Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
First Battalion Incorporated Militia
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1839-1843
History
The First Battalion Incorporated Militia was established in 1838 to protect the Hamilton area (formerly known as Head-of-the-Lake), and the surrounding region from any possible uprisings or raids stemming from the Rebellions of 1837-1838. The British army couldn’t continue to provide protection for a growing colony, and part-time militias were often ill-prepared to cope with the issues of the time. The region of Hamilton was seen as a strategic point of defense for Upper Canada due to its location, so a decision was made to create a force for regular service. On October 24, 1838, the Lieutenant Governor signed the order to raise a battalion in Hamilton and in November of 1838 it was formed and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Allan Napier MacNab (1798-1862), a veteran of the War of 1812, with Colonel William Gourlay (1794-1867), a former British officer, as second in command.
Unlike earlier militias where the men wore their own clothes and provided their own musket, the First Battalion Incorporated Militia soldiers wore the uniform of the British Army and were provided with military-issued weapons. Non-commissioned officers were required to be able to read and write, as they would be the mainstay of the unit, ensuring that the enlisted men behaved and practiced their drill instruction. Unfortunately, records indicate that desertion, drunkenness and disorderly conduct were sometimes the reality for the battalion. The 300 men that enlisted by the end of the first year of the battalion’s existence received the same pay as the British soldiers, which was one shilling a day for a regular private, minus the expenditures for their personal kits. The battalion was headquartered in Hamilton with a daily town guard of one officer and twelve men, but often sent companies of men to places such as Fort Eire, Cobourg and Penetanguishene. While stationed in Hamilton, the men engaged in daily drills and chores, and patrolled the area. After five years of service, monotonous barracks life, and with no action from any rebellions or uprisings, the regiment was disbanded in 1843.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Burkholder, Mabel. “Hamilton Barracks Life Described: Monotony of Garrison Duty Eased by Nourishing Rations,” in Out of the Storied Past, Vol. 6, p.17-18. Library Call No. R971.351 Sp312.
CF – Hamilton – Militia – History: “The Tradition from Settlement,” article written by Frank L. Jones for the Hamilton Spectator, June 27, 1967.
Jones, Frank L. “City’s First Militia Vanished in the 1840s,” in Historical Articles from the Hamilton Spectator, p. 6c-6f. Library Call No. R971.351 J71