This effort was cut short when group members were murdered by the Institute's representative, a synth. The Minutemen then attempted to branch out to organize a provisional government with regional settlements. The group first rose to prominence in 2180, when they defended Diamond City against a super mutant attack. A statue near the Old North Bridge commemorates the original group, standing where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired. 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.
The Commonwealth Minutemen are a volunteer civilian defense militia, described as citizen soldiers banding together to protect themselves and their communities.