GEORGIA MILITARY WAR OF 1812   8th Regiment - Fort Hawkins


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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by:
Eric E. Johnson

http://genforum.genealogy.com/warof1812/messages/4942.html


The 8th Regiment of U.S. Infantry was organized under the
Congressional acts of 11 January 1812 and reorganized on 26
June 1812. Under the act of 3 March 1815 the regiment was
consolidated with the 10th, 36th and 38th Regiments of
Infantry to form the 1st Regiment of Infantry on 17 May
1815.


The headquarters for the regiment was located at Fort
Hawkins, Georgia. The regiment served in the 6th Military
District with 728 men. Georgia is where the regiment was
raised.

William Wiseman belonged to this unit, and his service record gives information.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/military/warof1812/wiseman.txt


Captain William Jones of Georgia recruited William for five
years. Jones would have been the recruiting officer.


MR is "monthly returns"


Captain David Emanuel Twiggs of Georgia was William's first
company commander. He was promoted to major on 21 Sep 1814
and assigned to the 28th Regiment of Infantry.


William was promoted to corporal on 30 October 1813.


William was assigned to Captain William Jones' company.
Jones was from Georgia and he probably took over Twigg's
company.


William was promoted to sergeant on 26 Oct 1813


He was stationed at Fort Jackson, Georgia. The fort was
later renamed Fort Oglethorpe.


He was then stationed at Camp Flournay, Georgia.


He was then assigned to Captain Thomas C. Hunter's company.
Hunter was from South Carolina. Hunter was a captain in the
8th Regiment of US Infantry from 12 Jun 1814 to 15 Jun 1815.
Fort Hawkins, Georgia, is now Macon [Bibb County].


William received a medical discharge on 21 August 1815. He
would have served until 1817.


DR is probably "daily returns" also called a morning report.


TR is probably "transfer returns"


Companies were named after their commanding officers until
1816 which leads to a great deal of confusion. If a
commanding officer was promoted then a new commanding
officer took over and the company was renamed after the new
officer.


Also, new recruits were usually never assigned to an
existing company. They were organized into new companies.
Older companies were consolidated with other older companies
when the number of men dropped too low. Men died, were
killed, were transferred, and were discharged, so companies
became smaller. Senior officers were appointed to command
these consolidated companies and the excess officers were
either discharged or sent to the recruiting service.


Although William was born in Maryland, it appears that the
family moved to Georgia before the war.


Most of the information above was obtained from Heitman's
"Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States
Army 1789-1903."


Eric E. Johnson
http://genforum.genealogy.com/warof1812/messages/4942.html