American militia rarely fought the British in open formation; they fought from cover. The story collectors think of when they think of militia at Lexington and Concord — colonists firing from behind stone walls, fences, and the inside corners of buildings as the British column retreated — is largely accurate, and it ran the entire length of the war. Militia were called up locally, fought close to home, and used the terrain. The kneeling firing position depicted on this figure was one of the standard postures for that work: a stable shoot from cover, low silhouette, weapon supported on the knee or against a wall. Combined with the long muskets most militiamen owned, it gave a colonist behind a fence a serious advantage over a regular standing in line in the open.

This figure shows a militiaman in the kneeling firing posture — left knee down, weapon shouldered, taking the shot. His dress is the deliberately practical mix that defined militia kit: dark red coat with brass buttons, off-white breeches and stockings, the wide-brimmed slouch hat that distinguishes a militia from a regular Continental. The "No. 3" designation indicates this is the third pose in W. Britain's Colonial Militia firing series. He pairs with the standing-alert militiaman as a complementary figure — one alert and watching, one already firing — and with the other Revolutionary figures Breagans carries for a fully populated militia-and-Continental display.

1/30 scale (60mm), matte-painted, single figure boxed. Catalog number 16071. As with the rest of the W. Britain modern range, the painting is photographic-quality detail intended to read well in dioramas and display cases.