Notes on the State of Virginia (1802)/Query 09
QUERY IX.
THE number and condition of the militia and
regular troops, and their pay?
The following is a ſtate of the militia, taken from returns of 1780 and 1781, except in thoſe counties marked with an aſteriſk, the returns from which is ſomewhat older.
| Situation. | Counties. | Militia. | ||
|
Lincoln | 600 | ||
| Jefferſon | 300 | |||
| Fayette | 156 | |||
| Ohio | ||||
| Monongalia | *1000 | |||
| Waſhington | *829 | |||
| Montgomery | 1071 | |||
| Greenbriar | 502 | |||
|
Hampſhire | 930 | ||
| Berkeley | *1100 | |||
| Frederick | 1143 | |||
| Shenando | *925 | |||
| Rockingham | 875 | |||
| Auguſta | 1375 | |||
| Rockbridge | *625 | |||
| Botetourt | *700 | |||
|
Loudoun | 1746 | ||
| Fauquier | 1078 | |||
| Culpeper | 1513 | |||
| Spotſylvania | 480 | |||
| Orange | *600 | |||
| Louiſa | 603 | |||
| Goochland | *550 | |||
| Fluvanna | *296 | |||
| Albemarle | 873 | |||
| Amherſt | 896 | |||
| Buckingham | *625 | |||
| Bedford | 1300 | |||
| Henry | 1004 | |||
| Pittſylvania | *725 | |||
| Halifax | *1139 | |||
| Charlotte | 612 | |||
| Prince Edward | 589 | |||
| Cumberland | 408 | |||
| Powhatan | 330 | |||
| Amelia | *1125 | |||
| Lunenburg | 677 | |||
| Mecklenburg | 1100 | |||
| Brunſwic | 559 | |||
|-
|colspan="2"||
|
|-
|align="center" rowspan="40"|On the
Tide
Waters,
and
in that
Parallel.
19,012.
|align="right" rowspan="11"|
| Between the James River and Carolina. 6959. |
| Greeneſville, |align="right"|500 |- | Dinwiddie |align="right"|*750 |- | Cheſterfield |align="right"|655 |- | Prince George |align="right"|382 |- | Surry |align="right"|380 |- | Suſſex |align="right"|*700 |- | Southampton |align="right"|874 |- | Iſle of Wight |align="right"|*600 |- | Nanſemond |align="right"|*644 |- | Norfolk |align="right"|*880 |- | Princeſs Anne |align="right"|*594 |-
||
|
|- |align="right" rowspan="9"|
| Between James & York Rivers. 3009. |
| Henrico |align="right"|619 |- | Hanover |align="right"|796 |- | New Kent |align="right"|*418 |- | Charles City |align="right"|286 |- | James City |align="right"|235 |- | Williamſburg |align="right"|129 |- | York |align="right"|*244 |- | Warwick |align="right"|*100 |- | Elizabeth City |align="right"|182 |-
||
|
|- |align="right" rowspan="6"|
| Between York and Rappahanoc. 3259. |
| Caroline |align="right"|805 |- | King William |align="right"|436 |- | King & Queen |align="right"|500 |- | Eſſex |align="right"|468 |- | Middleſex |align="right"|*210 |- | Glouceſter |align="right"|850 |-
||
|
|- |align="right" rowspan="8"|
| Between Rappahanoc and Patowmac. 4137. |
| Fairfax |align="right"|652 |- | Prince William |align="right"|614 |- | Stafford |align="right"|*500 |- | King George |align="right"|483 |- | Richmond |align="right"|412 |- | Westmoreland |align="right"|544 |- | Northumberland |align="right"|630 |- | Lancaſter |align="right"|302 |-
||
|
|- |align="right" rowspan="2"|
| Eaſtern Shore. 1638. |
| Accomac |align="right"|*1208 |- | Northampton |align="right"|*430 |- |colspan="4"|
||- |colspan="4" align="center"|Whole Militia of the State, 49971 |}
Every able bodied freeman, between the ages of 16 and 50 is enrolled in the militia. Thoſe of every county are formed into companies, and theſe again into one or more battalions, according to the number in the county. They are commanded by colonels, and other ſubordinate officers, as in the regular ſervice. In every county is a county-lieutenant, who commands the whole militia of his county, but ranks only as a colonel in the field. We have no general officers always exiſting. Theſe are appointed occaſionally, when an invaſion or inſurrection happens, and their commiſſion determines with the occaiſion. The governor is head of the military, as well as civil power. The law requires every militia man to provide himſelf with the arms uſual in the regular ſervice. But this injunction was always indifferently complied with, and the arms they had have been ſo frequently called for to arm the regulars, that in the lower parts of the country they are entirely diſarmed. In the middle country a fourth or fifth part of them may have ſuch firelocks as they had provided to deſtroy the noxious animals which infeſt their
farms; and on the weſtern ſide of the Blue ridge they are generally armed with rifles. The pay of our militia, as well as of our regulars, is that of the continental regulars. The condition of our regulars, of whom we have none but continentals, and part of a battalion of ſtate troops, is ſo conſtantly on the change, that a ſtate of it at this day would not be its ſtate a month hence. It is much the ſame with the condition of the other continental troops, which is well enough known.