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Mens Names  County   Town   Age     Stature              Feet             Inch Complex ion  formed at Springfield
Josiah Cutler Essex Danvers 45 5 10 Darke Aug’t ye 15 1779
Joshua Read      Do Salem 22 6   Light     Do ye 15
Joel Steward      Do      Do 23 5 9 Sandy     Do ye 15
John Patton      Do      Do 23 6   Light     Do ye 17
Daniel Hickey      Do      Do 17 5 6      Do     Do ye 17
David Hurton      Do      Do 20 5 7 Darke     Do 17
Amous Martin      Do      Do 17 5 4      Do     Do 17
Pritchard Middleton      Do Topsfield 35 5 8 Sandy     Do 18
Jon’a Capron      Do Salem 24 5 7 Light     Do 19
James Chapman      Do Marblehead 21 5 8      Do     Do 20
Jon’a Choat      Do      Do 35 5 8 Darke     Do 20
Ephraim Knight      Do      Do 21 5 7      Do     Do 20
Wm Perkins      Do Topsfield 24 5 3      Do     Do 22
Sam’l Gould      Do      Do 20 5 6 Light     Do 22
Lilburne Andrews      Do      Do 19 5 10      Do     Do ye 22
David? Huddle?      Do Salem 22 5 10      Do     Do ye 17
Isaac Hughes      Do      Do 19 5 10      Do     Do ye 17
               
Joseph Read Middlesex Acton 40 5 4 Darke August ye 15
Sam’l Temple      Do      Do 26 5 10 Sandy     Do 15
John Fletcher      Do      Do 16 5 5 Light     Do 15
James Mickmaly?      Do Neistown 27 5 6 Light     Do 15
Cornelius Corbet      Do      Do 23 5 8 ½      Do     Do 15
Sam’l Bigelow      Do      Do 18 5 3 ½      Do     Do 15
Cato Brewer      Do      Do 34 5 1 Negro     Do 15
Joseph Froft      Do Tukesbury 40 5 10 Darke     Do 16
Eben’r Burbank      Do Holifton 18 5 7       Do 15
Isaac Lovering      Do      Do 17 5   Light     Do 15
Benj’n Tower      Do Sudbury 41 5 9 Sandy     Do 20
John Smith      Do      Do 22 5 5 Darke     Do 19
James Derample?      Do      Do 22 5 8 Light     Do 20
Silas Emes      Do      Do 16 5 2 Darke     Do 20
Jacob Johnson      Do      Do 17 5 4 ½      Do     Do 20
John Lock      Do Peperil 18 5 10 Light     Do 18
Leonard Fofter      Do      Do 19 5 9 Darke     Do 18
Simon Shade      Do      Do 16 5 2 Light     Do 18
Wm Lawrence      Do      Do 16 5 5      Do     Do 18
Abner Farmington?      Do   27 5 8      Do  
Daniel Kimball      Do Sudbury 21 5 8 Dark     Do 22
  • Ask students why they think the information in this muster roll was important to record. Why would the army include skin complexion and height in their record keeping? Are there other details students think should have been included? Why or why not?
  • Pair this primary source document with the Mount Vernon web page “Music in the Revolutionary War.” On this page, you will find information and video resources on different signals drummers and fifers performed in the army. Use this page in conjunction with the muster roll to explore different aspects of the soldier experience. Soldiers serving in the army were assigned different positions, and musicians were one of those critical jobs. What other jobs were important to the success of the army?
  • The average age of soldiers who served in the Continental Army was 18-20 years old. Some soldiers were as young as 14 years old. Ask students to determine the average age of the men in this muster roll by adding together all the listed ages and dividing that number by the total number of men listed (the answer is 24). What can students infer from this answer? Was this group of soldiers in Massachusetts older or younger than the average soldier in the Continental Army? Discuss with students why men in their late teens and early twenties might be more likely to serve in the army as opposed to older men.
  • Although this muster roll only lists one African-American soldier, there were thousands who served during the Revolutionary War on both sides. After the war, several African-American veterans filed petitions to receive pensions for their service in the Continental Army. Pairing these records with the muster roll will allow students a broader perspective of the African-American experience during the Revolutionary War. To find examples of these primary source documents, visit the United States National Archives website under veteran records website and search within the Case Files of Pensions and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service. Searching the following names will bring up records of African-Americans who served in the Continental Army.
    • Jehu Grant
    • Caesar Clark
    • Agrippa Hull
  • Pair this primary source with a letter from George Washington to John Hancock from December 1776. Instruct students to read the letter and identify the challenges Washington faced during the war. Why is Washington writing to Hancock about this? What does Washington specifically ask for in this letter? In conjunction with the Continental Army Muster Roll, what can this letter tell you about life in the Continental Army? 

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This document is a Continental Army Muster Roll showing recruits from Springfield, Massachusetts in 1779. The roll documents the one hundred men who signed up to serve in the army for nine months. It lists hometown, country, age, stature, complexion, and time of arrival.