An Act Regulating and Governing the Militia of This State, §§ 1, 10, 11, 14, 17, 19, 21, 30, 32, 33(arts. 12, 20, & 23) & 42, 1818 Vt. Acts & Resolves 3, 3-56 (J. W. Copeland).

"AN ACT REGULATING AND GOVERNING THE MILITIA OF VERMONT.

    Sec. 1. IT is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont...
    ...Sec. 10. And it is hereby further enacted, That the brigadier-generals, in their respective brigades, be, and they hereby are, authorised ranged to complete the cavalry, in their respective brigades, to, at least, one full troop, in each brigade; and, there shall, in no case, be more than one troop of cavalry to each regiment; and they shall be annexed to such regiments as the commanding officer of the brigade shall direct, and shall be under the command of the commanding officer of the respective regiments, to which they are annexed.—And the officers of the cavalry shall furnish themselves, with good horses, at least fourteen hands and a half high, and shall be armed with a pair of pistols and sword, the holsters of which shall be covered with bear skin caps. Each horseman shall furnish himself with a serviceable horse, of at least fourteen hands and a half high, a good saddle, bridle, mail pillion and valise,—holsters, a breast plate and crupper, a pair of boots and spurs, a pair of pistols and sabre, and cartridge box to contain twelve cartridges for pistols...And it shall be lawful for the commander in chief, to transfer and transform any part of the cavalry, to light artillery; and such companies, so transferred, shall be armed and equipped as cavalry, and liable to do duty, as such, until they are provided with proper ordinance and apparatus, as light artillery.
    Sec. 11. And it is hereby further enacted, That each brigadier in his respective brigade, be and he hereby is authorised to complete one full company of artillery, to be attached to his brigade:—and each company of artillery shall be provided with one good field piece, with a carriage and apparatus, complete to be provided by the quarter-master general, at the expense of the state; whose duty it shall be, as soon as may be, to provide and furnish the same. The officers of artillery shall be armed with a sword or hanger, each, and each private or matross, with a sword;—and each non-commissioned officer and private or matross, of those companies which are unprovided with field pieces, shall furnish himself with all the equipments of a private in the infantry, until proper ordinance is provided...
    Sec. 14. And it is hereby further enacted, That every commissioned officer of infantry, whose duty shall require him to serve on foot, shall be armed with a sword or hanger, and a pair of pistols:—and the uniform, in every instance, required by this act, shall be such as the brigadier generals, within their respective brigades, shall direct...
    ...Sec. 17. And it is hereby further enacted, That every non-commissioned officer and private, of the infantry, light infantry or riflemen, shall constantly keep himself provided with a good musket, with an iron or steel rod, a suffiecient bayonet and belt, a priming wire and brush, two spare flints and knapsack, catridge box, and puch, with a box therein sufficient to contain, at least, twenty-four catridges, suited to the bore of his musketl a canteen and knapsack; or with a good rifle, two spare flints, knapsack, bullet pouch, powder horn and canteen; and shall appear so armed, accoutred and provided, whenever called out; excepting, that when called out to exercise only, he may appear without aknapsack.—And all parents,masters, or guardians, shall furnich those of the said militia, who shall be under their care and command, with the areas and equipments above mentioned, under like penalties, for any neglect, which are, hereafter, provided for those who shall neglect to equip themselves; except such parents, masters, or guardians, as shall be adjudged by the selectmen of the town, unable to furnish said arms and equipments. And when the selectmen of any town shall judge any of the inhabitants thereof, belonging to the mmilitia, unable to arm and equip himself, in manner aforesaid; or if minors, whose parents, maters or guardians, are unable to equip them, they shall, at the expence of said town, provide for, and furnish, such inhabitants, with the aforesaid arms and equipments, which shall remain the property of the town, at the expence of which they shal be provided. And if any soldier shall embezzle or destroy the arms and equipments, with which he shall be furnished, he shall, upon conviction thereof, before the County Court, be adjudged to replace the articles which shall be, by him embezzled or destroyed, and to pay the costs arising from the process against him. And if he shall not perform the same within fourteendays after such adjudication, it shall be in the power of the selectmen of the town to which he shall belong, to bind him out to service or hard labor, for such term of time, as, in the discretion of the selectmen, shall be sufficient to procure a sum of money equal to the value of the article or articles, so destroyed, and pay costs arising from said prosecution.
    ...Sec. 19. And it is hereby further enacted, That every captain, or commanding officer shall call his company together, on some day between the first Tuesday of September, and the first Tuesday of October, annually, at nine o'clock in the forenoon, for company discipline; and once, on the first Tuesday in June, annually, for the express purpose of examining and taking an exact account of every man's arms, and equipments; at which time, every article required by this act, shall be brought to the place of examination; at which time, it shall be the duty of the orderly sergeant, or in his absence, of some other person, to be appointed on the occasion, for the time only, by the commanding officer, for that purpose, to make out an exact roll of the arms and equipments which shall belong to each man.
    And every commanding officer of a company shall constantly keep by him a roll, with the arms and equipments of every man, annexed to his name as aforesaid, from which all detachments and the annual return of the company, shall be regularly made: and the said roll shall be revised corrected and completed, on the first Tuesday of June, annually as aforesaid...
    ...Sec. 21. And it is hereby further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the brigade inspector, to attend the regimental and battalion meetings of the militia, composing the several brigades to which they belong, during the time of their being under arms; to inspect their arms and equipments; to superintend their exercise and manoeuvers, and introduce the system of discipline, established by law; to obey all orders which they may, from time to time, receive from the commander in chief, or other, their superior officers; to make returns to the adjutant general, as herein directed, and at such other times as shall be required, of the militia of the brigade to which they shall respectively belong, reporting therein, the actual situation of the corps, their arms, ammunition, and accoutrements, and every other thing which they may be required to report, or which, in their judgement, may relate to their government, and the general advancement of good order and military discipline...
    ...Sec. 30. And it is hereby further enacted, That every town within this State, shall be constantly supplied with thirty-two pounds of good gun-powder, one hundred weight of lead or musket balls, and one hundred and twenty eight flints, for every sixty-four soldiers in the militia of such town, enrolled, as aforesaid; and the same proportion of each of the aforesaid articles, for a greater or a less number...And when any town shall have furnished themselves with a magazine as aforesaid, it shall be the duty of the commanding officers of the several companies in such towns, to make a return of the said magazine in the same manner as though every soldier was provided with half a pound of powder, two pounds of lead or musket balls, and two spare flints...
    ...Sec. 32. And it is hereby further enacted, That every citizen enrolled and providing himself with a uniform, arms, ammunition and accoutrments, required by this act, shall hold the same exempted from all suits, distresses, executions, or sales for debt or payment for taxes...
    ...Sec. 33. And it is hereby further enacted, That the following be the rules and articles which the militia of this state shall be governed, when not in actual service...
    ...Art. 12 That every captain or commanding officer of a company, shall make a return of the state of his company, with all the arms and equipments belonging to them, to the commanding officer of the regiment, in the month of June, annually...
    ...Art. 20th. Every non commissioned officer or private who, being duly ordered to appear at the company inspection and view of arms, on the first Tuesday in June and shall, unnecessarily, neglect to appear at the time and place appointed, shall forfeit and pay two dollars:—And every person liable to do duty in the militia, who shall be absent not sending at the examination, or view of arms, in the month of June, as aforesaid, and shall not send his arms and equipments, to be examined at the time and place appointed, he shall be fined for every article required by this act, not so brought or sent to be examined, as is herein directed, besides the fine for non appearance, as herein directed...
    ...Art. 23d. Every non-commissioned officer or private, who shall neglect to keep himself armed and equiped, as provided by this act or who shall, at any muster day, or at any other time of examination, or any company training, be destitute of, or appear unprovided with, the arms and equipments herein directed, excepting as before excepted, shall pay a fine not exceeding seventy-five cents for a gun, and twenty-five cents for each and every other article, in which he shall be deliquent; or if he shall appear with his arms in an unfit condition, he shall be fined not exceeding seventy-five cents, at the disrection of his commanding officer...
    ...Sec. 42. And it is hereby further enacted, That no noncommissioned officer, private or citizen shall unnecessarily, fire a musket, single gun or pistol, in any public road, or near any house or place of parade, on the evening preceding, on the day or evening of the same, on which any troop company, battalion or regiment shall be ordered to assemble for military duty, unless embodied under the command of some commissioned officer; and if any non-commissioned officer, private or citizen, shall fire a musket, single gun or pistol, except as aforesaid, on the day or evening as aforesaid, without being embodied as aforesaid, he shall forfeit and pay a fine of two dollars for each and every such offence..."