Daily AncestorMilitia
Militia were a state's citizen soldiers, men of military age enrolled for local defense and called out only in emergencies.
The Militia Act of 1792 required every free, able-bodied white male citizen from 18 to under 45 to be enrolled in his state's militia and to supply his own musket and gear. Militia units served in the Revolution, the War of 1812 and Indian wars, sometimes under federal control.
Records of militia that were never federalized are kept by the states, not NARA. Veterans of federalized War of 1812 militia could claim federal pensions from 1871, and their widows from 1878.
As seen in a recordService record index card, War of 1812
Pvt., Capt. Reuben Hale's Co., 3d Regt. Ohio Militia, War of 1812
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Militia." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/militia. Last checked 2026-10-03.