In 1774, communities outside Boston were commanded to drill their respective militias to prepare for potential hostilities with the King´s forces. "Drilling" or "training" insured that the men followed commands in unison, making them a more effective fighting force.

Unfortunately, each community adopted their own set of commands or interpretation from a manual of arms, which often lead to confusion when these communities tried to organize under a central commander. While the Continental Army eventually created a uniform manual of arms for the 13 colonies, eliminating confusion, local reenactors still adopt different manuals whether the 1764 Crown Manual, Pickering’s, or von Steuben’s. It's confusion for militia when several militia drill with completely authentic manual of arms.

To learn more about these manual of arms, visit:

• The Manual Exercise - as ordered by His Majesty in 1764
     Printed copy available for $2.50
     Video of the Manual of Arms 1764
• Pickering's Manual Exercise - taken from Timothy Pickering’s "An Easy Plan of Discipline for a Militia, 1775"
• von Steuben’s Manual Exercise - taken from Baron von Steuben’s "Regulations, 1779"
     Video of von Steuben's Manual Exercise