Unusually large numbers of men joined the Continental Army and the Pennsylvania Militia. Lancaster County provided medical care for sick and wounded soldiers, became a prisoner-of-war-center for British and Hessians, and produced for the Continental Army: shoes, blankets, saddlery, wagons, uniforms and the deadly accurate Pennsylvania Rifle
An entry in a Military Journal of the Revolution descriBes the German volunteers of the Pennsylvania battalion:
"They are remarkably stout and hardy men;many exceeding six feet in height. They are dressed in white rifle shirts and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accuracy of their aim; striking a mark with great certainity at 200 yards distance. They are now stationed in our line and their shot have frequently proved fatal to British officers and soldiers who expose themselves to view, even at a more then double the distance of common musket shot."
*Muskets carried by most British and American soldiers could fire only about 100 yards and were notoriously inaccurate.Source: German Patriots in the Rev. War-Fred T. May
The Draft covered males between the ages of 18 and 53. Those who chose not to serve , often for religous reasons, could pay a fine or provide a substitute.
The orgainization of the militia was established by the state along county and then municipal lines. County Lieutenants were appointed to organize the county militia. They established Battalion districts, expected to raise between 440 to 680 men. These Battalion districts were further subdivided into 8 company districts which would roughly cover one township and were expected to raise between 80 and 100 men. The troops that served in the same company would be from the same neighborhood. The men in each battalion elected their own field officers and thsoe from each company chose their company officers. In 1777 all eight classes of the Lancaster Militia were called up, they served 2 months active duty.
*Source:
The Pa Militia in 1777 by Hanna Benner Roach, the Genealogical Magazine of Penn.
To collect a pension-the soldier had to live until 1832. It was only after they began dying-that people began to give high regard to the Revolutionary War Soldiers.
In March 1777, Pennsylvania began a draft because of the difficulty of finding volunteers to serve in the Militia-prior to that date-those who served were volunteers. The draft covered males between the ages of 18-53.Those who chose not to serve �often for religious reasons could pay a fine or provide a substitute. The organization of the militia was established by the state along county and then municipal lines. County Lieutenants were appointed to organize the county militia. They established Battalion districts expected to raise between 440-680 men. These Battalion districts were further subdivided into 8 company districts which would roughly cover one township and were expected to raise between 80-100 men.*The troops that served in the same company would be from the same neighborhood-the men in each Battalion elected their own field officers and those from each company chose their company officers. What class someone served in was a result of a lottery �the intent of the classes was to ensure an area wouldn�t be drained of able bodied men. When the state needed troops, it would callout the 1st class of the Lancaster County Militia, if not enough troops showed up-then they would call for the 2nd Class, this continued until all 8 classes were called up and then the process would begin again with the 1st Class. In 1777, all 8 classes of the Lancaster County Militia were called up �they would serve 2 months active duty. One might conclude that anyone who showed up in the class list for 1777 and dosen�t appear on the non-associators list probably sercved active duty in the Militia. Those who chose not serve could pay a fine, their names appear on many o the Lancaster Cty Tax Lists for the year 1777, at the end of the list, titled �NON-Associators�.Non associators were people from churches that opposed war-Quakers, Mennonites and Church of the Brethren. Occasionally, an �OLD Man�s List� will appear in the Tax Lists, these are those over 53 who are too old for Militia service. German Patriots in the Revolutionary War Fred T. May