en men at night." The stores at Concord had far better protection than
these, as the two officers should have learned at Framingham, where they
watched the drill of the militia company. "After they had done their
exercise, one of their commanders spoke a very eloquent speech,
recommending patience, coolness, and bravery (which indeed they very
much wanted), particularly told them they would always conquer if they
did not break, and recommended them to charge us coolly, and wait for
our fire, and everything would succeed with them--quoted Caesar and
Pompey, brigadiers Putnam and Ward, and all such great men; put them in
mind of Cape Breton, and all the battles they had gained for his majesty
in the last war, and observed that the regulars must have been ruined
but for them."

Had the two officers known it, every town in the province had just such
a militia company, which at set seasons met, and drilled, and listened
to good old-fashioned exhortations to valor. It would not take long,
therefore, for the neighboring towns to send their companies to
reinforce the guard of ten men which Concord set over its stores every
night. And yet the province was not satisfied with this ancient militia
organization, for it had set up another to strengthen it.

The militia was composed, as it had been since the foundation of the
colony, of the whole body of male inhabitants of proper military age. In
some cases even clergymen drilled in the ranks. More than once this
militia had gathered to repel an expected attack of French or Indians;
it had stood between the settlers and their foes from the days of Miles
Standish down to the French and Indian War. The martial spirit still
prevailed among the youth of the colony, and each town took pride in its
company. In 1774 John Andrews thus records his innocent delight in the
appearance of the Boston trainbands:--

"Am almost every minute taken off with agreeable sight of our militia
companies marching into the Common, as it is a grand field day with
us.... They now vie with the best troops in his majesties service, being
dress'd all in blue uniforms, with drums and fifes to each company
dress'd in white uniforms trim'd in y^e most elegant manner; with a
company of Grenadiers in red with every other apparatus, that equal any
regular company I ever saw both in appearance and discipline, having a
grand band of musick consisting of eight that play nearly equal to that
of the 64th. What crowns all i