Muster Day

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MUSTER DAY

MUSTER DAY. Under the militia act of 1792, in effect for more than a century, every able-bodied citizen between the ages of eighteen and forty-five was a member of the militia. The annual muster day accomplished actual enrollment of the members. Muster day also served as a significant social event in early America, at least for men. Since militia commanders often attempted to win their men's cooperation by providing them with alcohol, muster day frequently degenerated into an annual drunken spree. After the Civil War, muster day generally lost importance.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stone, Richard G., Jr. The Brittle Sword: The Kentucky Militia, 1776–1912. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1978.

DonRussell/a. e.

See alsoConscription and Recruitment ; Militias ; Revolution, American: Military History .