New York State Adjutant General's Office Organization Rosters of Military Officers

13729-83: Arranged by military organization.

13729-94: Organized in two sub-series, before and after 1847. (In that year the State Militia underwent a major reorganization after the end of compulsory militia service for adult white males in 1846.) The forms for each category of operational unit are arranged numerically by regiment number: artillery, heavy artillery, cavalry, engineers, infantry, light infantry, riflemen. Forms for separate units (independent battalions of infantry, batteries of artillery, troops of cavalry, etc.) are filed separately.

The New York State Militia was organized pursuant to Chapter 45, Laws of 1793 (16th Session) and continued by Chapter 222 of the Laws of 1818. It was reorganized under Chapters 205 and 290 of the Laws of 1849, and Chapter 477 of the Laws of 1862 (this latter act renamed it the National Guard). Chapter 211 of the Laws of 1821 required the Adjutant-General to keep a "local description of the several regiments, brigades, and divisions". This provision was repeated in the Revised Statutes, 1829, Part I, Chapter 10, Title 8, Art. 1, Section 2, and by the later statutes cited above.

13729-83: This accretion consists of organization rosters of commissioned officers in the New York State Militia and National Guard. Volume 1 (1800-1813) and Volume 2 (1810-1813) contain lists of officers named by the Council of Appointment, with volume and page references to the Military Minutes of the Council of Appointment (Series A1845). Cavalry and artillery rosters are placed first in each volume. These are followed by infantry rosters arranged by division, brigade, and regiment. The name of the county where a regiment was located is given at the top of each double-page folio.

Individual entries give name of officer, date of appointment, rank, and sometimes name of person replaced. At the fore of each volume are tables of contents, with cross references between county and brigade or regiment number.

Volume 1 contains separate lists of resignations. Volumes 3 and 4 (ca. 1816-1846) contain general rosters of officers in the militia. Under each infantry, cavalry, or artillery unit are given name of officer, rank, date of commission, number of regiment, residence, and remarks on promotion, resignation, and other changes in status. Only commissioned officers (grade of major or above) are named.

Entries in volumes 5-11B (1847-1899) give name of officer; rank; date of commission; date of rank; post office address; county of residence; in whose place appointed; and remarks on promotion and resignation. General staff officers are listed first, followed by brigade and regiment officers for infantry, cavalry, and artillery units. Each volume in this portion of the series contains an index to organizations, but no name indexes are available. Volume 5 contains a "Roster of officers commissioned in the U.S. Volunteers," 1846, to serve in the Mexican War.

13729-94: This accretion contains information compiled apparently in the early 20th century about organizations comprising the New York State Militia, after 1862 called the New York National Guard. Most of the information relates to the period ca. 1800-1880. There is information on a few National Guard units up to the entry of the United States into World War I. The information was evidently compiled from the Organization Rosters of Military Officers, accession 13729-83, and other sources (such as General Orders, series 14403).

There is a pre-printed form for each major organization within the State Militia or National Guard, including divisions, brigades, regiments, and separate units that were not part of regiments. Data entered on or attached to the forms is handwritten or typewritten. Each form provides the number of the regiment, brigade, and division, as applicable; and lists the names of the commanding officers, the year when each was appointed, and the town or city of his residence. The form or attached sheets may contain notes on the organizational history of the unit. There is no information on the deployment of any unit.

The forms contain no information about commissioned officers other than generals of divisions and brigades, colonels of regiments, and commanding officers of separate organizations. And the forms contain no information about non-commissioned officers and enlisted men.

13729-94: Preservation photocopy is available.

A list of cross-references of entries in this series to military commissions recorded in Series A1845, Minutes of the Council of Appointment, is available.

13729-94: These records were inadvertently filed with series A3352, Claim Applications for Service in the War of 1812, and were separated out by Archives staff in September 1993.

13729-94: Restricted due to severe fragility. Preservation photocopy is first use copy.