First of all let me apologize in advance for any typo's. Second, if you find you have family in the Guard, I highly recommend that you purchase Carlos Godfrey's book The Commander-in-Chief's Guard. There are duty rooster, signature cards and a section with the Records of the Officers and Men. In that section it tells when you ancestor went into the guard, how he served when he was discharged and even (if known) who he married, who were his children and where they lived. It is an excellent book to have! Also, sorry this email is so long but I tried to answer all the questions that I saw on the list while I was gone. Carole Pacific NW jhollin@pacifier.com Ok, here we go: >From the book by Carlos Godfrey. It is a source of much regret that, after a most thorough and diligent search, the descriptive and other rolls of the Commander-in-Chief's Guard for the year 1776 cannot be found. They were undoubtedly destroyed, among other valuable papers of the Guard, during the fire which occurred at the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1815, where they had been carefully preserved by Major Caleb Gibbs while naval-storekeeper at that station. However, through various returns and claims it is believed that 75% of the men composing the command during that period have been accounted for. The subsequent service of all the officers and men while in the Guard, from its reorganization under the special order of April 30, 1777 to June 6, 1783, are full and complete, except the identity of some of those who were either killed, wounded or missing at the skirmish of King's Bridge, July 3, 1781, for which period the roll is unfortunately missing. Thereafter, no further rolls appear; and the three year's! men who were detailed from the New Hampshire Line to form the new and final reorganization of the Guard on June 16, 1783, were doubtless carried on the rolls of their organization as being "On command". First: The history of the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, commencing from its formation under the general order of March 11, 1776, until its dissolution on December 20, 1783, is designed to contain all official orders, returns, court-martial proceedings, sentences, death warrants and casualties occurring ad interim; and the uniforms, duties and pay of its officers and men. As the cops was always attached to the Head-quarters of the Commander-in-Chief, its specific movements are traced through the orders contained in Washington's orderly books, and from other authentic sources; all of which is interwoven with such well know historical and pertinent facts as become material to preserve a continuous chronological history of the command. The Commander-in-Chief's Guard, sometimes otherwise officially designated as "His Excellency's Guard" and "The General's Guard," was popularly and synonymously known by the soldiers as "Washington's life Guard" and Washington's body Guard," by which misnomers they continue today to be erroneously recognized in historical works and in the official military records of many states, notwithstanding congress resolved as early as April 15, 1777 that these appellations were improper, and admonished the officers that these practices must cease. Also, it has been inadvertently stated by distinguished authors that the Guard was organized at New York shortly after the siege of Boston, on May 13, 1776, and that the corps consisted of a major's command of 188 men, all of which has been successfully controverted in the history of the command by unquestionable authority. It is true, however, that after Captain Lewis's Troop of Cavalry Guards rejoined their regiment September 26, 1778, small squads of cavalrymen were thereafter occasionally detailed for brief periods to escort Washington upon long journeys, or to serve as an auxiliary guard of his person in times of action, though while in the performance of these special duties they were in nowise whatever considered a part of his regular Guard. The Commander-in-Chief's Guard was organized precisely at the hour of twelve, noon, March 12, 1776, pursuant to a general order issued by General Washington the previous day wherein he directed the formation of a corps of sober, intelligent and reliable men, detailed from the various regiments of infantry then assembled at Cambridge, Massachusetts, to be known as the Commander-in-Chief's Guard. He further specified that the men selected should be between five feet eight inches and five feet ten inches in height, well drilled, and to be handsomely and well built. On the following Caleb Gibbs, of Massachusetts, and George Lewis, a nephew of General Washington, of Virginia, were commissioned captain and lieutenant, respectively, of the Guard, to whom were intrusted the details of the organization. "Head-Quarters, Cambridge, March 11, 1776 "The General is desirous of selecting a particular number of men as a guard for himself and baggage. The colonel or commanding officers of each of the established regiments, the artillery and riflemen excepted, will furnish him with four, that the number wanted may be chosen out of them. His Excellency depends upon the colonels for good men, such as they can recommend for their sobriety, honesty and good behavior. He wishes them to be from five feet eight inches to five feet ten inches, handsomely and well made, and , as there is nothing in his eyes more desirable than cleanliness in a soldier, he desires that particular attention may be made in the choice of such men as are clean and spruce. They are all to be at headquarters tomorrow precisely at 12 o'clock at noon, when the number wanted will be fixed upon. The General neither wants them with uniforms nor arms, nor does he desire any man to be sent to him that is not perfectly willing or desirous of being of this! Guard--they should be drilled men." "Head-Quarters, New York, May 16, 1776 "Any orders delivered by Caleb Gibbs and George Lewis, Esquires--officers of the General's Guard, are to be attended to in the same manner as if sent by an aide-de-camp." No further mention of the Guard is found until the middle of June, 1776, when members of it were suspected of being engaged in an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Washington. It is rather remarkable that the first soldier of the Continental army to hang should have been a member of the Commander-in-chief's Guard, who were specially selected for their patriotism and fidelity to duty. After the removal of this treacherous and obnoxious element from the Guard the rest of the men enjoyed the highest confidence and respect of their immediate officers and the Command-in-Chief, and most of them thereafter rendered long, honorable, and faithful service whereby they became eligible to the Badge of Merit, a distinction second in rank to the Purple Heart, of which we shall hereafter speak. On April 30, 1777, the Commander-in-Chief issued circular letters to the colonels of the various Virginia regiments of infantry attached to the main army at Morristown, requesting that four men from their respective command be immediately furnished him for the re-organization of his Guard. Aside from a more uniform height of the men asked than that specified in the general order of March 11, 1776, the letter is particularly noticeable for the reason that Washington had not forgotten his experience with the foreign and treacherous element of his former Guard while at New York in June, 1776, when he expressly insists that none but native born soldiers be furnished him. This circular address to Colonel Alexander Spotswood reads thus: Morristown, 30 April, 1777 "Sir: I want to form a company for my Guard. In doing this I wish to be extremely cautious, because it is more than probable that, in the course of the campaign, my baggage, papers, and other matters of great public import may be committed to the sole care of these men. This being premised, in order to impress you with proper attention in the choice, I have to request that you will immediately furnish me with four men of your regiment; and, as it is my farther wish that this company should look well and be nearly of a size, I desire that none of the men may exceed in stature five feet ten inches, nor fall short of five feet 9 inches, sober, you, active, and well made. When I recommend care in your choice I would be understood to mean men of good character in the regiment, that possess the pride of appearing clean and soldierlike. I am satisfied there can be no absolute security for the fidelity of this class of people, but yet I think it most likely to be found in thos! e who have family connections in the country. You well therefore send me none but natives, and men of some property, if you have them. I must insist that, in making this choice, you give no intimation of my preference of natives, as I do not want to create any invidious distinction between them and the foreigners. "I am yours,&c, "Go Washington." "Head-Quarters, Valley Forge, March 17, 1778 One hundred chosen men are to be annexed to the Guard of the Commander-in-Chief, for the purpose of forming a corps to be instructed in the maneuvers necessary to be introduced in the army and serve as a model for the execution of them. As the Generals' Guard is composed entirely of Virginians, the one hundred draughts are to be taken from the troops of the other states." Roster of the Infantry Guard Major-Commandant Caleb Gibbs Captains: Bezaleel Howe and Henry Philip Livingston Lieutenants: William Colfax, Levi Holden, Benjamin Grymes, George Lewis John Nicholas Ensign: George Augustine Washington Surgeons: Ebenezer Crosby, Samuel Hanson, Drum-Major; Diah Manning Sergeants John Arnold, Samuel Bliss, Davis Brown, ____Clements, Martin Cole, William Coram, Nathaniel Cunningham, Cornelius Drake, Bildad Edwards, Lewis Flemister, James Frazier, Carswell Gardner, Thomas Harris, Daniel Holt, William Hunter, John Jones, John Justice, William McIntire, Reaps Mitchell, John Morris, William Pace, John Phillips, Thomas Prentiss, David Rice, Peter Richards, William Roach, Nehemiah Stratton, John Sturm, Joseph Timberlake, (he is my connection) John Wilson, Francis Wood, Frederick Young. Corporals. Moses Cutter, John Dent, Ephraim Eddy, Joshua Forbes, Elihu Hancock, John Herrick, Thomas Holland, Joel Holt, Joseph Law, Henry Randolph, Asa Redington, Henry Sparks, Seth Sturtevant, Levi Talbot, Enoch Wells, Samuel Wortman. Drummers John Fenton, Theophilus Frink, William Green, Roger Manning, William Simpson, Cornelius Wilson Fifers Elias Brown, Jared Goodrich, James Johnson, Isaac Manning, Samuel Odiorne, Frederick Parks Privates Asa Adams, George Albin, Thomas Allen, Richard Alling, Stephen Ames, David Ashby, Samuel Bailey, Amos Banker, Andrew Baker, Benjamin Barham, John Barnes, John Barton, William Batchelder, John Bell, Asa Benjamin, John Berry, Nathaniel Berry, James Blair, Robert Blair, Thomas Blair, John Blundin, John Bodine, Benjamin Bonnel, Mills Bourn, James Bradley, James Brooks, Ebenezer Brown, Jedediah Brown, Moses Brown, Zachariah Brown, -----Bullar, John Bush, Lewis Campbell, Ebenezer Carleton, Timothy Carleton, Nathaniel Chapman, Jonathan Chenoweth, Raleigh Christian, Benjamin Church, John Coffin, Lemuel Coffin, John Cole, William Condel, ----Connor, Daniel Cook, Wilmer Cooper, Ebenezer Coston, James Craif, Samuel Craig, Joel Crosby, Aaron Crumbie, Hugh Cull, Abraham Currier, James Dady, Solomon Daley, William Darrah, Joseph Davis, John Daws, William Day, Levi Dean, Joseph Delano, Henry Desperate, Antipas Dodge, John Dother, Charles Dougherty, George Dougherty, James Doughert! y, Jeremiah Driskel, Levi Dunton, Daniel Dyer, Robert Eakin, Henry Eastman, ----Eaton, Benjamin Eaton, John Edge, Clayborne Elder, David Emery, John English, Jacob Erwin, Eliphalet Everett, Laban Fairbanks, George Farmer, William Ferguson, John Finch, Robert Finley, George Fischer, Elijah Fisher, Thomas Forrest, Adam Foutz, William Gilbert, William Gill, Thomas Gillen, James Gordon, Edmund Griffin, John Griffith, Hugh Hagerty, Silvanus Hall, Thomas Harmon, Thomas Harris, William Harris, William Harris, Andrew Harrison, Caleb Hendee, William Henussey, Stephen Hetfield, Thomas Hickey, Spencer Hill, Joseph Hilton, Peter Holt, Philip Holt, Isaac Howell, Thomas Howell, James Hughes, John Hurring, ------Hutchinsoon, Daniel Hymer, Pendleton Isbell, John Ives, Zachariah Jackson, Solomon Janet, Asa Johnson., James Johnson, Levi Johnson, Ephraim Jones, Joseph Jones, William Jones, John Kenney, William Kernahan, John Kidder, Charles King, James Know, Laban Landon, Jasper Langley, Ellij! ah Lawrence, John Leary, Benjamin Lester, Hezekiah Linton, Jesse Linton, William Logan, Simeon Lothrop, John Lovejoy, Seth Lovell, Ephraim Lucas, Michael Lynch, Zenas Macomber, Phineas Mapes, Peter Martin, William Martin, William McCown, James McDonald, James Milsom, John Montgomery, Hezekiah Moor, Jonathan Moore, Dennis Moriarity, -----Morrill, David Morrison, -----Norris, Jesse Nott, Reuben Odell, William O'Neil, John Paddington, William Palmer, Joseph Parker, John Patton, John Pease, Henry Perry, Benjamin Pierce, John Pillar, Shadrack Pinkstone, Thomas Piper, Abner Pitcher, Elijah Pollock, -----Pope, Robert Preston, William Price, Andrew Pritchett, Henry Pullen, John Putnam, Samuel Raymond, Daniel Reed, Samuel Reeves, Samuel Reid, William Reiley, Zebulon Richmond, Timothy Ricker, Dixon Robinson, John Robinson, Christopher Rodamer, Jonathan Rundlett, ----- Sanborn, Elnathan Sanderson, Able Sargent, John Savory, Jacob Schriver, Samuel Sherman, Micajah Sherwood, Joseph Shipm! an, John Shorey, William Simmons, John Slocum, Francis Smith, Jesse Smith, John Smith, Luther Smith, Randolph Smith, Robinson Smith, Samuel Smith, Timothy Smith, Henry Snow, John Standard, John Stockdell, Joseph Stripe, Michael Sutton, William Tanner, Daniel Thompson, Reuben Thompson, Ezekiel Thurston, John Tipper, Michael Titcomb, Zebulon Titcomb, Solomon Townsend, John Trask, Simon Tubbs, Abraham Van Sickle, Jesse Vibbart, Joseph Vinal, Robert Wadsworth, Henry Wakelee, Moses Walton, Benjamin Ward, Daniel Warner, William Warrington, Edward Weed, Edward Whelan, Samuel Whittmarsh, Edward Wiley, John Williams, Joseph Winch, William Wymann. Roster of the Calvary Guard: Captain George Lewis Lieutenant Robert Randolph Quartermaster Sergeant Charles King Sergeants Issac Davenport, Francis Wood Corporal John Druce, Carswell Gardner, James Knox Saddler Jeremiah Low Farrier Thomas McCarty Trumpeter Nathan Pushee. Privates John Blundin, William Boyd, Nathaniel Brackett, Johnthan Bryant, Michael Caswell, Oliver Chapin, John Coffin, Philip Disclow, William Dunn, William Garret, Charles Gavat, Thomas Harris, Caleb Hendee, Daniel Hersey, William Hincher, Samuel Huston, Isaac Kidder, Abraham Lawell, George Layard, Samuel Leverich, Zenas Macomber, Alexander McCulloch, Nathaniel Potter, Samuel Raymond, Samuel Reynolds, Samuel Sherman, Jesse Smith, Simeon Stow, Michael Titcomb, Zebulon Titcomb.