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Patrick Hen.
ry, esq.

Edmund Ran

List of Governors of Virginia dur. ing the period comprised in this Volume.

PATRICK HENRY, Esq. was elected, a second time, governor of Virginia, in December 1784, and continued until December 1786, when Edmund Randolph, esq. was elected.

EDMUND RANDOLPH, Esq. continued governor undolph, esq. til December 1788, when Beverley Randolph, esq.

was elected.

AT A

CUNERAL ASSEMBLY

BEGUN AND HELD

esq go.

At the Public Buildings in the City of Patrick Hens Richmond, on Monday the seven-vernor. teenth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five, and in the tenth year of the commonwealth.*

CHAP. I.

An act to amend and reduce into one act, the several laws for regulating and disciplining the militia, and guarding against invasions and in

surrections.

1. WHEREAS the defence and safety of the com- Preamble. monwealth depend upon having its citizens properly armed and taught the knowledge of military duty, and the different laws heretofore enacted being found inadequate to such purposes, and in order that the same may be formed into one plain and regular system;

* From the adoption of the constitution, until the present session, there had never been less than two sessions of the General Assembly, in each year, sometimes more, according to the exi. genies of the government. By an act of May 1784, chap. XX. (See Vol 11, p. 387) the meeting of the General assembly was fixed for the third Monday in October, annually. Ever since that period, the sessions have been annual, except, in a few instances, when the assembly has been convened, for special purposes, under the tenth article of the constitution.

VOL. XII.

B

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Officers displaced by a former act restored.

II. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That the officers of the militia who were displaced and removed from office, by virtue of an act "For amending the several laws for regulating and disciplining the militia, and guarding against invasions and insurrections," are hereby reinstated, and shall take precedency of rank agreeable to the dates of the commissions they severalVacancies ly held prior to the passing of the said act; and vacanhow supplied cies supplied by appointment of the governor, with the advice of the privy council, or recommendation from the respective county courts.

Militia men & exempts described.

Companies

how to be
formed.

III, And be it further enacted, That all free male persons between the ages of eighteen and fifty years, except the members of the council of state, members of the American congress, judges of the superior courts, speakers of the two houses of assembly, treasurer, attorney-general, auditors and their clerks, solicitor-general and his clerks, clerks of the council of state, and treasury, register of the land-office, his deputy and clerks, custom-house officers, all inspectors of tobacco, all professors, and tutors at the University of William and Mary, and other public seminaries of learning, all ministers of the Gospel, licensed to preach according to the rules of their sect, who shall have previously taken before the court of their county, an oath of fidelity to the commonwealth, post-masters, keepers of the public gaol and public hospital, millers, persons concerned at iron or lead works, or persons solely employed in repairing or manufacturing fire-arms, all of whom are exempted from the obligations of this act, shall be inrolled or formed into companies, of three serjeants, three corporals, a drummer and fifer, and not less than forty, nor more than sixty-five, rank and file; and these companies shall again be formed into regiments of not more than one thousand, nor less than five hundred

men, if there be so many in the county. Each comMilitia how pany shall be commanded by a captain, lieutenant, and to be officer- an ensign; each regiment by a colonel, lieutenant-co

ed.

lonel, and major; and the whole by a county-lieutenant. These officers shall be resident within their county; and before they enter on the execution of their respective offices, shall take the following oath: “ I

Officers' oath. do swear that I will be faithful and true to the commonwealth of Virginia, of which I profess myself to be a citizen; and that I will faithfully and justly execute the

office of a

, in the militia of the county of

, according to the best of my skill and judgment. So help me God." There shall be a pri- Private mus

ter.

General mus.

Notices of

vate muster of every company once in two months, ex-
cept December and January, at such convenient time
and place as the captain or next commanding officer
shall appoint: á muster of each regiment on some day Regimental
in the month of March or April, in every year, to be muster.
appointed by the commanding officer thereof, at a con-
venient place near the centre of the regiment; and a
general muster of the whole on some day in the month ter.
of October or November, in every year, to be appoint-
ed by the county-lieutenant, or commanding officer, at
a convenient place near the centre of the county: For
the times and places of the said musters, the county- musters how
lieutenant or commanding officer for the time being, and when to
shall give notice to the commanding officers of regi- be given.
ments; for the general muster, the commanding officers
of regiments shall give notice to the commanding offi-
cers of their respective companies of such general mus-
ter and of his regimental muster; and the commanding
officers of companies shall give notice of the general,
regimental, and private musters, to every person of
their respective companies, and to that end the com-
manding officers of companies shall have power to or-
der so many of their serjeants as they shall think fit, to
give such notice, which may be done by personal sum-
mons by the said commanding officer, or serjeant so
ordered, or by either of them, leaving notice in writing
at the usual place of abode of the person to be sum-
moned: The notices to be given by the commanding
officer of the county, and commanding officers of re-
giments, shall be in writing, delivered in person, or left
at the usual place of abode of each person, to be noti-
fied either by such commanding officers themselves, or
by such officer or officers of their respective commands
as they may think fit to order; the said notices shall be
given by the commanding officer of the county, to the
commanding officers of regiments at least thirty days;
by the commanding officers of regiments at least fifteen
days; and by the commanding officers of companies at
least five days, before such general, regimental, or pri-
vate musters (as the case may be) shall be appointed Penalties on
to be had. Any officer ordered as aforesaid to give failureto give
such notices, failing therein, shall for every offence for- notice.

:

;

1

:

i

soldiers.

seit and pay five pounds; and every serjeant so failing shall forfeit and pay one pound for every such failure; to be recovered as other fines hereafter to be establishEquipments ed. Every officer and soldier shall appear at his reof officers & spective muster-field on the day appointed, by eleven o'clock in the forenoon, armed, equipped, and accoutred, as follows: The county-lieutenants, colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and majors, with a sword, the captains, lieutenants and ensigns, with a sword and espontoon, every non-commissioned officer end private with a good, clean musket carrying an ounce ball, and three feet eight inches long in the barrel, with a good bayonet and iron ramrod well fitted thereto, a cartridge box properly made, to contain and secure twenty cartridges fitted to his musket, a good knapsack and canteen, and moreover, each non-commissioned officer and private shall have at every muster one pound of good powder, and four pounds of lead, including twenty blind cartridges; and each serjeant shall have a pair of moulds fit to cast balls for their respective companies, to be

purchased by the commanding officer out of the mo Exceptton as nies arising on delinquencies. Provided, That the mito those be litia of the counties westward of the Blue Ridge, and yond the Blue the counties below adjoining thereto, shall not be obliRidge.

ged to be armed with muskets, but may have good rifles with proper accoutrements, in lieu thereof. And every of the said officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, shall constantly keep the aforesaid arms, accoutrements, and ammunition, ready to be produced whenever called for by his commanding officer. If any private shall make it appear to the satisfaction of the

Poor privates court hereafter to be appointed for trying delinquencies under this act that he is so poor that he cannot purchase the arms herein required, such court shall cause them to be purchased out of the money arising from delinquents. The arms so purchased, shall by the commanding officer of the county, be delivered to the captain of the company to which such poor private may belong, who shall deliver such arms to the private, but they shall continue the property of the county; and if any private shall sell or conceal the same, the seller, concealer, and purchaser, shall each forfeit and pay four pounds, to be recovered by the commanding officer in any court of record, on ten days notice. And on the death, disability, or exemption of such poor pri

how to be armed.

Penalty on him for sell ing, &c. his

ARIS.

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