What are the III%?

There is little doubt that the first of the III%ers were militia. It was months before the Continental Army was formed, but the war had begun.

Burns Chronicles No 11—What are the III%?

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First, we must understand the significance of the oft-used expression, “III%” or “3%”.  It is intended to suggest the percentage of the population who fought against the British during the Revolutionary War.  Now, keep in mind what you just read.  They fought in the Revolutionary War, whether they were militia, or Continental Army; They Fought!

Why would I bring this up?  Well, a number of comments have come to me regarding my article, “Civil Defiance or Submission?”  Many have suggested that they are III%er, and their duty is strictly defensive.

In a discussion with one of them, I asked if he was III%.  He boldly told me that he was.  Then I asked him if he was ready to fight, to do something.  He said that his job as III% was strictly defensive.  I asked him what he intended to defend.  He told me that he was going to defend his bug-out location, his family, and his team.

My next comment was that his first stand would also be his last stand.  When they come to get him, and they will eventually find him, he will fight and die, defending, or he will end up in the gray-bar hotel, for a long time.

There is little doubt that the first of the III%ers were militia.  It was months before the Continental Army was formed, but the war had begun.  People fought, and people died, on both sides, so the first few thousand were none other than Militia.

So, the first eighty-some men where under arms were, perhaps, defensive.  Under Captain Parker, the Lexington Militia were gathered on the Green, though they were lined up along a side road that led to Woburn, the same route John Hancock and Sam Adams had taken when they left Lexington, once alerted by the alarm riders.  The road to Concord was not obstructed, in the least.  It was merely the presence of armed colonists, which led to the events that have now become a part of our heritage.

As the British continued to march toward Concord, word spread rapidly to the nearby towns, villages, and counties of western Massachusetts.  It is what happened next that tells the tale of what the real III%ers were.  As word spread, that the people of Lexington had become involved in a gunfight with the British, they did not ask why, they grabbed their muskets and headed in that direction.

There was no internet, nor telephone, radio, or any other means of notification other than the alarm riders.  They did not stop to answer questions, they simply called to arms.  It was sufficient that those who would soon be recognized as “Americans” had come under fire of the British.

The Militia, including that of Lexington, had transferred their “subordination to civil authority” from the Royal Governor to their local Committees of Safety.  This had occurred during the previous years, as explained in “The End of the Revolution and the Beginning of Independence”.  Those Committees then gave orders to their respective Militia to march to Concord, as that was known to be the objective of the British.

Within hours, several thousand had arrived near Concord.  They had come from other towns, from other counties, and some were on their way from other states.  There was no consideration of the fact that those in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York, were not from Massachusetts; had not been invited to take their arms and go to Massachusetts.  They responded solely to take on the common enemy, the British.  They didn’t hesitate, they were not concerned for their “bug-out location, family, and team”, rather, they were concerned for their Liberty, and their fellow colonists.

Within weeks, people from all of New England, all of the middle colonies, and some of the southern colonies had amassed around Boston, laying siege to the military might that then ruled the world.  They had come to fight!  They made no excuse as to why they should not go to Boston, because they were the beginning of the III%.

There were some Active Patriots (See “Active Patriots v Passive Patriots”) that came to aid those who had taken a stand in favor of the idea that public lands should be public, not treated as the private property of the government and the bureaucrats.  There were Passive Patriots, those who might, as time went on, become Active Patriots and join the ranks to fight the common enemy.  There were some False Patriots, whose work, while claiming to be in support of those in the Refuge, was more of a hindrance, and often served to provide more benefit to the government side than the patriot side.

Most importantly, however, was the absence of those who wear the badge of III%.  Sadly, many who do wear the badge do so without due respect for its meaning, and who will find any excuse to avoid becoming involved, as only defensive, as was described above.

As I reflect on those who wear that III% badge and otherwise do not intend to serve the cause, rather, only to serve themselves, their families, and their team, I am reminded of those who receive an award simply for being there, not realizing that to wear the III% badge calls for the courage, conviction, and commitment—that which the real III% of 240 years ago had.

Gary Hunt -- 

Gary Hunt was a Professional Land Surveyor. Having been the County Surveyor for Orange County, Florida from 1974 to 1978, he began private practice in 1978 and continued as such until 1993, when events in Waco, Texas caused him to leave his business in pursuit of restoring the Constitution.

In 1989, he began researching, investigating and studying history, law and events where the government was “pointing its guns in the wrong direction”. He began publishing a patriot newspaper, “Outpost of Freedom”, in February 1993.

Since that time, he has investigated numerous occurrences, including, Waco, the Murder of Michael Hill, Ohio Militia Chaplain, Oklahoma City Bombing, and other events. He has attended the sites to investigate the events, and has reported on his investigations.

He has continued to report on his findings on the Internet, as well as write articles about other current events; about the history of the Revolutionary era; and the founding documents.

His Internet home page is outpost-of-freedom.com