The American Revolution: The Minutemen

Minutemen were farmers, merchants, townsfolk, armed with a Kentucky or Pennsylvania Rifle. Unlike the Limey Brown Bess, American rifles were accurate as hell, usually up to 300 yards. They had to be. These were hunting rifles. 

Fighting guerilla style or behind fortifications the Minutemen were almost unmovable.*

In the open field they couldn't stand up to the British though, as proven again and again at Brooklyn Heights, Brandywine, Camden, etc etc.

In the southern campaign General Daniel Morgan figured out how to use the Minutemen in the field. At Cowpens he arrayed them in line, told them to fire off two volleys and then run like hell. Waiting behind the Minutemen was a line of Continental Army troops. This tactic defeated the Brits at Cowpens and worked again at Guilford Courthouse, the most ferocious battle of the war.**

Under the right circumstances the Minutemen were devastating. 

*They ran out of ammo at Bunker Hill.
** Ok the Brits won the battlefield but were so bloodied they had to withdraw...to Yorktown.