On 25 January 1842 JS and , respectively the lieutenant general and major general of the , issued orders regarding an inspection and parade of the legion to be held on 7 May. An “independent military” body attached to the state militia, the legion derived from the same December 1840 act that officially organized the city of . Soldiers in the legion were required to perform the same duties as members of the regular state militia, which included periodically mustering for reviews such as the inspection and parade planned for the first Saturday in May. The general orders featured here instructed all of the city’s militia members to attend the review with their weapons and equipment in good order. They also formally invited Illinois governor , as well as local government officials and prominent officers in the Illinois state and territorial militias, to attend the event.

The orders were published in the 15 February 1842 issue of the ’s newspaper, Times and Seasons, although they are misdated as 1841 therein. If the published orders were based on a handwritten manuscript, that document is apparently not extant. The inspection and parade were held in May 1842 as ordered.