sermons, public prayer, and singing. The holding of public meetings by laymen soon drew the ire of the local church pastor, who quickly came to regard Randall as a rival. This drama would be interrupted by the coming of the American Revolutionary War. Military interlude Randall was an ardent American patriot during the revolutionary crisis of 1775 to 1776, and with the outbreak of armed hostilities he briefly enlisted in the Massachusetts militia in the company of Captain John Parsons at New Castle during the first half of 1775. The immediate crisis subsided, however, and the company was soon dismissed. Following another brief scare in the fall of 1775 Randall again enlisted for a term of two months as an assistant commissary. He would reenlist in September 1776 as a sergeant in a regiment headed by Colonel Pierce Lang, ultimately serving as a militia soldier for a year and a half. Randall remained devout in his Christianity during his military stint, later declaring that he "never lived nearer to God than during that campaign experience." During his military tenure Randall made a point of regularly visiting the sick and performing the duties of a chaplain in offering religious consolation. Randall was mocked by some within the ranks for his religious exuberance but his actions were ultimately backed by the unit's commanding officer, who threatened severe punishment to any who continued to deride Randall's heartfelt efforts, thereby easing the situation. Religious conversion In 1776 Randall found himself in fundamental agreement with the evangelical teachings of the Calvinistic Baptists, and he joined this comparatively small, isolated, and unpopular sect, which believed in active evangelism and the doctrine of baptism by immersion. He soon was an active participant in the Baptist church, reading published sermons and becoming a layman preacher of original sermons in 1777. Randall was a zealous public speaker on behalf of his faith, holding public meetings day and night and preaching an average of four times a week. Some 30 people were converted at Randall's revival meetings, which were non-standard in form and perceived as a threat by many in the community. Randall later recalled that "persecution grew very hot, and such threatening language was used that I really felt my life in danger." He was nearly struck in the head with a thrown piece of a brick when walking down the street one day, narrowly escaping death or serious