Preppers, Patriots the Militia and the Fifty III Percent

The First American Revolution began and ended with the militia. While in truth the militia was not always reliable and did cause it's fair share of problems from time to time I would maintain that in large part these issues sprang more from a lack of understanding at the command level than anything else.

In the opening campaigns around Boston and New York it has been reported that the New England colonies turned out upwards of over one third of eligible men into the various militias. Massachusetts formed no less than twelve militia regiments overnight in 1775. I doubt anyone could argue that indeed the Revolution began with the militia, however the Continentals did become the backbone of armed resistance to be sure. The reason for this is elementary. A war for liberty cannot be won in a single day or month and logistics are just as important to the effort as men on the battlefield.

Although brilliant in many ways most of the American and all of the British field commanders failed to grasp the significance of the local militias. Many of them continued to speak ill of the Militia even after the Southern campaign where the Militia kept the theater alive and even turned the tide in some colonies forcing Cornwallis to retreat into Virginia and therefore setting the final stage for the end of the land conflict. In general the militia would not serve for extended periods of time and tended to melt away when commanders proclaimed they needed them most. The fact is that the militia were not in a position to serve for extended lengths of time and the war effort could not afford to keep them there regardless.

The militia men of the Revolution were patriots to be sure but they were also preppers. They served the effort as much with their sweat and labor as they did with musket and ball. To rely on the militia to take the field for months at a time was unrealistic and detrimental to future resistance but when needed on a regional basis they could and in fact did bolster the Continental forces to the point of victory on numerous occasions.

Continental foraging parties visited Militia homesteads and farms often. These patriots and preppers could be counted on to deliver up foodstuffs and other necessities when the need arose, even those who could not physically take the field themselves were reported to have extended production in food, powder, firearms etc. so they had a surplus to donate to the cause. Resistance to tyranny comes in many forms and requires more than just men taking up arms.

I read daily about other patriots across the land willing to fight for the Constitution and stand firm against any political ideology that seeks to infringe those rights but rarely do I see mention of the massive levels of support that will be needed for such a cause. We can discuss how best to deal with drones, armored war surplus and jack booted thugs until the cows come home but without a sympathetic and supportive populace behind it such actions are doomed to failure. In a fight for Liberty and Freedom most people will need to wear more than one hat to get us through such a conflict. What the tyrants will call hotbeds of resistance the Patriots will call safe zones of production.

For every man or woman willing to take up arms and travel to face off against tyranny we must have ten more willing to produce and support them and also prepared to meet any incursion into the "Hotbed" zones on a "minutes" notice. For 10 months a landowner may be feeding and running cattle only to offer up a third of his herd to the cause even as he grabs his rifle and serves in arms for 2 months when the forces of tyranny push into his home region. The militia man understands that he or she is not only going to be risking life and limb for the cause but donating economically to it as well.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!