A class was conducted on how to fill out and maintain duty rosters.  There is not much difference between the modern day and the 1860’s era version of duty rosters.  The procedure is basically unchanged.  A gathering of unit NCOs were given duty rosters for two separate duty positions.  Both of these duty positions required two people each to fill.  Names were already printed on the duty roster.  After a bit of explanation, duty was assigned and the numbering began.  A few people were exempt from duty, hospitalized, pulling other duties.  It was basically a simply exercise but it does not take many variables to make duty rosters complicated.  Toss in a third roster using the same people and things get really interesting.  Multiply that by keeping up with week day and week end duties on the same roster.  Most of the guys in this class were not prior military so they had never seen duty rosters, let alone been tasked with assigning duty from one.  They rather liked the idea that a properly maintained duty roster is how you document fairness and impartiality.

Curtis, we call them a -6 (dash six) today and I would fill them out as fairly as possible. Of course the troops always thought otherwise and claim they did this and that last, blah, blah, blah.  I bet they did the same then also.

Ken,

My last reserve assignment was first sergeant of a Signal Battalion Headquarters detachment.   In that officer heavy environment the enlisted guys found duty coming faster than if they had been assigned to a line company.  With as few troops as there were to pull duty they knew who was next on the KP roster.  When we went to the field and there was guard to pull duty became a real chore.  And yes, the complaints were omni-present.  I expect the 1860's era lads were equal to the modern day ones in that category.

Do they still have various NBC detection teams or has technology finally replaced those?

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Curtis Makamson wrote : Ken, My last reserve assignment was first sergeant of a Signal Battalion Headquarters detachment.   In that officer heavy environment the enlisted guys found duty coming faster than if they had been assigned to a line company.

Curtis,

My heart goes out to you. I was the First Sergeant of two Headquarters companies. One at the battalion level and one at the brigade level. During those tours, I got very tired of explaning to various Staff Officers, why their PFC wasn't critical to the functioning of the U.S. Army; but he was critical to the mission of our mess section.

I also got very tired of writing all those little numbers in all those little blocks! Computers did make that job very much easier.  

The duty roster is one of those forms that you can actually use at an event.  Brady's is a tiny company, but once a year or so we'll actually have some numbers at an event, including some guests.  I have used a truncated version of the form in Kautz (a week rather than a month) to give the officer and first sergeant a roster to check attendance and to assign fatigue.  Using the shorter form you can also use the "days" as shorthand for mornings or afternoons so that duty "tours" from Friday afternoon to Sunday can take up five columns and ensure that everyone gets to do at least one water run.

When I debuted as company clerk at McDowell in 2003, we kept rosters for guard and fatigue as we ought to have.  It helps to have a reasonably-sized company.  We did the same for Winter '64 twice.  For W64 we also put dummy entries in for the days of the month leading up to the event, letting the first tour fall on the heads of those whose "turn" it was by that process.  I don't think Josh will ever forgive me for putting him on guard...

Yep, I have used the period duty roster in the past.  Works great for large companies.

Curtis, I was an NCOIC of our quartering party for years while an Engineer.  Even in mid 2000's we still used the NBC chemical alarm, litmus paper, etc.  Unless new technology has come about since 2005, I assume it's still the same.

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Michael Schaffner wrote :   For W64 we also put dummy entries in for the days of the month leading up to the event, letting the first tour fall on the heads of those whose "turn" it was by that process.  I don't think Josh will ever forgive me for putting him on guard...

Mike,

The "Hey you" Duty Roster was also in effect at W64. I made the mistake of showing up early and spent the first three or four hours on Guard Duty. I was also on the the "official" Guard Duty roster that first night. The good news was I got the best bunk in the Guard House, since I was already on duty when the "official" shifts started.  

Anybody who's been in the Military knows all about the "Hey you" Duty Roster.