Commonwealth Minutemen

The Commonwealth Minutemen are a faction in the Commonwealth in 2287.

Background
The Commonwealth Minutemen are a volunteer civilian defense militia, described as citizen soldiers banding together to protect themselves and their communities. Similar to the Minutemen of the Revolutionary era, the modern day group is focused on defending the people of Massachusetts, at a minute's notice. A statue near the Old North Bridge commemorates the original group, standing where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired.

The group first rose to prominence in 2180, when they defended Diamond City against a super mutant attack. The Minutemen then attempted to branch out to organize a provisional government with regional settlements. This effort was cut short when group members were murdered by the Institute's representative, a synth. Meanwhile, the group established its headquarters at Fort Independence in South Boston, referring to it as "the Castle." The group including Ronnie Shaw established an armory within the facility, guarded by a sentry bot named Sarge. They maintained operations from this location until 2240, while under the leadership of General McGann, the headquarters were destroyed by a creature that emerged from the surrounding ocean.

The Minutemen continued in their goals of responding to requests for help from nearby settlements that were being attacked, lending their aid towards its defense. The overall faction was historically led by a general and individual contingents led by a colonel. The last Minutemen general, Joe Becker, died in 2282, but who should serve as successor was never agreed upon. After General Becker's death, rivalries between different groups began to cause infighting and disorganization. Some members left the group entirely, such as James Wire and Ronnie Shaw.

The loss of stable leadership and internal squabbles began to erode the efficacy of the group, but the efforts of the Minutemen to respond to defense requests persisted. One such request was from the citizens of Quincy, who were being attacked by a mercenary group known as the Gunners. One group of Minutemen responded to Quincy's request, under the command of Colonel Ezra Hollis. Preston Garvey, a Minutemen member since the age of 17, was in this group and assisted with the efforts to barricade the town against future attacks. Hollis knew that they didn't have the numbers to hold the town against subsequent attacks, but repetitive requests for reinforcements from other Minutemen groups went unanswered.

Shortly thereafter, Clint, a ten-year veteran of the Minutemen, arrived in Quincy not to provide reinforcements, but having defected to the Gunner side. Hollis refused to stand down and the Gunners attacked in force, taking the high ground on the overpass. Despite their best efforts, the Minutemen could not defend against the Gunners' superior numbers and position. Colonel Hollis was captured alive, standing by Minutemen principles until the end, executed by Clint. The rest of the inhabitants were killed with the exception of a few who fled with Garvey, who took over after Hollis' death.

From Quincy, the small contingent that survived the massacre headed to Jamaica Plains, and then Lexington to find shelter. Unable to settle there due to feral ghouls, they attempted to settle in Concord. By the time the group reaches that destination, Preston believes he is the last member of the Minutemen alive, dedicated to protecting the surviving group of civilians. Word of the Minutemen's inability to protect Quincy spread across the Commonwealth, where settlers will make disparaging remarks about the group and event.

Organization
Led by an overarching general and individual groups by colonels, members wear unique uniforms and are often armed with pipe weapons and double-barrel shotguns. The signature weapon of the Minutemen is the laser musket. The Minutemen also utilize artillery, giving them the means to defend locations from afar. Once the Castle is reclaimed, the group begins to broadcast Radio Freedom as a way to send alerts across the Commonwealth.

Interactions
Soon after escaping Vault 111, the Sole Survivor may come across the Museum of Freedom under attack by raiders. They must fight their way upstairs, where they are introduced to Preston Garvey, who is protecting a group from hostilities. If assistance is given, Garvey invites the Sole Survivor to join the Minutemen, they are promoted to the rank of general, and the main questline starts.

Throughout this questline, the Sole Survivor will be asked to lead the Minutemen and complete tasks to align more settlements with the Minutemen. Eventually, this will lead to Taking Independence, in which the Minutemen take back their former headquarters, the Castle. With all the Minutemen quests completed, new quests assigned by Preston Garvey will begin to cycle back through previously completed quests.

The Minutemen are neutral, and will stay friendly to the player character should they ally with the Institute, Brotherhood of Steel or the Railroad. However, the Sole Survivor can opt-out of any of those factions and work specifically with the Minutemen for the main quest. Upon completion of the Nuclear Option, soldiers from the army will patrol the Commonwealth's military checkpoints. Depending on the actions of the Sole Survivor, they may initiate the conflict in the Commonwealth against other factions:
 * If the Sole Survivor enters into hostile relations with the Institute, a faction war between the Minutemen and the Institute starts and they can now enter the Minutemen route of the main quest. This route will lead to Defend the Castle against the synths and later on to the completion of the main quest with The Nuclear Option.
 * If the main quest was finished with the Minutemen or the Brotherhood of Steel and the Sole Survivor has or gains hostile status to the Brotherhood, the two factions will go to war. The the conflict in the Commonwealth will end with the optional Minutemen quest With Our Powers Combined, where the Minutemen use their artillery to bombard the Prydwen. After the Prydwen is destroyed, the Brotherhood will launch their final assault on the Castle. Once the assault is over, the conflict in the Commonwealth ends.

Named members
Leadership
 * General McGann
 * General Becker
 * Colonel Ezra Hollis
 * Preston Garvey

Members

Appearances
The Commonwealth Minutemen appear only in Fallout 4.

Behind the scenes
The faction is based on the real world Minutemen, a self-trained colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War, known for being ready "at a minute's notice."