The first shot announcing the American Revolutionary War was on April 19, 1775 at the Battle of Lexington. Suffice it to say that there was a broad Continental Army. However, State Militia soldiers also fought this battle. Georgia Pioneers has just added the Georgia Militia Records dating from 1774-1838 (also indexed so you can go directly to the data). This record should be used by all genealogists searching for veterans of Revolutionary War Soldier in Georgia. All adult males were required to belong to the local Militia. These same units were engaged in many battles of the war, including Indian wars. That means that you may expect to locate ancestors born as early as 1729 to 1760. Also, during the War of 1812, Georgians fought the battle with the various Indian tribes, all the way into Alabama and the last battle at Fort Bowyer, a small a structure of wood and sand which defended against two British attacks, one in September of 1814, again in February of 1815. That makes this index and the information more valuable because of the possibility of finding those ancestors who fought in the Indian Wars of that period.
One of the most difficult quests is to locate the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Soldiers who were part of the militia armies. This is exciting record is available to members of Georgia Pioneers and (after logging in) may be viewed here
Coming next! The complete record of “Military Affairs 1775=1793” which includes such jewels as letters of revolutionary soldiers to the Adjutent General, details of battles and persons, etc.
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