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First Battalion Incorporated Militia Collection
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Accounts

Series consists of an original Day Book for the First Battalion Incorporated Militia No. 2 Company, specifically Captain Brown’s Company, dated 1840, which records the financial accounts and transactions of the soldiers, including canteen purchases of items such as clothing, boots, clay pipes, plates and cups, cutlery, brushes and combs, razors, shaving boxes, soap, towels, and blacking to polish boots. There is a separate page for each soldier which records the items along with the date, and in some cases, indicates the desertion status of some of the soldiers. The series also consists of an original account ledger for the First Battalion Incorporated Militia No. 3 Company, dating from 1842-1843, which records the amount of pay and allowances for each soldier. There are also a few acquittance rolls for Captain Leonard, Captain Tench and Captain Brown’s Companies, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Allan Napier MacNab, which record the names, ranks, signatures, pay, credits and debts of each soldier, and in some cases, the articles in their possession. The series also includes some monthly clearance returns, which record similar information such as the names, ranks and signatures of each soldier, their possessions, debts and credits, as well as any remarks from the captains, including desertions. Some of the records in this series are originals, and some are photocopies of original documents.

Correspondence

Series consists of a note from jailor, Dennis Malone, indicating he received from Sergeant Morin of the 1st Battalion Incorporated Militia, prisoners Henry Henry and Patrick Farrell, privates in the above regiment, dated at Hamilton, January 4, 1839, a note written by William Winder, Surgeon, 1st Battalion Incorporated Militia, stating that he has examined Private Joseph Forster of No. 8 Company and determined that he is fit to undergo the sentence of solitary confinement meted out by court martial, dated at Hamilton, June 21, 1839, as well as a letter written by [W.B. Roberts?], to the officer commanding the guards, mentioning that he visited the Town and Ordinance Guard by day and night and found the sentries to be on alert at their posts, dated at Hamilton, October 15, 1842. All the documents in this series are original.

Court Martial Records

Series consists of court martial proceedings for various soldiers in the First Battalion Incorporated Militia. The first record pertains to Sergeant William W. Dawson of No. 4 Company, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of “irregular and unsoldierlike conduct in having been drunk and unfit for duty,” on Saturday, February 9, 1839. The document records the proceedings and the witness testimony, as well as the guilty verdict and the punishment, which was Sergeant Dawson’s reduction of rank and pay to that of a private sentinel, dated at Hamilton, February 13, 1839. The second record pertains to Private Joseph Forster of No. 8 Company, who was ordered by Major Gourlay, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Incorporated Militia, to stand trial for being absent without leave for a period of 10 days from June 7 to June 17, 1839. Private Forster pled guilty and was subsequently sentenced to 10 days in solitary confinement, dated at Hamilton on June 20th, 1839. The third record pertains to a proceeding to investigate a complaint from a civilian tavern keeper against three soldiers from the militia, accused of stealing logs of wood on December 27, 1841. The final few records, which are undated and incomplete, pertain to Lance Sergeant Robert Thompson, charged with threatening and assaulting Sergeant Gilbert. Some of the records in this series are original and some are photocopies.

First Battalion Incorporated Militia Collection

  • Fonds
  • 1839-1843

The material in the collection consists of various military records including account ledgers, acquittance rolls, clearance returns, general orders, officers’ reports, morning reports, a sick report, court martial proceedings, correspondence, as well as an attestation paper.

First Battalion Incorporated Militia

General Orders

Series consists of various general orders to the militia companies from different headquarters or brigade offices, informing officers commanding troops that no men absent without leave shall receive pay or rations, and men absent with leave (furlough), shall not be given rations, dated at Brantford, February 20, 1839. The same document contains another order stating that no men in the cavalry shall use their horses or wagons for anything other than military purposes, as the men and horses are paid by the government for the public service, not for personal service, dated at Brantford, February 22, 1839. There is a District General Order from January 15, 1839, instructing that weekly returns of the militia corps are to be transmitted to Colonel Halkett, Assistant Military Secretary at Toronto, signed by C. Foster, dated March 6, 1839, an order relating to the return of arms and ammunition, dated at Toronto, May 19, 1839, and an order from the Brigade Office in Drummondville, instructing No. 2 Company of the First Incorporated Battalion Militia to furnish a detachment with one Captain, four Sergeants and one hundred rank-and-file men, to be stationed at Fort Erie until further notice, dated August 21, 1839. There is also a District General Order relating to the apprehension of Private George Gibbs, dated at Toronto, September 10, 1839. The documents in this series are all originals, with the exception of two photocopies of the order from the Brigade Office.

Reports

Series consists of various reports including Orderly Officers’ Reports, which pertain to the inspections of the soldiers and their barracks. The officers report on the state of the men, the equipment, the food, hospital, roll call, mess hall, and the overall state of the barracks, dating from June to September 1842. The series also consists of Morning Reports for Captain Hebbes, Captain Tench, Captain Brown and Captain Lanes, which record the state of the militia each morning, including the number of soldiers under arms, on parade, on guard, sick, prisoners and casualties, dated October 18, 1842, October 20, 1842 and October 29, 1842. This series also includes one Daily Sick Report recording the names of the men, their company, whether they are in the hospital or in quarters, and the ailment they are suffering from, dated February 8, 1843. Some of the documents in this series are originals and some are photocopies of originals.