Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ROS'TER, n. [A corruption of register.]

In military affairs, a plan or table by which the duty of officers is regulated. – Brit. Mil. Journal. In Massachusetts, a list of the officers of a division, brigade, regiment or battalion, containing, under several heads, their names, rank, the corps to which they belong, date of commission, and place of abode. These are settled division rosters, brigade rosters, regimental or battalion rosters. The word is also used frequently instead of register, which comprehends a general list of all the officers of the state, from the commander in chief to the lowest in commission, under the same appropriate heads, with an additional column for noting the alterations which take place. – W. H. Sumner.