> <bR> <div>       On the last Sunday in September 1967, the Acton Minutemen and the Town of Acton initiated the celebration of Crown Resistance Day. The name of chosen to celebrate the anniversary of the illegal Town Meeting held in Acton on October 3, 1774.  As you know, much of the action associated with Massachusetts' involvement in the Revolutionary War took place during 1775, however, most of the major political action took place during 1774.  The First Provincial Congress had met in Concord in late September 1774 and established a series of committees and administrative actions to provide guidance and direction to the cities and towns in western Middlesex County. At this meeting the Congress requested a specific portion of the militia, well trained, and well equipped, be set aside as a ready defense force.  In response to that request the Town of Acton, asked the male members of the population who consistuted the militia to repledge their support to service. This is the initial sign up sheet dated 29th of September 1774.  This sheet was passed around to acquire signatures of individuals who would be willing to serve in the formation of a militia unit.</div> <bR> <div>      In May of 1774 the British Parliament had passed "An Act for better regulating the Government of the Province of Massachusetts Bay", and "An Act for the more impartial administration of justice in said province."  This new law removed from Massachusetts the right to name the Governor's Council, to elect judges, sheriffs, and justices of the peace, to summon juries, and to hold town meetings.</div> <bR> <div>      In defiance of these acts, on October 3rd, 1774, a special town meeting was held in Acton. The major purpose of meeting was to elect representatives to the General court and select delegates to the Provincial Congress to be held in Concord the second Tuesday in October. It was at this illegal meeting that Acton cast its lot against the Crown.</div> <bR> <div>       In November another special town meeting was held to raise by volunteers from the membership of the militia a Company of Minutemen in accordance with the wishes of the First Provincial Congress.</div> <bR> <div>      In December at another town meeting the town resolved to raise funds for the operation of the province, but refused to pay the annual tax allotment to the governor's treasurer.</div> <div>      </div> <div>      At the January Town Meeting the town finally decided to pay for the drills of up to thirty minutemen at eight pence per day twice in a week. Note they limited this resolution of payment, indicating they would only fund this enterprise until the first day of May 1775. This was well planned because the Acton Minutemen as a military organization dissolved after the battle of 19 April 1775.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <A NAME="the_meaning_of_crown_resistance_day"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>The Meaning Of Crown Resistance Day</div> <bR> <div> BY CLAIRE LEGAULT</div> <div> The Patriot </div> <div> Supplement to the Assabet Valley Beacon</div> <div> Acton, Mass. September 26, 1974</div> <bR> <div> AREA - The repeal of the Stamp Act in 1765 is viewed by many historians as "the first organized resistance in America to the financial policy of Great Britain and the real beginning of the movement for separation (of the Colonies) from the Mother Country."</div> <bR> <div> While this may have been the case in Colonial Political Assemblies, the average colonist in the outlying towns did not become enraged enough defy the Crown until 1774 when England closed the port of Boston. This was when each of the towns set up their Committees of Correspondence and elected representatives to attend the various Colonial Congresses in a unified effort to actively pit themselves against the regulations and restrictions laid on them by England. Boston set up the first Committee of Correspondence in the colonies as early as 1764 and fallowing Boston's lead, some of the colonies set up their own Committees of Correspondence in the following years. However, the total unified effort by all of the colonies to set up these important Committees and generally organize themselves was not seen until 1774. For instance an October 3, 1774 a Special Town Meeting was called in Acton to elect a representative to the General Court, two delegates to attend a Provincial Congress on October 11, 1774, and five members to serve as the Committee of Correspondence far the town." Now, two hundred years later, area' residents will gather on September 29, 1974 to honor the time when their ancestors voted to join in a unified effort to actively resist the English crown. </div> <bR> <div> Many events led up to the colonist's decision to defy England, and it is a debatable issue whether England, by changing her attitude toward the American Colonies could have avoided the armed conflict of the Revolutionary War.</div> <bR> <div>            England was a rich, powerful nation with a Constitution and an established social order with laws and a governing body to I enforce those laws prior her I entering upon an experiment in Colonial Expansion in 1607. In the years following 1607, England became dependent upon her colonies to finance her, wars and the various businesses within her borders, Consequently, any group of people who wished and obtain the financing could apply to the King for a charter to migrate to one of England's colonies and set up a business or a home. In the beginning, groups of people left England to come to America for various reasons including religious freedom, economic expansion, and political dissension. As time Went on, England began to reap the benefits of the goods and natural resources of her colonies and the colonists enjoyed England's protection from interference in their affairs by other nations. During this time, England had no intention of acquiring territory for political purposes as her relations with the colonies was based on the Mercantile System of trade. This system held that trade with foreign nations was preferable over both, trade within a country and imports, and that any land which could not produce goods and natural resources to enhance England's trade with foreign nations and bring money into her treasury was a liability rather than an asset. It was a liability because if it was acquired by England, it then had to tie protected and defended with all of the expenses that incurred with no return on the investment.</div> <bR> <div>      The American Colonies became such a profitable asset in regard to trade that England was well aware that anything that impeded colonial trade would ruin her businesses at home and cause high unemployment among her people, and she was al ways conscious of the fact that if the colonies began to act in their own interests her country would suffergreatly. So, the colonies were expected to ship all of their goods only to England for the protection and assistance she gave them against interference by other European nations, and British officials were intent upon seeing that the colonies did nothing to hinder British Colonial trade or interfere with the activities of those merchants who were engaged in it. This is what led Parliament to pass so many laws dealing with colonial trade, which protected the British merchant at the expense of the colonists. However up until 1763 in matters other than trade, the Mother country allowed the colonies a great deal of latitude in conducting their own affairs. in the few instances where the colonists called the English Constitution into question, British law was swift and just in dealing with an appeal from the colonial courts. England wanted contented colonies that would work and produce for her own enrichment.</div> <bR> <div> During these years in England's political history, her administration was constantly hindered by politics and tradition and because brains, achievement and ability were almost never considered, in selecting people for political appointments, mediocre men were often appointed to run the affairs of the colonies. These' men were interested in the monetary value of the colonies and knew little or nothing of the geography or living conditions of the American colonists. This is one period when many historians feel that if England placed good leaders and men with intelligence and ability to oversee Colonial affairs, events may have taken a different turn and the, colonists may never have challenged England to an armed conflict. .</div> <div>      </div> <div> Up until 1763 the British Empire meant an empire based on trade, but following her victory over France, England became an imperialistic nation and the problem of the colonies, which up until this time were only concerned with trade, now took on a broader meaning. English officials realized they must take on the duties of political and economic regulation of their colonies in addition to, regulating trade. By the time the Treaty of Paris was signed, the American colonists had grown in wealth and power until they were quite capable of conducting their own affairs. So the American colonists were highly resentful when England began to govern them under imperialism instead of the old mercantile policy.' British merchants were also opposed to the new policy, as they were interested in acquiring lands, which would be immediately profitable to England while the imperialistic view held that opening up new territory would provide another market for British goods when the population expanded. This last view looked for profit for England in the future, but English merchants realized the expense involved in administering to overseas territories of this nature. As long as the Mercantile System held sway England's problems with the, colonists were concerned with the' hard facts of trade, but as this system became enmeshed with those of imperialism, England's problems with the colonists grew more complex.</div> <bR> <div>      Following the implementation of the imperialistic policy on the colonies, England found herself in financial difficulty as her treasury had suffered a huge deficit- from the wars she had fought. Everyone in England saw the need for new taxes arid the merchants felt the best way was to increase the taxes of those who owned property, The land owners wanted the taxes to believed on, goods raised in the colonies as they felt the Colonists should be willing to: help bear the financial burden England suffered because of the wars, since they' benefited', from England's protection against foreign intervention.</div> <bR> <div> At this time in England's history, many landowners had political power in the House of Commons, so the first attempt: to raise taxes for England was a renewed effort to enforce the" Molasses Act of 1733. This law was on the books, but during the war between England and France, the. colonists. Avoided paying it whenever they could, and when the Board of Trade in England reported the English territory bad received almost: no money 'from America'" English officials' amended the' Molasses Act adding further requirements to it arid passed it as the Sugar Act of 1764. Other laws concerning colonial trade were passed in 1765 and 1766</div> <bR> <div> The merchants, of New England began to attack these' Acts as unjust and restrictive" and they were joined in their fight by the British merchants. No arguments were put forth by the colonists that these Acts were unconstitutional, but arguments rather centered on the fact that the cost of enforcing them would be more than the revenue received from them. Parliament finally realizing that the funds from these trade acts would not substantially increase England's treasury, then passed the Stamp Act in 1765. While this was not primarily a direct tax, it affected the day-to-day life of the colonists and caused great concern among them. Colonists whose voices were not heard in relation to the' trade acts, now voiced protest against the Stamp Act because it affected their day-to-day life. The Act required the colonies to use stamped paper bought from the British Government for their legal and official documents, and to buy British Stamps wl1ich must be placed on books, newspapers, playing cards, and other items. The colonists argued that this tax would' in effect send to Great Britain' the small amount of money in circulation in the colonies. England argued that the money from this tax would defray the cost of her military defense of the colonies. '</div> <bR> <div> Hostilities were further engendered when the Townshend Acts were passed in 1767. These acts placed a tax on goods shipped from England to America. These acts, along with the Stamp Act, gave rise to the slogan "No taxation without representation" which was heard throughout the colonies, as the colonists felt that since they had no representation in Parliament a tax could not be legislated by Parliament, which they would have to pay on goods they used to conduct their day-to-day affairs. As the cost of living in the colonies rose, and there was 'no money' to purchase goods from England and Scotland, even the common man who was not directly involved in politics in the colonies began to be heard from.</div> <bR> <div> English and Scottish merchants were affected directly when the colonist could no longer afford to buy their goods and so they too joined the colonists in opposing the Stamp Act Parliament received such an outcry of opposition from these groups that the Stamp Act was repealed and the Sugar and Trade Acts of! 1765 were amended.</div> <bR> <div>      Buoyed by the repeal of the Stamp Act which was a parliamentary statute, some of the colonists began' to talk among themselves of gaining more independence from England. However, there was a conservative element which preached restraint and meeting 'each difficulty as it arose rather than denying England's right to legislate the affairs of the colonists in all matters. Mott of the conservatives believed in legitimate legislation opposition to England's interference in their internal affairs, but strongly denied the premise of total revolt. As time went on, however, this group dwindled and the colonists 'saw the necessity of severing their ties with England and becoming an independent nation. Right up until the end many colonists tried to persuade other colonists to keep a cool head and that by their very own growth, wealth and Power, England one day would have given them their independence peacefully. This is evidenced by Sam Adams when in response to this argument he said, "When our liberty is gone, historians and civilization alike will teach us that an increase of inhabitants will be but an increase of slaves." In 1768 even the most vociferous colonist did not ask for complete Political independence, but only demanded that Parliament and the King curb their Powers regarding the internal affairs of the colonies.</div> <bR> <div> In the years following, however, events leading up to the actual revolt of the colonists gained momentum as more and more of them questioned England's interference in their affairs as "unconstitutional". England held the point of view the American colonies were subordinate and had no right to demand for themselves powers, which their Constitution reserved for the King. In 1766 after the Stamp Act was repealed, Parliament passed another Act, which pointed up their opposition to the colonial position. This Act called the "Declaratory Act" gave Parliament the right to pass any acts they chose with regard to the colonies and that these acts then would be legally binding upon the colonists.</div> <bR> <div> As the various Colonial assemblies progressed from arguments about trade to arguments about the civil rights of British subjects, Englishmen became more obstinate in their position as they saw colonial opposition not only destroying their monetary profits from colonial trade, but also questioning the very Constitution under which they lived.</div> <bR> <div> Tensions between England and the colonies were further strained when in May 1773 Parliament allowed the East India Company, which was having financial troubles to take over the tea trade in the colonies. The Company was allowed to ship its tea in its own ships and distribute tea in the colonies through their own branch agencies which effectively cut out independent colonial importers and by cutting out the middleman, the Company could then sell its tea in the colonies cheaper than the colonial merchants and indeed cheaper even than the smugglers.  Colonists immediately were aware that allowing England to set up a monopoly of this type in the tea trade could result in the same type of monopolies being set up in other colonial industries and the end result would be. England would be able to control the prices on all of the goods the colonists produced as well as on those they imported from England: With the threat of decreased profits from trade and their freedoms limited because of England's manipulation, all of the colonists joined together to fight the East India 'Company from distributing its tea.</div> <bR> <div>               On December, 16, 1773 New England Colonists threw 10,000 pounds of the East India Company's tea into Boston Harbor to prevent its distribution in' the colonies. Other colonists did not destroy the tea but did, prevent the unloading of the ships. This act in Boston, now dubbed the Boston Tea party, is what precipitated the crisis between England and America. England retaliated on March 31, 1774 by closing the port of Boston to commerce, abolishing Town Meetings in Massachusetts, removing the seat of government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to Salem, and designating Marblehead as the port of entry for all ship. When Boston refused to pay for the tea it was destroyed, King George III sent British troops to occupy Boston to enforce these restrictions and to force Boston to submit to the will of the Crown. The Boston Committee of Correspondence notified the outlying towns what was taking place, and all of the towns rallied to Boston's aid by sending food and supplies.</div> <bR> <div>              Prior to the Boston Tea Party, many County Colonial Assemblies were held to which towns did not bother to send representatives, but following this, the colonists were so outraged that when Provincial Congresses' were called in each of the counties, most of the towns sent representatives. Individual towns quickly called Special Town meetings into session to elect representatives to the Provincial Congress and to elect Committees of Correspondence their first unified effort to keep each other aware of what the British troops were doing. This was an obvious attempt to forestall any British effort to move in and take the towns one by one.</div> <bR> <div> After counties held their Provincial Congresses, the  First Continental Congress was called into session in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. This Congress voted that if England rejected their pleas to open the port of Boston all of the colonies would then boycott British import and exports trade and would forcibly resist efforts by England to impose taxes. The Committees of Inspection in each of the towns were chosen to enforce the boycott and see that all of the towns obeyed these measures.  The colonists that England had rejected their pleas the boycott went into effect received the minute word,</div> <bR> <div> This boycott proved to be the challenge, which erupted barely seven months later into the armed conflict between England and America known as the Revolutionary War or the War for Independence.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B> <A NAME="prelude_to_war"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></I>Prelude to War</div> <div> The History of the Acton Minutemen and Militia Companies (Volume 1) page 5-6</div> <div> Charles R. Husband</div> <div> A Member of  the  Acton Minuteman and the Acton Historical Society</div> <bR> <div> On November 3, 1772, James Otis and Samuel Adams were able to muster enough support at the Boston Town Meeting to vote in a resolution establishing a Committee of Correspondence. This committee prepared a statement of the rights of the colonists as men, and a declaration of the infringements of those rights. This communication was sent out to the towns with a request to endorse the views of their Boston neighbors.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> On May 13, 1774 Major General Thomas Gage8, the newly selected governor of the Province, arrived at Long Wharf in Boston. Under the King's orders he closed the port of Boston, moved the seat of government to Salem, and quartered five new regiments of troops in Boston without a major incident.</div> <bR> <div> In May 1774 the British Parliament passed "An Act for better regulating the Government of the Province of Massachusetts Bay" and "An Act for the more impartial administration of justice in said province." This new laws9 removed from Massachusetts the right to name the Governor's Council, to elect judges, sheriffs, and justices of the peace, to summon juries, and to hold town meetings. In addition colonists accused of crimes could be carried out of Massachusetts to Admiralty Courts in Halifax for trial. This was a massive attack on the old charter and it was, of all the moves and countermoves, leading the revolution to the point of no return.</div> <bR> <div> In June 1774, the Committee of Correspondence, after a hard fight at a Boston Town Meeting, pushed through a resolution calling for an agreement to boycott all British goods. The rapid compliance of most towns soon suspended all commerce between England and the province of Massachusetts, and the movement spread rapidly down the Atlantic Coast.</div> <bR> <div> On September 1, 1774: General Gage sent a detachment of regulars to Cambridge, to recover two brass cannon 10 that he feared the rebels were planning to steal. This was accomplished without a hitch. However, news of the "raid" traveled rapidly from town to town, distorted by messengers into a tale of aggression and carnage. By noon the next day, over 4,000 men from the surrounding towns had gathered on the common in Cambridge. Two judges appointed by the governor and the lieutenant governor were forced to resign. Messengers were sent out on the roads to stop the militia companies still arriving from distant towns. It was noted that 30,000 or nearly one-third of the effective manpower in all New England took arms and were on actual march for Boston.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> First Provincial Congress</div> <bR> <div> On September 29, 1774 the towns organized themselves in the First Provincial Congress and met in Concord. The first resolve of the Congress was the creation of the Committee of Safety, empowered to "alarm, muster and cause to be assembled" as much of the provincial militia as needed at anytime. All officers were recommended to carry out the orders of the Committee. The second resolve for the Congress was for the Committee of Supplies to provide logistical support for any muster of the militia. Other resolves covered the appointment and pay of the officers and men of the new army. The new army was created from the old militia and all militia companies were requested to elect new officers.</div> <bR> <div> The formation of a provincial army from the King's loyal militia was now well underway. The Provisional Congress, of course, was completely dependent on the individual towns to carry out the resolves, to re-elect officers, to form battalions, to supply arms and ammunition, and to put their minutemen under the immediate command of the Committee of Safety. This action meant that men could be taken away from any town and. used where necessary.</div> <bR> <div> The Committee of Safety functioned as an army commander and staff, responsible only to the Provincial Congress. It controlled a military organization capable of putting 14,000 men into the field against General Gage on April 19, 1775.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Acton's Involvement</B></div> <bR> <div> On the 29th of September 1774 a sign-up sheet was passed around to acquire signatures of individuals who would be willing to volunteer in the formation of a formal militia company. These individuals agreed to meet together to chose officers, to form them selves into a Militia Company, and to meet at times set by the company. - The officer's chosen to lead this company were Joseph Robbins as Captain and Israel Heald as Lieutenant. A copy of the original sign up sheet is shown in Appendix B.</div> <bR> <div> On October 3rd, 1774, a special town meeting was called in Acton. The meeting elected Josiah Hayward as representative to the General Court, if and when the governor called it into session. It elected Francis Faulkner and Ephriam Hapgood delegates to the Provincial Congress to be held in Concord the second Tuesday in October, and it elected Ephraim Hapgood, Francis Faulkner, John Hayward, Mark White, and Samuel Hayward as a committee of correspondence for the town.</div> <bR> <div> This action defines the time when Acton cast in its lot against the Crown.</div> <bR> <div> In November of 1774, a Company of Minutemen was raised by volunteers from the membership of the militia and elected Isaac Davis captain. By mutual agreement the company met twice each week for instruction and drill.</div> <bR> <div> At a town meeting in December of 1774, the town resolved to raise 20 pounds 10 shillings 10 pence for the use of the province, but refused to pay the annual tax allotment to the governor's treasurer.</div> <div> On the 18th of January, 1775, the town voted to support the Minute Company and: "Voted to pay thirty men, if so many shall enlist, Eight Pence per Day twice in a week they to spend in Exercising three Hours in Each Day until the first Day of May next."</div> <bR> <div> During the winter of 1774-1775 General Gage marched his troops out of Boston as often as possible. On most of these occasions the movement of large numbers of troops would cause the provincials to muster and face down the British. General Gage thought this action was positive, and believed the colonist would soon become weary of the game. The colonist" believed their actions were restraining the troops from moving further into the countryside and they were receiving positive feedback from these encounters.</div> <bR> <div> The provincial army in the spring of 1775 consisted of forty-seven regiments (over 14,000 men). General Gage, on the other hand, had only 2850 men under his command in Boston, including grenadiers, dragoons and about 460 marines under Major John Pitcairn.</div> <bR> <div> It is often said that the British were at an advantage, possessing bayonets while the provincials had none. Returns from the militia and minutemen on April 14, 1775 show a total of 21,549 muskets and 10,108 bayonets. Many of the minute man companies received bayonets that had been taken from the militia to make sure that every minute man was equipped with one (the Acton, Lincoln, and Andover companies were reported fully equipped with bayonets)</div> <bR> <div> Units made up in spirit what they lacked in equipment. Acton, Bedford, Concord, Lexington, and Lincoln companies had fifers, as did many of the others. The Watertown town meeting voted to pay one shilling for each minuteman meeting "to pay for fifing."</div> <bR> <div> The Committee of Safety hoped to be able to train the minutemen in regimental size maneuvers, but exercises on a large scale were difficult to arrange, and paying for the joint maneuvers was a problem. However, a few field days were held, and on Sunday March 13, 1775, the militia and the minuteman companies from Concord, Acton, and surrounding towns mustered on Punkatasset Hill, overlooking the North Bridge inConcord.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>