What's New
&
Future Plans

What's New in the Index?

23 May 2005

Four new books have been added to the Index, two from the Society of the Cincinnati and two from The Lauinger Library at Georgetown University. Thanks to Ellen Clark at the SOTC, and to Marko Zlatich for so kindly doing the validation work on all four books.

The first book, AR-02-02 was kept by the 1st Continental Artillery Regiment in the fall of 1778 before and throughout the Fredericksburgh, NY encampment. The second, HH-25-09, contains the orders for the garrison at Fort Schuyler (NY) for fourteen months starting at the end of November 1778.

The two books in the John Gilmary Shea Papers at Georgetown University were both kept in the 3d Connecticut Regiment. The first, CT-14A-07, is from the summer of 1779 when the regiment was on the east bank of the Hudson in the Highlands, and the second, CT-14A-08, dates to the late summer and early fall of 1780 when the Army was in northern New Jersey.

25 August 2002

The RevWar'75 Book Stop has been added to the site. The Book Stop is our gateway to Amazon.com. This site relies on the commissions we earn from your purcahses to keep it going. Any time you need something from Amazon, please use one of these links:

23 August 2002

Two new books have been added to the index: CT-08B-01 and VA-25-01.

The first was kept within the 17th Continental Regiment commanded by COL Jedediah Huntington. The manuscript was very kindly reported to us by Alice Brown of the New-York Historical Society.

The second addition, VA-25-01, was brought to our attention by W. Scott Smith, for which we are grateful. It is a book from LTC Joseph Crockett's Western Battalion of the Virginia state forces while guarding the "Convention Army" Saratoga prisoners. Dates still need to be confirmed for this book.

Norm Fuss wrote and questioned several inconsistencies within the content of the Jacob Turner orderly book (initially NC-01-02). This triggered a review which resulted in the book being classified as a reused book. The first part of the volume relates to the 3d North Carolina Regiment during 1777 and is now designated NC-03-02. This is consistent with the Turner Association. The remainder of the book deals with the 1st North Carolina Regiment in 1778, right after the ten North Carolina regiments had been reorganized and consolidated into two regiments. We have retained the NC-01-02 designation for that part.

Finally, Steve Gilbert told us of a Britsh orderly book, that had been reused by the American's. The orderly book belongs to the 40th Regiment of Foot and it is posted on the Crown Forces portion of our website as BF-40-xx. The portion used by the American artillery is a book of the 3d Continental Artillery Regiment, AR-04A-01. Steve thinks the book might have been captured at the battle of Princeton. The book is owned by the Massachusetts Historical Society which has published portions of the book in two different places (see table notes). We are fairly sure the portions in the two places are the same, but have not yet confirmed this.

25 January 2002

Two new books have been added to the index: VA-06-02 and MT-02B-02.

The first applies to the 6th Virginia Regiment in 1776, and the second applies to the 2d Legionary Corps in 1782 and 1783, and is also published (#1). Information for VA-06-02 was supplied by Marko Zlatich, in whose article we found a citation to the book. The second, MT-02B-02, was brought to our attention by mailing list member, Bill Braham. Needed information was supplied by John T. Hayes, one of the transcribers. We thank both these individuals for making the list more complete.

10 January 2002

We obtained copies of 6 published orderly books on the list, and have updated the posted information. Those updated are pubnotes #6, #23, #39, #82, #103, and #104.

Publication #6 was cataloged as MA-14A-03; reading the published information showed that this was three manuscript orderly books published in one article. We have listed the three books separately as MA-14B-05, MA-14B-06, and MA-14B-07. Publication #23 was cataloged as GA-02-01 for the period October 1776 through November 1778. A careful analysis of the book, showed that the first part of the book was written while Samuel Elbert had command of the 2d Georgia Regiment, and the last part of the book was written when Elbert was Colonel Commandant of the Georgia Brigade. We have listed the two parts of the book separately: GA-02-01 covers 15 March 1777 through 31 July 1777, and BG-78-01 covers the Georgia Brigade under Colonel Elbert, from 13 October 1777 through 3 November 1778.

Publication #39 is cataloged as NH-06-02. The only change relative to this book was to show that NHHS did not own the original, but rather held a transcript. Publication 82, cataloged as HH-16-11, did not have a complete list of places the headquarters moved to, and these have been added. Publication 103 was in our unidentified section as U-F-19; after reading the book we are able to identify it as BG Solomon Lovell's Massachusetts Militia Detachment on the Penobsot Expedition, BG-90-12.

Publication #104 was cataloged as MA-31-06, The Light Infantry Company of the 11th Massachusetts Regiment. Most of the published article was a journal, and only the period from 3 Jun 1779 through 20 Jun 1779 had copies of orders. Other than the books owner was Capt. Samuel Page, 11th Mass. Regt., there was nothing in the book to link it to the 11th Massachusetts, but there were orders for the Light Infantry. We have re-cataloged the book as a Light Infantry Book, LI-00-06.

4 August 2001

Published versions of two orderly books on the list were identified to us by James Brenner, a mailing list member (see below). They are PA-08B-01 and PA-08B-02, pubnotes #80 and #81. Thanks Jim.

We have had a published book in the unidentified section, for which we knew the unit identity, but which didn't fit the lineages in Wright's "Continental Army," which we had used as our guide in setting up the Virginia headings. Finally obtaining a copy and using the information provided by the author and Sanchez-Saavedra's "Virginia Military Organizations" (see biblio for complete citation), we have revised the headers for Virginia. We added three new headers for the 1st, 2d, and 3d Virginia Detachments of 1779-1780 as VA-18, VA-19, and VA-20, bumping existing VA-18, VA-19, VA-20, and VA-21 to VA-21, VA-22, VA-23, and VA 24 respectively. The book has been moved from the unidentified list and taken its proper place as VA-19-01.

We have updated dates or locations for pubnotes #9, #10, #20, #31, and #33. We have made changes to the citations for pubnotes #31, #55, and #56. A new pubnote, #96 has been added. NJ-02A-01, represented by pubnote #20, has been split into two entries: NJ-02A-01 and NJ-02A-02, to reflect the date gap and change of locations.

27 July 2001

Based on visits to the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton, and New Jersey Historical Society in Newark, we have updated the entries for both. At NJSA we eliminated three entires which turned out not to be orderly books. At NJHS we recataloged three books: NJ-01A-01 was split into two entries: BG-30-06 and U-78-16 because there were no regimental orders from which to identify the regiment; NJ-02A-03 was recataloged as BG-30-02, the book containing no regimental orders; and NH-03C-02 was cataloged as HH-02-56, this book was kept by Alexander Scammell while Adjutant General and had nothing to do with the New Hampshire regiment he later commanded.

29 June 2001

Brigades for the Northern Department from late 1775 through 1776 have been clarified on the following book entries: Stark's NH-01B-01, Reed's NH-03B-01, Greaton's MA-12B-01, Paterson's MA-17B-02, Brickett's Massachusetts Militia Brigade MA-36-07, MA-36-08, MA-36-10, MA-36-11, & MA-36-13, Wynkoop's NY-07-01, & NY-07-02, Maxwell's NJ-02A-01, DeHaas' PA-02A-01, & PA-02A-02, St. Clair's PA-03A-01, and Wayne's - PA-05A -03, -05, -06, -07, -08, & -09.

We cannot find brigades in use in the Northern Department during the Siege of Quebec, and subsequent retreat back to New York, until the army settles at Ticonderoga in July 1776, under Gen. Gates. On 20 July 1776 Gates forms brigades which remain basically unchanged through mid-November. After that time the winter garrison does not appear to be in brigades any longer.

12 May 2001

The official website opening date has finally arrived!

At this point in its development, the Index profiles and cross-references nearly 1,000 Continental Army orderly books, with specific citations as to viewing and accessing copies. Be sure to notice that the book data can be reviewed via three methods: by army units; by holding institutions; and chronologically.

Also, don’t miss the site’s extensive collection of excellent Internet links..

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Future Plans

This orderly book Index will be continually updated: 1) by validating books which presently lack complete profiling data, 2) by adding books currently known to us but as yet not posted, and 3) by, very hopefully, additional books being brought to our attention by Index users. We will always welcome learning of orderly books which have, to date, escaped our attention, and will make every effort to acquire the validating criteria measures for such books. When profiled, these books will be added to the Index. All those who have provided assistance to access and/or profile such Index additions will be cited for our particular gratitude. In the future, continuing Index visitors should check the “What’s New” section for such expansions and all other enhancements to the website.

We will greatly welcome all contact from site users as to their general reactions, suggestions for specific improvements, and thoughts regarding issues of factual and/or interpretive presentation. Informative comments and questions will be published within a site users’ forum to maximize the communications potential of this website. We strongly encourage all visitors to post their comments, questions and suggestions.

A logical long-term enhancement of this Index is the addition of transcriptions of currently unpublished orderly books. Such a project extension is within our range of potential enhancements but, as is logical, will require significant effort and support. Although this addition is currently in the very early planning stage, we would greatly welcome contact from any site users interested in participating in such manuscript transcription efforts. To support such, the site developers presently possess microfilm copies of several hundred Continental Army orderly books. Those individuals willing to participate in a transcription program should, therefore, know that their contributions of time would be invaluable. Please contact us.