Manuscript Group 525, Essex County Militia, Second Regiment Record book, 1776-1778
Archives Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs
Manuscript Group 525, Essex County Militia, Second Regiment
Record book, 1776-1778, 0.01 linear feet / 1 volume
Call Number: MG 525
Morning reports and rosters of the Second Regiment, County Militia, commanded by Captain Josiah Pierson from August 7 to August 30, 1777 and by Captain Henry Squire from December 11, 1777 to January 7, 1778.
The Provincial Congress of New Jersey passed an act on August 16, 1775 for the creation of the New Jersey Militia. The Provincial Congress and the Committee of Safety selected the officers and on October 28, 1775, the Congress of New Jersey ordered that all men capable of bearing arms had to enlist. In July of 1776, New Jersey had to muster a militia unit of 2000 men that consisted of four battalions made up of thirty companies of sixty-four men each. Essex County furnished three companies led by Colonel Edward Thomas. The following March an act was passed for better regulation of the militia and this act was amended further in April of 1778. The April act divided the militia into two brigades with the Essex men belonging to the first brigade. The Essex County militia was ordered to the northeast side of the Raritan River and later fought at the battles of Quintons Bridge (1778), Hancocks Bridge (1778), Three Rivers (1776), Connecticut Farms (1780), Van Nests Mills, Long Island, Trenton (1776), Assumpink, Princeton (1777), Germantown (1777), Springfield (1780) and Monmouth (1778).
Source:
William H. Shaw. History of Essex and Hudson Counties, New Jersey (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts and Peck, 1884).
The source of this collection is unknown.
This volume contains regimental records for the Second Regiment of the Essex County Militia dating from 1776 to 1778 and measuring 0.01 linear feet.
The book appears to be a portion of an orderly book that includes accounts of the sick, those who were absent without leave, those who had cartridges, as well as orders. The first orders were written while the regiment was stationed at Haddonfield, New Jersey on Christmas 1776, while later entries date from the encampment at Morristown, New Jersey in January 1777. The record book also contains a “Song of Torries.” Of note is an entry from early January 1777 stating, “The General returns his most hearty thanks to the Brigade for the alertness shewn (sic) by them (?) last evening.”
For more information on the Essex County Militia see:
Manuscript Group 229, New Jersey State Troops Military record book
Processed by James Lewis, June 2001 as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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