It may come as no surprise that the Nerds are working on a new book. Entitled For God’s Sake, Fire! - The Massachusetts Militia System on the Eve of Lexington and Concord. The work, which we reluctantly hope will be released at some point in 2027, examines the historical, religious, military, and constitutional foundations of the Massachusetts militia system and how efforts were made to transform the establishment into an effective fighting force prepared to defend colonists' “English liberties” as codified in the Massachusetts Charter of 1691.
During our research, we began to find extensive information on the role of “clerks” within Massachusetts militia companies. Presumably, clerks were responsible for administrative duties, namely the keeping of muster rolls and recording the names of those men who attended drill sessions or assemblies for an alarm. A review of an account from the Reverend William Gordon in the aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord supports the assumption that Daniel Harrington, clerk for Captain John Parker’s Lexington Company, was at least responsible for the role and attendance of his fellow militia men. “Before Major Pitcairn arrived at Lexington signal guns had been fired, and the bells had been rung to give the alarm: Lexington being alarmed, the train band or militia, and the alarm men (consisting of the aged and others exempted from turning out, excepting upon an alarm) repaired in general to the common, close in with the Meeting house, the usual place of parade; and these were present when the roll was called over, about one hundred and thirty of both, as I was told by Mr. Daniel Harrington, Clerk to the company, who further said, that the night being chilly, so as to make it uncomfortable being upon the parade, they having received no certain intelligence of the regulars being upon the march, and being waiting for the same, the men were dismissed to appear again at the beat of drum. Some who lived near went home, others to the public house at the corner of the common.”
However, the role of clerks was far more expansive and better aligned with that of a compliance officer than with that of an administrative servant. The origins of the clerk role in Massachusetts date back to the 17th century, when Plymouth colony revised its militia laws in 1658 and created the position. Massachusetts followed suit a little over a decade and a half later. According to mid to late 17th-century laws, the clerk was a crucial member of a militia company, responsible for inspecting soldiers’ weapons, maintaining the muster roll, and monitoring for defects, absences, or offenses during training. He collected fines for minor infractions, while recommending that more serious offenses or disobedience toward officers be prosecuted criminally. Such punishments for serious infractions included “Riding the Wooden Horse, or by Bilboes, or lying Neck and Heels,” and imprisonment. Period laws permitted company clerks to seize property for unpaid fines or recover them through debt actions before a Justice of the Peace.
Under colonial law, clerks were frequently expected to inspect the militiamen under their authority to ensure they were armed and equipped in accordance with the law, and townsmen who had been exempted from training were ordered to acquire weapons in case they were needed for military service.
By 1738, to prevent mismanagement of funds, a legislative act established strict record-keeping requirements for military clerks.
Clerks had to maintain a dedicated ledger documenting every fine collected and each expenditure, and to present an attested copy of these accounts to their Captain each March. The funds collected were mainly used for maintaining company equipment, including drums, colors, and halberds. Any surplus at year's end was to be transferred to the Town Treasurer to buy ammunition, powder, and bullets for the town’s general stock. To enforce these administrative duties, all clerks were required to serve under oath, and those found negligent were subject to a fine of five pounds.
“A Muster Roll of the Minute Men who marched from Pittsfield to Cambridge under the Command of Capt. David Noble in Colo. Paterson’s Regiment and Returned”
By the eve of the French and Indian War, further revisions of Massachusetts militia laws required clerks to compile detailed lists of every individual in their company and their available equipment every six months, then submit these reports to commanding officers as required by law. This process helped the provincial government keep an accurate record of its military capacity. By the late 1760s, the importance and military capabilities of militia companies in Massachusetts had significantly declined due to the absence of an immediate French threat and an emphasis on using militia companies to advance one’s social standing rather than on military preparedness.
Nevertheless, the role of a clerk seems to remain unchanged as the colony entered the 1770s. While clerks were forced to attend multiple company social gatherings and stand idly by as officers used their ranks for political advantage, it appears that clerks continued to press ahead and adhere to their legislatively defined duties.
More importantly, as war loomed on the horizon with England in 1774 and early 1775, it would have been the clerks, like Lexington’s Daniel Harrington, who would have taken proactive steps to ensure that his fellow soldiers adhered to both the resolutions of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and local town orders to be properly armed, equipped and trained for combat, and that the men would field when called upon to answer the call to defend English liberties.
This is great. Thanks for the article.
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