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by Richard Gerrard
We should begin with the question, what’s an ‘orderly book’? An ‘orderly book,’ more accurately a Regimental Order Book, is book number 2 of the 15 required under the British Army’s 1811 Regulations for managing the internal affairs of a regiment. This example is a small, brown, leather-bound notebook (22.9 x 17.8 cm) of 78 pages filled with manuscript entries several hands recording orders issued to the York Militia in during the War of 1812. Its back cover is conveniently labelled, “Orderly Book / 3r Regmt / York Militia / 1814”.
Why is this document important? Since it contains copies of various Regimental Orders, Garrison Orders, District General Orders, and Garrison After Orders it provides a significant level of detail about the dayto-day operation at the York garrison and shows the militia’s working relationship with the other units serving at York.
Why is this document important? Since it contains copies of various Regimental Orders, Garrison Orders, District General Orders, and Garrison After Orders it provides a significant level of detail about the dayto-day operation at the York garrison and shows the militia’s working relationship with the other units serving at York. Entries are divided into two distinct periods: 27 April to 19 October 1812 and 7 July 1814 to 10 June 1815. The first section covers the period from the raising of the flank companies of the Upper Canada Militia to just after the Battle of Queenston Heights. It begins again 7 July 1814, two days after the Battle of Chippewa, and ends on 7 July 1814. The gap in the dates is an interesting feature of the book’s material form. Finding it only partially filled when the last entry was recorded in 1812, someone decided to make use of the blank space at the back of the book by turning it over and making it the front for the entries beginning in July 1814.The recorders continued to fill the book until they ran into the earlier text and were forced to stop.
How do we know this is William Chewett’s book? To be honest we don’t know for sure. His signature is nowhere inside. However there is good circumstantial evidence. First, both sections of the book are titled “Regimental Orders, by Lt. Colonel Chewett commanding the 3rd Regiment of York Militia” but since every captain
How do we know this is William Chewett’s book? To be honest we don’t know for sure. His signature is nowhere inside. However there is good circumstantial evidence. First, both sections of the book are titled “Regimental Orders, by Lt. Colonel Chewett commanding the 3rd Regiment of York Militia” but since every captain
commanding a company was required to keep an orderly book, it is possible that it belonged to one of the eight captains to serve with the regiment. Second, the entries are in several hands and I think this is a strong indication that we have the regiment’s book, not that of a specific company officer whose personal property would be in only one hand. Finally, its provenance shows that it remained with the Chewett family, even after they moved to the UK about 1910. The book returned to Canada in the 1990s when it was passed to the donor’s family.
How rare is it? It is unique. There must have been another Regimental Order Book covering the period from 20 October 1812 to 6 July 1814 but it is unlikely that it survives. Of at least eight Company Order Books there is only evidence for two: a partial transcription of Captain Samuel Ridout’s in the Library and Archives Canada collection and an intriguing entry in Robertson’s Landmarks of Toronto indicating that Captain Stephen Heward’s book may have existed as late as 1894.
Interestingly, the Chewett book (but not its location) was known before it was acquired by the fort. A typescript is held in the Baldwin Room at the Toronto Public Library. However, after comparison with the original we can see that the typescript is both incomplete and flawed. Realizing this, we have begun a project to produce an illustrated digital transcription of this rare document. Thanks to the generous gift of Mr Arthur Beatty (6th generation descendant of William Chewett), the Orderly Book of the 3rd Regiment of York Militia joins the 1813 Regimental Colours (Fife & Drum, July 2007) in Fort York’s collection. Richard Gerrard holds the post of Historian, War of 1812 Bicentennial, on Toronto Culture’s staff.
Candidates for Canadian at a ceremony on November (Credit: Photo by City of Toronto citizenship take their oaths of allegiance 10, one of two held at Fort York annually. staff photographer)
Original printed pages
