Minutemen

Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name.

The minutemen were among the first people to fight in the American Revolution. Their teams constituted about a quarter of the entire militia. Generally younger and more mobile, they served as part of a network for early response. Minuteman and Sons of Liberty member Paul Revere was among those who spread the news that the British Regulars (soldiers) were coming out. Revere was captured before completing his mission when the British marched toward the arsenal in Lexington and Concord to collect the weapons stored there.

The term has also been applied to various later United States civilian-based military forces to recall the success and patriotism of the originals.

(From Wikipedia)