'A Minute Man Preparing for War', (1877). A minuteman goes off to fight in the American War of Independence, (1775-1783), as his distraught mother weeps. The civilian colonists formed militia companies known for being ready at a minute's notice. They were self-trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies. From "Our Country: a Household History for All Readers, from the Discovery of America to the Present Time", Volume 2, by Benson J. Lossing. [Johnson & Miles, New York, 1877]