Battle Road
Committee

Lexington Minute Men

2nd Massachusetts Regiment

4th Middlesex Regiment/85ème Régiment de Saintonge

1st Foot Guards

5th Regiment of Foot

10th Regiment of Foot

Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here. -Captain Parker

Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob will find himself much mistaken, they have men amongst them who know very well what they are about. -Lord Percy

Xxx Xxxxx, Chairman
xx Xxxx Xx
Xxxx, XX xxxxx
(xxx) xxx-xxxx
xxxxx@xxx.xxx

Participants

Battle Road is quickly approaching and we look forward to working with each participant to make this the most memorable event in recent memory. As this will be one of the largest and most complicated events in many years the task of coordinating and administrating the corps while in the field is a large one. To be successful, I am asking that you, as unit commander or participant, share this overview of how the event will be run with each member of your unit. It is only with the understanding and cooperation of all that we will ensure that Battle Road 2000 will become an enjoyable memory for everyone.

For a brief history of Battle Road, see the History page. For a very brief history, see What is the Battle Road? in the FAQ.

Please note: Volunteers needed to help set-up Thursday & Friday.

Contents

• Units Participating
• Combatants
  • Provincial Officers and Men-at-arms
  • Provincial Field Music
  • British Regulars and Field Music
• Massed Music
• Interpreters
• Sutlers
• Other (Campfollowers)

Take Note

• How will this Battle Road event be different:
  • from past Battle Roads (for men and women who have participated in Battle Road in the past)?
  • from other reenactments (for men and women who are new to Battle Road)?
• Concerning Children

Units Participating

On paper we have over 1900 returns for Battle Road.

The following units have sent returns and are scheduled to participate in Battle Road 2000.

• Provincial Militia
• British Regulars and Loyalists

Provincial Militia

British Regulars and Loyalists

Combatants

Provincial Officers and Men-at-arms

• Organizational Structure
• Appointment of Officers
• Organizational Structure
• Administration
• Encampment
• Paperwork

One key element to ensuring success is everyone's cooperation in amalgamating our recreated groups into the structure defined below. If a unit has a sufficient number of men to form their own platoon, they can do so, otherwise the BAR and Continental Line guidelines for amalgamating and appointing officers and NCO's will be followed. Please ask all your members to come prepared to play a private if they have not been asked by the organizers to serve in an officer or NCO capacity.

The information contained herein is a general overview only. More detailed instructions for battalion commanders, adjutants, company commanders and 1st sergeants will be sent under separate cover once appointments have been made and confirmed.

If you have any questions on the information below, Xxx Xxxxx can be reached via phone and email at:

(xxx) xxx-xxxx
Email: xxxxx@xxx.xxx

Organizational Structure

The recreated provincial army of Massachusetts Bay is being set up to mirror how many minute and militia companies were formed into regiments before the war. Men from communities were formed into companies and regiments and properly officered according to the appropriate ratio of officers to men. It is from these principals that the organizational structure for Battle Road 2000 has been developed.

Appointment of Officers

In order to effect the proper ratio of officers to men, units will be amalgamated (per Continental and BAR Guidelines) and all officers and NCO's appointed. Senior officers have been appointed by the overall commander Xxx Xxxxx. Company officers and NCO's will be appointed at the direction of each battalion commander. Unless contacted previous to the event, all unit officers/NCO's should come prepared to serve as privates in the ranks. As a unit officer, if you wish to serve as an officer or NCO and have not received an appointment, contact the Deputy Commander, Xxx Xxxxx, before February 15, 2000, and all attempts will be made to satisfy your request. The Battle Road Committee (BRC) thanks you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

Command Structure

• Overall Commander - Col. Xxx Xxxxx

• Deputy Commander - Lt. Col. Xxx Xxxxx

• Headquarters Staff

  The army staff will consist of:

  • Adjutant - Maj. Xxx Xxxxx
  • Police - To be appointed
  • Quartermaster - Lt. Xxx Xxxxx and 1 sergeant to be appointed
  • Field Music - Drum Major Xxx Xxxxx

  The staff is responsible for overall administration and organization for the event. The police will act as assistants to the adjutant. The quartermaster is responsible for all matters pertaining to the encampment of the troops and the camp necessaries. They will work with their counterparts at the battalion and company level to ensure that all orders and coordination of duties are properly communicated and executed.

• Battalions

  Commanders:

  • 1st Battalion - Major Xxx Xxxxx
  • 2nd Battalion - Major Xxx Xxxxx
  • 3rd Battalion - Major Xxx Xxxxx
  • Artillery Corp. (Sunday's Tactical) - Major Xxx Xxxxx

  Each battalion will consist of:

  • 1 commander with the rank of major
  • 1 adjutant with the rank of Lieutenant
  • 1 quartermaster sergeant
  • 4 companies with a minimum of 35 men

  Each battalion will function as a separate entity during the course of the event. All orders for the battalion will be delivered from HQ to the battalion adjutant who will then ensure that the orders are communicated to the battalion commanders and the company 1st sergeants. There will be no colors carried during Battle Road 2000.

• Companies

  Each infantry company will consist of:

  • 1 Captain
  • 1 Lieutenant
  • 1 1st sergeant
  • 2 sergeants
  • 1 eldest corporal
  • 2 corporals
  • minimum of 30 privates

  Each company will be divided into 2 platoons, 1 commanded by the captain and the other by the lieutenant. Each platoon will consist of a sergeant, 1 corporal and a minimum of 15 privates. One platoon will be assigned the 1st sergeant and the other the eldest corporal who will act as safety officers to the respective platoons. In addition, the 1st sergeant performs the same role in the company that the adjutant does in the battalion. The 1st sergeant is responsible for keeping and filling out all paperwork related to the company.

Administration

Administration of the corps while in the field will be executed using period communication channels and forms. The Quartermaster will assign a location for corps headquarters. The overall commander and staff will be located here. There will be a member of the staff on duty from 7:00am - 12:00 midnight from Friday until Monday morning to address any emergencies.

All orders will be disseminated in the following manner:

1. Each evening at an appointed time, the battalion adjutants will attend to headquarters where the brigade major will convey the orders for the following day.
2. Each adjutant will then review the corps orders with their battalion commander who will add any additional orders that pertain to the battalion.
3. Each adjutant will then assemble the 1st sergeants of the battalion and cause them to copy into their books the orders.
4. The 1st sergeants will then show the orders to the company commander, make any additions and then read to the men of the company during the 1st formation of the day.

Encampment

Please see the Quartermaster's Rules.

Paperwork

• Orderly books - These are to be kept by the adjutants and 1st sergeants. Battalion orderly books kept by the adjutants are to contain all corps and battalion orders. Company orderly books kept by the 1st sergeants are to contain all army, battalion and company orders.
• Morning reports - These are to be filled out by the 1st sergeant each day following the morning Roll Call with a exact account of each man in his company. The 1st sergeant will complete two copies, one to be returned to the battalion adjutant and the other shared with the captain of the company.
• Muster Returns - These are to be filled out by the 1st sergeant at the beginning of the event with the name and unit of each member of the company. The 1st sergeant will complete two copies, one to be returned to the battalion adjutant and the other shared with the captain of the company.
• Battalion Troop Returns - These are to be filled out by the adjutants of each battalion. Once the adjutant has received all of the Morning Reports, he will compile the figures into the Battalion Troop Return. The adjutant will complete two copies, one to be returned to the Army adjutant and the other shared with the battalion commander.

Provincial Field Music

See the Music page. For organizational structure, see Provincial Officers and Men-at-arms, above.

British Regulars and Field Music

Battle Road is using the model of organization developed by the British Brigade. The command staff is made up the commander of a founding unit of the British Brigade, the current Army Sergeant Major and the former Army sergeant major.

Organization Structure

• Overall Commander - Col. Xxx Xxxxx
• Deputy Commander - Lt Col. Xxx Xxxxx
• Sjt. Major of Army - Sjt Major Xxx Xxxxx
• Quarter Master General - Major Xxx Xxxxx

The contact for Crown field music is Xxx Xxxxx, xxxxx@xxx.xxx or xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Massed Music

See the Music page.

Interpreters

See the Interpreters page.

Sutlers

See the Sutler Information page.

Other (Campfollowers)

Since Battle Road predates the raising of the provincial army and since non-combatants either hid or fled on the original day (at least for the parts we will be reenacting), there are no roles for you in reenacting the Battle Road, but there are other roles.

One of the critical roles at this event is that of Interpreter/Safety Picket. These are civilians who stand at the edge of the crowd and talk to them about what they are seeing and what was going on at the time. It has been hugely popular with the public for the past two years and will be all the more important this time round because there will be large crowds and interpreters can make a big difference to the public's understanding. We hope that as many non-combatants as possible will join us in this endeavor -- there is no limit to how many people we can use. There are only three requirements:

• Follow the clothing guidelines: civilians on the edge of the field are the most visible 18th century folks in this event. People will assume that what you wear is correct for New England in 1775. Since we can't ask those whose dress is out of time or place to carry signs that say so, the only way to educate the public is to dress correctly. Please support this endeavor. Let's not compromise others' efforts by having those closest to the crowd dressed in ways that don't reflect New England in 1775.
• Read the materials. We're not asking you to become historians, but we do ask that you read the materials we provide and say "I don't know" if you don't know the answer to a question. There are a lot of myths about April 19th -- let's not perpetuate them.
• Preregister -- we must have your name on the interpreter list if you want to play this role.

See the Interpreters Wanted flyer for more information.

So what happens with campfollowers and other civilians who do not want to be interpreters, are not with the Massed Music and who are not fielding as musicians, men-at-arms or officers? If you don't want to stay in camp, in all honesty we strongly prefer that you attend the Saturday event in 20th century clothing. That's the easiest way to make sure that the public knows who is representing themselves as properly dressed and knowledgeable about Battle Road. Remember, if you're willing to meet the clothing guidelines and willing to say "I don't know" if you haven't had time to familiarize yourself with what's accurate about this day in history, you have qualified as an Interpreter and we would welcome you as one. Interpreters add huge value just by creating a visual image ... and we need as many people as possible for the safety aspect of the job. You help to make sure the public stays where they are safe ... much of this event happens on public streets and ways. But if you really don't want to be an interpreter, we would ask that you not attend in 18th century kit. Or, if you do attend in 18th century kit, please follow the clothing guidelines. Non-combatants, both those in 18th c. and in 20th c. clothing, will be permitted to ride the buses, if you are counted on your unit's return. Children must be counted, too. Note that transportation for those not playing an active role (those fielding, massed music, interpreters) will depart after the buses transporting these other groups. Obviously we cannot force people to follow the clothing guidelines, but we ask that you honor this request out of respect for your fellow re-enactors who have worked hard to provide as good an impression as possible.

Civilians other than interpreters will not be allowed in front of the ropelines or on the field in any other way.

Back to BRY2K: Information for Reenactors

Last updated: 10 April 2000

Webmaster: Sue Felshin