Morning journal and courier., 1889-08-17
OUR REVOLUTIONARY sIREs.

Tho Forthco ming OmcIal RecOrd-A
Work OF Great Value and Thorough
ness.
Tho General Assembly of 1886 builded
better than 1t knew in providing that the ad-
jutant general while preparing q new record
OF the Connections men In the war of the
rebellion, should also prepare a record of
soldiers of the Revolution and of the later
wars. The centennial anniversaries of the
past few years have awakened fresh inter-
est in revolutionary affairs, resulting among
other things in the creation of State societies
of the cons of revolutionary sires, and in q
| ransacking of old papers and documents to
establish the correctness of ancestral claims.
The Hartford Courant says: Fortunately
the work of preparing the Connecticut REQ
| ord fell into competent hands. Adjutant
General Camp, in selecting Mr.. Henry p.
| Johnston to edit the revolutionary rolls,
chose one of the few men thoroughly quail
\ fed for the work. AS historian of the Long
Island Historical society he has shown rare
ability for this work, and as Connecticut
man, proud OF the revolutionary record of
his State, he has spared no effort to make
the record complete.
/ The Record, which will correspond in size
| and make up to the splendid record of the
soldiers of the late war, will probably be
| ready for distribution about the middle of
| September. 1t is substantially finished now,
| except the index, which will add greatly to
| its value.
Connecticut is more fortunate than most
of the original thirteen States In having a
large and valuable collection of revolutionary
| records. While certain gaps occur at inter-
walls, the more valuable papers have forA-
nately been preserved and are deposited in
permanent and accessible archives. The
documents which Mr.. Johnston has made use
| of are classified by him as follows:
l.. Original minutes of the General Assembly, on
| file In the Office Of the secretary OF State.
l 2. Original minutes Of the proceedings Of the
| Governor and Council or COMMITTEES of the War.
| s. Payrolls Of the Connecticut regiments in the
Continental Lime" for certain years and scattering
pay-table accounts of state troops and militia to-
gether with individual accounts, bound in twelve
volumes, file in ths office OF the State Comp
| 4, Thirty eight bound folio volumes marked
Revolutionary War" covering period Of ten
original rolls, letters, accounts. resolutions, petit
lions, lists, ETC., file in the State Library.
/ 5. rolls, letters, and various documents bearing
on the service of Connections troops file among
| the papers of General Washington IN the Depart
g. Forty seven bound folio volumes, containing
company and resmental mSster ana pay rolls Q.
with numerous militia rolls and miscellaneous pap
ers and the large mass of applications for pensions
on file in the Pension Bureau, Department OF the
The "Trumbulf Papers, consisting of twenty.
tive bound volumes containing the stacial cores
l Connecticut during the entire period Of the war
| including many rolls and miscellaneous docu
ments in possession Of the Massachusetts, Historical
s. Various Revolutionary papers, military and
naval, in possession OF the Connecticut Historical
8. Forty or more orderly books kept by Connec
ticut officers during the war, containing general, d
vision, brigade and regimental orders issued n
camp and on march, In the possession Of individuals
TO- Miscellaneous letters. rolls diaries, stc, in the
hands Of descendants or collectors
The rolls and lists have been arranged
chronologically. After the first alarm LEX
] ington) the Continental soldiers are classified
in the order in which they were called out
then the State troops and finally the militia,
with special lists.
The "Continental' troops stand first In
Importance. After the Lexington alarm the
state raised eight regiments to serve to the
close Of TITS. She furnished eight for 1776,
and sight with large additional quota for
| the three years from 1777 to 1881. It Is
greatly to be regretted that the rolls of sew
| en- OF the eight regiments of 1776 are miss
ing. The number of officers and soldiers for
the state that entered Continental service
during the war Is placed at about $4,000.
The publication Of the work will doubtless
| lead to the discovery of missing documents,
including rolls of entire regiments. Any
persons knowing of such records are desired
to communicate with the Acknowledgment of
Connections at Hartford.
The table of contents, arranged chronology
cslly, is history of the Revolutionary war,
for, az the editor says, Connecticut troops
participated in all the principal battles, with
the exception Of those fought in the extreme
southern feld-that is to say, In everything
of importance during the entire period from
Bunker Hill to Yorktown. The completed
work will give the state the best record of
its former soldiers that any state In the Union