About Me
We are the Lexington Training Band, a Revolutionary War reenactment unit based in Lexington, Massachusetts and a proud member of the Continental Line. We portray the same militia unit that fought at the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.Despite popular belief, the Village of Lexington on the eve of the American Revolution did not have a minute man company. Instead, the men from that town were enlisted in a single militia company known as "The Lexington Training Band". The band was commanded by Captain John Parker and was comprised of one lieutenant, two ensigns, three sergeants, four corporals, one clerk, one fifer, one drummer and one hundred and twenty-eight privates. The men not only hailed from Lexington, but the bordering towns of Woburn, Billerica, Menotomy and Lincoln as well.The term training band can be traced back to the reign of England’s Edward I, when parliament enacted legislation decreeing that every freeman between the ages of 15 and 60 years was to be available to preserve the peace within his own county or shire. In the towns where the units were organized and located, they were known by the virtue of their periodic training as "trained bands". However, when parliament, under the rule of Charles II, revised membership requirements, established pay and appointed officers, trained bands became known as militias. By the 17th century, the militia had become the cornerstone of English society and thus, when Plimoth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies were founded, the militia naturally followed. When Lexington established its militia, it retained the ancient English title of training band.The goal of the Lexington Training Band is to accurately portray a Massachusetts militia company as it appeared between April 18, 1775 and October 18, 1775. We are dedicated to honoring those brave Patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Nation's freedom.
From those who first fell on Lexington Green, to the heroes of today, we hope to continue telling the story of American Independence.
