At the start of the war, the United States War Department divided responsibility for military operations along geographic lines. The Northern Department, consisting of New England and the Middle Atlantic states, was commanded by Henry Dearborn, the senior major general. In most correspondence, Dearborn’s main force was referred to as the Northern Army and was positioned along the Hudson-Champlain Valley. Subordinate forces formed on the Niagara Frontier. The Southern Department, commanded by Major General Thomas Pinckney, was responsible for protection of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts south of Delaware. The third and last military department was the Northwest Department and was commanded by Brigadier General William Hull. His force was responsible for Ohio and westward and was focused on prosecuting the war from Detroit into western Upper Canada. After the repeated failures of 1812, the War Department understood that the geographic areas were far too large for one person to command. Subsequently, the territory of the United States was divided into nine military districts [with a tenth designated in 1814]. Each district was assigned a commander and a full complement of staff officers to ensure adequate administration and logistical support. Likewise, forces were allocated to the district commanders as required. As the U.S. Army expanded in size to meet the demands of the war, Congress authorized the creation of new regiments. The President appointed the officers to command the new forces. Now came the hard problem of recruiting the soldiers to fill the companies and regiments. We know that recruiting records were incomplete and that nearly every regiment was undermanned throughout the war. What appears below is a list of the nine military districts and the regiments recruited from within the boundaries of each district. This list was published with the “Rules and Regulations of the Army of the United States” dated 1 May 1813. Remember, this list designates recruiting areas. Once raised, companies, battalions, and regiments would often be assigned to other districts for operational employment. 1st Military District [Massachusetts and New Hampshire] Two companies of Light Artillery Three troops of the 2nd Light Dragoons One battalion of the 1st Artillery 4th, 9th, and 21st Infantry regiments 2nd Military District [Rhode Island and Connecticut] One troop of the 2nd Light Dragoons One battalion of the 1st Artillery 25th Infantry 3rd Military District [New York from the Highlands south and eastern New Jersey] Two companies of Light Artillery Two troops of the 2nd Light Dragoons Two battalions of the 3rd Artillery 6th and 15th Infantry 4th Military District [Western New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware] Two companies of Light Artillery Two troops of the 2nd Light Dragoons One battalion of the 2nd Artillery 3rd, 5th, 16th, and 22nd Infantry 5th Military District [ Maryland and Virginia] Two companies of Light Artillery One and a half battalion of the 2nd Artillery 12th, 14th, and 20th Infantry 6th Military District [North and South Carolina and Georgia] Two troops of the 1st Light Dragoons One battalion of the 1st Artillery 8th, 10th, and 18th Infantry 7th Military District [Louisiana, the Mississippi Territory, and Tennessee] Two troops of the 1st Light Dragoons One battalion of the 1st Artillery 2nd, 7th, 24th Infantry Three companies of riflemen 8th Military District [Kentucky, Ohio, and the territories of Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri] Two companies of Light Artillery One and a half battalion of the 2nd Artillery 1st, 17th, 19th Infantry Four companies of riflemen 9th Military District [New York north of the Highlands and Vermont] Two troops of the 2nd Light Dragoons Two battalions of the 3rd Artillery 11th, 13th, 23rd Infantry Three companies of riflemen Back to Table of Contents -- War of 1812 #1 Back to War of 1812 List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Rich Barbuto. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com