December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2024
Manuscript Orderly Book kept by John J. McCulley, 1812-1814. Leather spine with marbled board, folio, approximately 70 leaves or 140 pp., nearly all completed with military orders, arms and equipment returns, forage reports, and muster and payrolls, as well as extracts from a military manual. Frederick men answered the call to duty in defense of their country during three campaigns during the War of 1812. The first was when a company of drafted militia from Frederick was ordered to Annapolis, along with another from Hagerstown. Under the respective commands of Captain Thomas C. Worthington (Frederick) and Captain Thomas Quantrill (Hagerstown), the two companies left Frederick together on August 25th, destined to garrison Forts Madison and Severn, the two forts defending state capitol from British attack. They served in this capacity until the close of the year, when they were relieved by regular troops. Returning to Frederick in early January 1813, Worthington’s Company was escorted into town by the Frederick Blues and the Frederick Artillery. "The men were in high health and spirits, and all in uniform", recorded the Frederick Gazette's correspondent, who noted that "Regular troops, in long training, could have not moved with more precision, nor evince a higher sense of discipline, than the above companies when marching through the town to the [Hessian] barracks." John J. McCulley was 1st sergeant of Worthington's company, was due much of the credit for their superb training and deportment, having been an NCO in the Frederick Blues previously. Among other duties, he was responsible for keeping this "orderly book" for the unit, in which all orders received were recorded and in which he also kept muster rolls and returns for the company.
With a new British threat against Maryland in August 1814, detachments of Frederick militia were mobilized to respond and on 24th--while the battle of Bladensburg was raging and the Capitol in Washington subsequently burned, McCulley again marched out with a Frederick company called into Federal service, this time that under command of Captain George W. Ent. Just before leaving, they drew from “Mr. Jacob Metzger, armourer at Fredk. Town, ninety nine complete Stand of Arms” as recorded by McCulley in this orderly book. Marching to Baltimore, the company was sent to Hempstead Hill, on which they were detailed to help in the building of earthworks in anticipation of imminent attack. Witness to the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the “Star Spangled Banner”, they remained on military duty in the city until the close of October, when they marched home and were discharged, chronicled in the final pages of this book. One of the men serving with McCulley in this company was Peter Mantz, first cousin of David Mantz, who had also marched to Baltimore with another company and whose 1766 French musket is also in this sale. Entered between the various orders for both campaigns are muster rolls, arms, equipment and ration returns for company members, to which each soldier’s signature or mark is appended.