"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 
 
 
 
 
 

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html