The echoes of " The Shot Heard 'Round the World " had

scarcely ceased to reverberate from the green-clad slopes of

Mounts Tom and Holyoke, when George Mills, Jr., responded

to the Call to Arms, and on April 21, 1775, two days after Lexington,

enlisted as a private in Captain Robert Webster's Minute

Men Company, of Colonel Seth Pomeroy's Regiment, which

marched at the coming of the Alarm, and served six days.

Of his first commanding officers, Colonel, afterwards General,

Pomeroy was one of the two general officers, Artemas Ward

being the other, who organized the Massachusetts Militia in the

fall of 1774, and made possible by their energetic efforts the

marvelously spontaneous mobilization of Minute Men which took

place a few days after Lexington and Concord.

Captain Robert Webster, of Chesterfield, was undoubtedly

the man of that name who was a private in Captain Joshua

Healey's Company of Colonel John Chandler, Jr.'s Regiment,

which marched to the relief of Fort William Henry in August,

On the mustering in of Colonel John Fellows' Regiment,

known as the Seventeenth Massachusetts Bay Regiment in the

Provincial Army, he became a Captain in that Regiment, and

served throughout the year.

On the reorganization which took place April 27, 1775,

George Mills, Jr., became a private in Captain Webster's Company

of Colonel Fellows' Regiment. Northwestern Massachusetts

contributed nearly all the men who composed this regiment,

six companies being raised in Hampshire County, including the

Chesterfield Company, three in Berkshire, and one in Worcester.

On a return of the Regiment dated Roxbury Camp, May 23d, a

total strength of 526 privates is given.

During his service with this command George Mills was

under seasoned officers. Besides Captain Webster, the First

Lieutenant was Christopher Banester, of Chesterfield, who had

been a private in Captain Obadiah Cooley's Company in 1756,

and was commissioned June 7, 1775, serving throughout the

year and afterwards becoming successively Captain and Major

in the service.

The Second Lieutenant, or Ensign, was Everton Besweck,

also of Chesterfield, who had been a private with George in the

Minute Men under Captain Webster. He later served as second

lieutenant in Captain Benjamin Bonney's Company of Colonel

Ezra May's Regiment, and in Captain William White's Company

of Colonel Chapin's Regiment, the first named being the company

into which George first re-enlisted on his return from

Quebec, being doubtless attracted thereto by his formerly having

served under Besweck.

While with Fellows' Regiment, George served (July 22nd)

in the fortifications at Roxbury, and lay encamped at Dorchester,

being part of the army besieging Boston.

A ration return of July 3, 1775, giving a good idea of the

food provided for the soldier of that day, may be of interest. It

is stated that each man had a pound of beef, two pounds of

bread, two (pints, probably) of beer, a quarter pound each of

rice and peas, and about one-ninth of a pound of butter, for

his daily ration.

The regiment was assigned to the Brigade of Major-General

Thomas, and took active part in the summer's campaign about

Boston.