Colonial Militia (ETW Unit)
Overview
Militia or provincial troops are commonly held to be inferior to regular soldiers and, although they are trained to use the same tactics as marching regiments of the line, there is some truth in this assertion. Militia are expected to act as reassuring presence, and sometimes as a police force in suppressing local disturbances.
Historically, it was not unusual for militia to be locals recruited as part-time soldiers while retaining their day jobs and trades. In Britain, for example, service in the militia was seen as a good idea: you not only looked very patriotic for volunteering, but you could not be sent overseas! For ambitious would-be officers, there was a hidden financial benefit to joining the militia. A commander who could persuade his men to transfer to the army with him would not have to pay the cost of his regular commission.