The Medford Minutemen, after the battle of Lexington, went into camp at Prospect Hill, where one of their number died. Two were discharged and joined Arnold's ill-fated expedition to Canada. In March of 1776, Captain HALL and his command were at Dorchester Heights, as well as other citizens of Medford who assisted in building the fortifications.

In July, 1776, twelve men were sent to Ticonderoga where they suffered from camp distemper and smallpox. Timothy HALL died there. In the fall, another quota went to New York. Meanwhile, the militia were guarding stores, large quantities of which were collected and distributed from Medford. Constant drafts called for men to go to Connecticut, Rhode Island and, for short terms, to New York. These quotas were made up from the resident militia.

At the close of 1776, the affairs were so grave, and the army was in such need of recruits, that Washington sent Colonel BROOKS and Captain PRITCHARD of Medford, to Massachusetts to enlist men for three years or the war. In March 1777, Medford had forty men in the Continental army enlisted for the war. All of them were engaged in the battles in the vicinity of Saratoga which preceded Burgoyne's surrender.

During the long years of struggle for independence, this town gave her sons and her money in aid of the cause. Two hundred and forty men are distinctly credited to her, besides others that are not so easily identified. Sixty-four others are recorded who gave liberally of their money. The population was then less than a thousand.

Benjamin, Richard, Isaac, Ebenezer, Stephen tertius and Stephen 4th, representing three families of HALL, and others not so prominent in town affairs, literally gave their fortunes. It is recorded that this home guard voluntarily accepted depreciated money from the town and reserved for the poor the little hard money that the selectmen had at their command. The most famous of Medford's soldiers of the Revolution were Colonel John BROOKS, Captain Thomas PRITCHARD and Adjutant Francis TUFTS, who served from 1775 to the close of the war. All had the personal acquaintance and the esteem of General Washington and were given commissions of trust under him."