<P> The royal authorities in Boston had seen these increasing numbers of militia appearing and thought that the militia would not interfere if they sent a sizable force to Concord to seize munitions and stores there (which they considered the King's property, since it was paid for to defend the colonies from the American Indian threat). The British officers were proven wrong . Shooting erupted at Lexington (there is still a debate as to whether it was a colonist or a British soldier who fired the infamous "shot heard' round the world"). The militia left the area, and the British moved on . The British then moved to Concord and faced a larger number of militia . The British were rapidly outnumbered at Concord, with the arrival of the slower moving militia; they had not counted on a long fight, and so had not brought additional ammunition beyond the standard issue in the soldiers' cartridge boxes . This then forced a strategic defeat on Colonel Smith, forcing him back to Boston . </P> <P> A "running fight" began during the retreat . Militiamen knew the local countryside and were familiar with "skulking" or "Indian Warfare ." They used trees and other obstacles to cover themselves from British gunfire and pursuit by British soldiers, while the militia were firing and moving . This kept the British under sporadic fire, and caused them to exhaust their limited ammunition . Only the timely arrival of a relief column under Lord Percy prevented the annihilation or surrender of the original road column . </P> <P> Most Colonial militia units were provided neither arms nor uniforms and were required to equip themselves . Many simply wore their own farmers' or workmans' clothes and, in some cases, they wore cloth hunting frocks . Most used fowling pieces, though rifles were sometimes used where available . Neither fowling pieces nor rifles had bayonets . Some colonies purchased muskets, cartridge boxes, and bayonets from England, and maintained armories within the colony . </P> <P> The Continental Army regulars received European - style military training later in the American Revolutionary War, but the militias did not get much of this . They were better when used as irregulars rather than fighting formal battles in the traditional dense lines and columns, functioning primarily as skirmishers and sharpshooters . When used in conjunction with continental regulars, the militia would frequently fire ragged irregular volleys from a forward skirmish line or from the flanks of the Continental Army, while Continental soldiers held the center . </P>

What did the militia wear in the revolutionary war