The Militia and its Effectiveness during the American Revolution NCSSAR President LTC Joe E. Harris (Ret.) Cowan's Ford, NC Jan. 27, 2007

The US Army’s motto is “Army Strong.”  “An Army of One” preceded it, and before that the unforgettable “Be All You Can Be” was heard for years.  But what is The army?  In modern terms The army is a composite of three elements – the regular or active Army, the Army Reserve, and the states’ armies officially known as the Army National Guard.  The latter being comprised of all states and four US Territories.  This is the present day militia.  But in 1775 our army was built upon a congressional mandated force of colony raised regiments or Continental Line units under the leadership of a commander-in-chief.  The Continentals were – for all practical purposes – our full-time professional soldiers – like the active army is today.  They were recruited, equipped, and trained by the individual colonies under the direction of the unified commander-in-chief.  The reserve to the Continental Army was the militia.  The militia concept had been around for over one hundred fifty years – going all the way back to the Mayflower settlement at Plymouth, and by 1775, nearly all settlements in the colonies possessed some type of organized militia intended to defend against Indian attacks.  The war for independence placed a heavy burden upon the recently established Continental Army. Congress had little choice but to levy the colonies for additional manpower.  This manpower would come from the settlement militias within the thirteen colonies. Militia units were a collage of outfits with no standard table of organization and equipment.  They typically consisted of able-bodied men ranging from age 16 to 60 years old.  Since they were not equipped, they mustered for service wearing homespun clothing or buckskins, and trained or fought with weapons not issued but brought from home.  These often included the family rifle, a belt knife, and hatchet or tomahawk. The American longrifle had long been recognized as a precision firearm.  Its accuracy made it the weapon of choice, especially among the longhunters and frontiersmen.  The longrifle was accurate to approximately three hundred yards, required about half the powder of a smooth bore musket, and used a ball size of one third less lead.  Muskets were less accurate and prone to miss the mark beyond a distance of fifty or sixty yards.  On the other hand, the longrifle took twice as long to load, and could not normally be fitted with a bayonet.  Classical European drill and linear tactics were taught due to the larger number of bayonet fitted muskets and because of their great shooting inaccuracy.  The longrifle built for hunting, and not perfected for military use, was the best firearm in the world at the time.  Militias were armed with these longrifles.  Partisans like Elijah Clark, Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion lead men skilled in the use of the longrifle. Historians have forever debated the importance of the militia in the American Revolution.  But what is the truth?  Were militia units instrumental in winning the war?  American officers were quick to point out their lack of military discipline and training in 1775, but in less than two years most if not all these complaints had ceased.  The longrifle and Indian style tactics used by most militia units had found a place in the young but maturing American Army.  Continental Line units supported by militia could jointly work the battlefield when engaged in ground combat. Militia units were not flawless in battle; however, most of their disastrous defeats were at the hands of Native Americans – Indians –, and Loyalists armed with longrifles.  The most successful militia ever assembled was a composite of small bands of frontiersmen known as the Over-mountain Men.  Superior leadership from men like Isaac Shelby, Benjamin Cleveland, and John Sevier achieved remarkable battlefield victories against the Cherokees as well as against Loyalists and British forces during the American Revolution. Between 1774 and 1782, 158 military operations occurred involving Patriot militia.  65 of those are documented where most or all of the combatants were militia.  In both cases, victories account for a much higher percentage than the losses. Eventually the longrifle used by the Patriot militia made all other shoulder fired weapons obsolete and the frontiersman’s tactics of guerrilla warfare learned from Native Americans would become the most effective style of fighting in the new world. JH/1-27-07