Shea, William L, The Virginia Militia in the Seventeenth Century, (
Baton Rouge,1983).
McAllister, J.T. Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War. Hot Springs,
VA: McAllister, 1913.
There is an extensive literature about militia in the RevWar. It is
important to bear in mind that musters and militia mean different things
in peacetime and wartime, in the 17th century and the 18th century.
trm
Harold Gill wrote:
> You might take a look at Robert E. & Katherine Brown, *Virginia
> 1705-1786*. It has a discusses the purpose of the militia and even
> better is Richard L. Morton, *Colonial Virginia.*
> HBG
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Paddock" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 3:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Colonial Musters
>
>
>> "Can anyone explain a colonial muster? I'm guessing it was like National
>> Guard training. There were regiments and companies. Sometimes they
>> went to
>> London. Each muster lasted several months.
>>
>> Was it compulsory? How large an area did it cover? Was it imposed by the
>> British against Indians or against budding patriots? Can one guess the
>> musterees sympathies from their membership?
>>
>> I don't understand the purpose or the particulars."
>>
>> Sally,
>>
>> I can't recall if you got many responses to your query but here are some
>> notes I've kept on militias/musters:
>>
>> Musters were originally assemblies of men at arms organized into militia
>> districts for for either drill in the use of weapons and the elements of
>> military discipline or combat. In the case of England, only a portion
>> of the
>> militia was customarily called out for such training between 1573 and
>> 1663 ("Hence the use of the term ‘trained bands"). England used
>> militias on
>> an organized basis from the 1500s until 1908, including the French
>> and Indian War and later campaigns in the colonies prior to the
>> revolution.
>>
>> The term muster also was used to describe censuses/early surveys of
>> residents in certain areas such as the early "Hundreds" in Virginia.
>> There
>> was a muster held
>> after the Jamestown massacre of 1622 to determine who was dead or
>> alive, as
>> I recall.
>>
>> Colonial Virginia did not maintain a standing army. Nearly everyone was
>> engaged in agriculture, and needed to plant in the spring and harvest
>> in the
>>
>> fall. The Virginians were not wealthy enough to afford full-time
>> soldiers.
>> When they were threatened, colonists formed militia companies ("trained
>> bands") for temporary service. Riders on horses would spread the word to
>> various farms and the men would assemble as needed. The armed folks who
>> attended muster became known as militia or minute men. Usually
>> one-third of
>> the able-bodied men of the community remained for its protection if the
>> militia embarked on a mission. A mission could last from a few days
>> to a
>> month or more.
>>
>> Each colony enacted its own laws regulating the militia, usually
>> requiring
>> military service for all free males who were physically fit and
>> between the
>> ages of sixteen and sixty. Attendance was compulsory but not always well
>> enforced. Strict discipline of essentially volunteer soldiers was
>> rare. More
>>
>> often, the drinking during the militia musters was more intense than the
>> target practice.
>>
>> There were exemptions for conscientious objectors and members of the
>> government, and those who did not wish to serve could hire a
>> substitute. The
>>
>> colonial governor was the commander of the militia. The militia was
>> organized by county. In theory, there were regular training sessions
>> of the
>> militia at local muster grounds, often county courthouses. In times of
>> peace, however, these became largely social events. Inspections at
>> Musters
>> were held by the muster-master, inspector-general, or County
>> Lieutenant, who
>> was often a candidate for the House of Burgesses. Written reports of
>> musters and pay rolls were filled out in several copies and sent to each
>> level of command within the government.
>>
>> During the Revolution, those with crops to plant and harvest were
>> reluctant
>> to serve for more than a few weeks. When a militia unit received
>> orders to
>> muster for a march to another colony, their reluctance was based in
>> part on
>> a desire to return home soon rather than a misguided allegiance to
>> Virginia.
>>
>> Bounties were often offered to attract the "idle poor" who had less
>> to lose
>> and were more willing to volunteer. These were rarely the
>> most-disciplined
>> or hardest-working members in the county. In addition, they often
>> arrived in
>> camp without the required clothing, guns, powder, and ammunition.
>> Whatever was issued to such soldiers had a tendency to be lost or
>> damaged.
>> Some items were obviously sold or kept for personal profit. The militia
>> motivations were basic, with patriotism towards the colony sometimes
>> far
>> down the list.
>>
>> A portion of each "trained band" was required to march on short
>> notice when
>> an emergency arose. Later, this portion of a company came to be known as
>> minute
>> men. The military organization which evolved from minute men possessed
>> features of both the militia and the regular army. These units
>> evolved into
>> state
>> regiments and became part of the regular military establishment
>> (National
>> Guard).
>>
>> Regards, Rick
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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