Why did the American officers tell the volunteers not to fire "until you see the whites of their eyes"? 1. They knew the volunteers had little training and very little gunpowder, and the officers didn't want to waste ammunition.

2. They realized the volunteers had trouble distinguishing the difference between British soldiers and colonists.

3. They wanted the British to fire first so that they would be blamed for starting the war.

4. They wanted the British to be unaware of the massive army of volunteers that had joined the revolution.