User talk:12.103.23.19 and List of Continental Army units: Difference between pages

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
←Replaced content with 'hurr'
 
Nlx*n's regt (talk | contribs)
1,604 edits
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{US Revolutionary War}}
hurr

This is a '''list of units of the [[Continental Army]]''', the national army of the [[United States]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Created after the war had already begun, the army was always a work in progress, and was reorganized on several occasions during the war.

The [[Second Continental Congress|Continental Congress]] created the Continental Army on [[14 June]] [[1775]], by adopting the militia forces already conducting the [[siege of Boston]] as the first units of the army. Because most enlistments expired at the end of that year, a new army was created in 1776 with units from all of the thirteen states. Most enlistments in this army also expired at the end of the year, and so in 1777 soldiers were enlisted to serve three years or the duration of the war. In 1777, 119 [[regiment]]s were fielded; thereafter the structure of the army remained basically the same, with units consolidated as needed.

Because of manpower shortages, the Continental Army often worked in conjunction with state-controlled [[militia (United States)|militia]] units, which were called out for short periods as needed.

==Continental Army of 1775==
The Continental Congress created the Continental Army on [[14 June]] [[1775]], by adopting the militia forces already conducting the [[siege of Boston]] as the first units of the army. Upon arrival outside Boston, General [[George Washington]] organized this body of more than 22,000 men, known as the Main Army, into three [[division (military)|divisions]] of two [[brigade]]s each.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 29, 40.</ref>

The Congress also extended participation in the Main Army beyond New England by authorizing [[company (military unit)|companies]] of "expert rifleman" from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Pennsylvania frontiersman were so eager to participate that Pennsylvania's quota of companies was increased and organized as a [[regiment]] known as the [[Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment]]. The 13 rifle companies from these three colonies hurried to Boston.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 24–5.</ref>

Meanwhile, a second force in [[New York]] under Major General [[Philip Schuyler]] was designated the New York Department, later known as the [[Departments of the Continental Army|Northern Department]]. Schuyler's smaller army was created to defend New York, but he was instructed by the Continental Congress to launch an (ultimately disastrous) preemptive [[Invasion of Canada (1775)|invasion of Canada]], which began on [[31 August]] [[1775]].<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 41–3.</ref>

===Main Army===
'''General [[George Washington]]'''
:'''Right Wing'''
:'''1st (Ward's) Division''' (Major General [[Artemas Ward]])

::'''1st (Thomas') Brigade''' (Brigadier General [[John Thomas (general)|John Thomas]])
:::*[[Ward's Regiment]] (1st Massachusetts; Colonel [[Jonathan Ward]]; designated the [[21st Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[Bailey's Regiment]] (2d Massachusetts; Colonel [[John Bailey]]; designated the [[23d Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[2nd Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Cotton's Regiment]] (4th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Theophilus Cotton]]; consolidated in December 1775 with [[Bailey's Regiment]], less two companies consolidated with [[Ward's Regiment]], one company consolidated with [[Learned's Regiment]], and one company consolidated with [[Gardner's Regiment]])
:::*[[Danielson's Regiment]] (8th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Timothy Danielson]]; consolidated in December 1775 with [[Learned's Regiment]], less one company consolidated with [[Nixon's Regiment]] and one company consolidated with [[Gardner's Regiment]])
:::*[[Fellows' Regiment]] (17th Massachusetts; Colonel [[John Fellows]]; consolidated in December 1775 with [[Ward's Regiment]], less one company consolidated with [[Jonathan Brewer's Regiment]])
:::*[[David Brewer's Regiment]] (20th Massachusetts; Colonel [[David Brewer]]; consolidated in December 1775 with [[Read's Regiment]], less one company consolidated with [[Jonathan Brewer's Regiment]])

::'''3d (Spencer's) Brigade''' (Brigadier General [[Joseph Spencer]])
:::*[[2nd Connecticut Regiment]] (Colonel [[Samuel Wyllys]]; used in December 1775 as cadre for the [[22nd Continental Regiment]])
:::*[[6th Connecticut Regiment]] (Colonel [[Samuel Holden Parsons]]; used in December 1775 as cadre for the [[10th Continental Regiment]])
:::*[[8th Connecticut Regiment]] (Colonel [[Jedediah Huntington]]; used in December 1775 as cadre for the [[17th Continental Regiment]])
:::*[[Walker's Regiment]] (3d Massachusetts; Colonel [[Timothy Walker]]; consolidated in December 1775 with [[Read's Regiment]])
:::*[[Read's Regiment]] (6th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Joseph Read]]; designated the [[13th Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[Learned's Regiment]] (14th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Ebenezer Learned]]; designated the [[3d Continental Regiment]] in 1776; then the [[4th Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)

:'''Left Wing'''
:'''2d (Lee's) Division''' (Major General [[Charles Lee (general)|Charles Lee]])

::'''5th (Sullivan's) Brigade''' (Brigadier General [[John Sullivan]])
:::*[[1st New Hampshire Regiment]] (Colonel [[John Stark]]; designated the [[5th Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[2nd New Hampshire Regiment]] (Colonel [[Enoch Poor]]; designated the [[8th Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[3rd New Hampshire Regiment]] (Colonel [[James Reed]]; designated the [[2d Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[Mansfield's Regiment]] (7th Massachusetts; Colonel [[John Mansfield]]; designated the [[27th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[5th Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Nixon's Regiment]] (16th Massachusetts; Colonel [[John Nixon]]; designated the [[4th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[6th Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Doolittle's Regiment]] (18th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Ephraim Doolittle]]; disbanded [[31 December]] [[1775]])
:::*[[7th Connecticut Regiment]] (Colonel [[Charles Webb]]; used in December 1775 as cadre for the [[19th Continental Regiment]])

::'''6th (Greene's) Brigade''' (Brigadier General [[Nathanael Greene]])
:::*[[Varnum's Regiment]] (Rhode Island; Colonel [[James Mitchell Varnum]]; designated the [[9th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[1st Rhode Island Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Hitchcock's Regiment]] (Rhode Island; Colonel [[Daniel Hitchcock]]; designated the [[11th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[2nd Rhode Island Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Church's Regiment]] (Rhode Island; Colonel [[Thomas Church]]; disbanded [[31 December]] [[1775]])
:::*[[Whitcomb's Regiment]] (5th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Asa Whitcomb]]; disbanded [[31 December]] [[1775]]; Colonel Whitcomb took command of the [[6th Continental Regiment]])
:::*[[Read's Regiment]] (6th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Joseph Read]]; designated the [[13th Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[Gardner's Regiment]] (15th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Thomas Gardner]]; designated the [[25th Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[Jonathan Brewer's Regiment]] (19th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Jonathan Brewer]]; designated the [[6th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[13th Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Little's Regiment]] (24th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Moses Little]]; designated the [[12th Continental Regiment]] in 1776)

:'''Reserve'''
:'''3d (Putnam's) Division''' (Major General [[Israel Putnam]])

::'''2d (Heath's) Brigade''' (Brigadier General [[William Heath]])
:::*[[Prescott's Regiment]] (9th Massachusetts; Colonel [[William Prescott]]; designated the [[7th Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[Paterson's Regiment]] (12th Massachusetts; Colonel [[John Paterson]]; designated the [[15th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[1st Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Scammon's Regiment]] (13th Massachusetts; Colonel [[James Scammon]]; consolidated in December 1775 with [[Phinney's Regiment]], less two companies consolidated with [[Prescott's Regiment]] and two companies consolidated with [[Paterson's Regiment]])
:::*[[Greaton's Regiment]] (21st Massachusetts; Colonel [[John Greaton]]; designated the [[24th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[3d Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Gerrish's Regiment]] (25th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Samuel Gerrish]]; designated the [[26th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[9th Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[Phinney's Regiment]] (26th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Edmund Phinney]]; designated the [[18th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[12th Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)

::'''4th Brigade (vacant)''' (commanded by Putnam because [[Seth Pomeroy]] declined his commission)
:::*[[Frye's Regiment]] (10th Massachusetts; Colonel [[James Frye]]; disbanded [[31 December]] [[1775]])
:::*[[Bridge's Regiment]] (11th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Ebenezer Bridge]]; disbanded [[31 December]] [[1775]])
:::*[[Woodbridge's Regiment]] (22d Massachusetts; Colonel [[Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge]]; disbanded [[31 December]] [[1775]])
:::*[[Glover's Regiment]] (23d Massachusetts; Colonel [[John Glover]]; designated the [[14th Continental Regiment]] in 1776)
:::*[[Sargent's Regiment]] (27th Massachusetts; Colonel [[Paul Dudley Sargent]]; designated the [[16th Continental Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[8th Massachusetts Regiment]] in 1777)
:::*[[3rd Connecticut Regiment]] (Colonel [[Experience Storrs]]; used in December 1775 as cadre for [[20th Continental Regiment]])

;Main Army units not assigned to a division:
*[[Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment]] (Colonel [[William Thompson]]; Captain William Hendricks' Company and Captain Matthew Smith's Company assigned to Northern Department [[8 September]] [[1775]]; marched to [[Quebec]] under [[Benedict Arnold]]; captured at Quebec [[31 December]] [[1775]]).
*[[Daniel Morgan]]'s Virginia Independent Rifle Company (assigned to the Northern Department [[8 September]] [[1775]]; marched to [[Quebec]] under [[Benedict Arnold]]; captured at Quebec [[31 December]] [[1775]])
*Two Maryland and one Virginia Independent Rifle Companies (Captains [[Michael Cresap]] and [[Thomas Price]] commanded the [[Maryland]] companies; Captain [[Hugh Stephenson]] commanded the [[Virginia]] company; Lieutenant [[Moses Rawlings]] succeeded Cresap as captain on [[18 October]] [[1775]]; companies formed cadre for the [[Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment]], under Colonel Hugh Stephenson, in 1776)
*[[Continental Artillery Regiment]] (Massachusetts; Colonel [[Richard Gridley]]; Colonel [[Henry Knox]], 17 November 1775).
*[[Rhode Island Train of Artillery]] (Captain [[John Crane]]; Colonel, 3d Continental Artillery Regiment, 1777-1783).

===New York Department===
'''Major General [[Philip Schuyler]]'''
*[[1st Connecticut Regiment]] (Brigadier General [[David Wooster]]; Lieutenant Colonel [[Andrew Ward]], field commander).
*[[4th Connecticut Regiment]] (Colonel [[Benjamin Hinman]]).
*[[5th Connecticut Regiment]] (Colonel [[David Waterbury]]).
*[[1st New York Regiment (1775-1776)]] (Colonel [[Alexander McDougall]]; appointed brigadier general, Continental Army, 9 August 1776)
*2nd New York Regiment (Colonel [[Goose Van Schaick]]; designated [[Van Schaick's Regiment]] in 1776, then the [[1st New York Regiment]] in 1777)
*3rd New York Regiment (Colonel [[James Clinton]]; designated the 2nd New York Regiment in 1776, then the [[4th New York Regiment]] in 1777)
*4th New York Regiment (Colonel [[James Holmes]]; designated the 3rd New York Regiment in 1776, then the [[2nd New York Regiment]] in 1777)
*Green Mountain Rangers, or "[[Green Mountain Boys]]" (Vermont; Lieutenant Colonel [[Seth Warner]])
*Canadian Regiment (Colonel [[James Livingston]]; redesignated the [[1st Canadian Regiment]] in 1776)
*[[Captain John Lamb's Company of Artillery]] (New York; Lamb was Colonel, 2d Continental Artillery Regiment, 1777-1783)
'''Provincial units attached to New York Department'''
*New Hampshire Rangers (Major [[Timothy Bedel]]; 3 companies; reraised as [[Bedel's Regiment]] in 1776)

==Continental Army of 1776==
The enlistments of most soldiers in the Continental Army of 1775 expired on the last day of the year. On [[1 January]] [[1776]], a new army was established. General Washington had submitted recommendations for reorganization to the Continental Congress almost immediately after accepting the position of Commander-in-Chief, but these took time to consider and implement. Despite attempts to broaden the recruiting base beyond New England, the 1776 army remained skewed toward the Northeast both in terms of its composition and geographical focus.

===Main Army===
The bulk of the newly organized Main Army consisted of 27 infantry regiments, numbered in order of the seniority of the colonel of each regiment. These regiments were created by reorganizing existing units and by encouraging soldiers to reenlist for another year. Each new regiment comprised eight companies, which at full strength fielded a total of 728 men. Of these, 640 provided the firepower (privates and corporals with muskets); the remaining were officers and staff, including three field officers (a colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major), a captain for each company, a surgeon, a quartermaster, drummers, etc.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 47, 50.</ref>

;Units
*[[1st Continental Regiment]] (formerly the [[Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment]])
*[[3rd Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts)
*[[4th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts)
*[[7th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts)
*[[9th Continental Regiment]] (Rhode Island)
*[[10th Continental Regiment]] (Connecticut)
*[[11th Continental Regiment]] (Rhode Island)
*[[12th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts)
*[[13th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts)
*[[14th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts, briefly assigned to the Eastern Department)
*[[16th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts, briefly assigned to the Eastern Department)
*[[17th Continental Regiment]] (Connecticut)
*[[19th Continental Regiment]] (Connecticut)
*[[20th Continental Regiment]] (Connecticut)
*[[21st Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts)
*[[22nd Continental Regiment]] (Connecticut)
*[[23rd Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts)
*[[26th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts)
*[[27th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts, briefly assigned to the Eastern Department)
*[[Lippitt's Regiment]] (Rhode Island, initially assigned to the Eastern Department)
*[[Ward's Regiment]] (Connecticut, initially assigned to the Eastern Department)
*[[1st New York Regiment (1775-1776)]]
*[[Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment]] (created out of three of the independent rifle companies and six new companies)
*2nd Pennsylvania Battalion (redesignated the [[3rd Pennsylvania Regiment]] in 1777)
*3rd Pennsylvania Battalion (redesignated the [[4th Pennsylvania Regiment]] in 1777)
*5th Pennsylvania Battalion (redesignated the [[6th Pennsylvania Regiment]] in 1777)
*Pennsylvania State Rifle Regiment (redesignated the [[13th Pennsylvania Regiment]] in 1777)
*[[Delaware Regiment]]
*[[1st Maryland Regiment]]
*[[2nd Maryland Regiment]]
*[[Westmoreland Independent Companies]] ([[Westmoreland County, Connecticut]], assigned to the Middle Department)
*[[Germans_in_the_American_Revolution#American_Colonials|German Battalion]] (8th Maryland, initially assigned to the Middle Department, assigned to the Main Army in September 1776)
*[[Commander-in-Chief's Guard]] aka "Washington's Life Guard".
*[[Continental Artillery Regiment]] (consolidated Massachusetts and Rhode Island units)
*[[Captain Sebastian Bauman's Continental Artillery Company]] (later part of the [[2nd Continental Artillery Regiment]])
*[[North Carolina Continental Artillery Company]]
*[[1st Continental Light Dragoon Regiment]] (Virginia)

===Canadian Department===

'''Established 17 January 1776.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 60.</ref> Discontinued 2 July 1776.'''

In January 1776, Congress split up the New York Department, designating the force that had invaded Canada as the Canadian Department. Units were consolidated, and a second regiment of Canadians was recruited. After Washington learned of Brigadier General [[Richard Montgomery]]'s death and defeat at the [[Battle of Quebec (1775)|Battle of Quebec]], three New England units intended as militia were instead raised as Continental regiments and sent to Canada.

At Quebec, Major General [[John Thomas (general)|John Thomas]] took command of Canadian Department in May 1776. Additional reinforcements from the Main Army led by Brigadier General [[William Thompson (general)|William Thompson]] arrived in mid May, but were immediately disabled by an outbreak of [[smallpox]]. After General Thomas succumbed on [[2 June]], Brigadier General [[John Sullivan]], who had arrived with a second group of reinforcements on [[31 May]], took command of the department. When British Major General [[John Burgoyne]] arrived in Quebec with reinforcements, the Americans withdrew to [[Crown Point]] by July 1776. Major General [[Horatio Gates]] arrived to take command of the Canadian Department, but with no troops in Canada, the department ceased to exist. Gates, under Schuyler's Northern Department, organized 15 Continental units as the "Northern Army" in the [[Fort Ticonderoga]] area. The remaining units, some of them in poor shape after service in Canada, were retained by Schuyler as a rear echelon guarding the [[Mohawk River]] valley.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 63.</ref>

;Initial units
*[[1st Connecticut Regiment]], or "Wooster's Provisional Regiment" (filled out with men from the disbanded [[4th Connecticut Regiment|4th]] and [[5th Connecticut Regiment]]s).
*4th New York Regiment (consolidated into the [[1st New York Regiment]] in 1777).
*[[Goose Van Schaick|Van Schaick's]] Regiment (known as the 2nd New York Regiment in 1775, redesignated the [[1st New York Regiment]] in 1777).
*[[1st Canadian Regiment]].
*[[2nd Canadian Regiment]].

;Continental units authorized after Montgomery's defeat on 31 December 1775:
*[[Burrall's Regiment]] (Connecticut).
*[[Porter's Regiment]] (Massachusetts).
*[[Bedel's Regiment]] (New Hampshire, mostly captured at the [[Battle of the Cedars]] in May 1776).

;Reinforcements dispatched from New York City on 15 April 1776 under Brigadier General [[William Thompson]]
*[[8th Continental Regiment]] (New Hampshire).
*[[15th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts).
*[[24th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts).
*[[25th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts).

;Reinforcements dispatched from New York City on 27 April 1776 under Brigadier General [[John Sullivan]]
*[[2nd Continental Regiment]] (created from the [[3rd New Hampshire Regiment]]).
*[[5th Continental Regiment]] (created from the [[1st New Hampshire Regiment]]).
*[[2nd New Jersey Regiment]].
*4th Pennsylvania Battalion (redesignated the [[5th Pennsylvania Regiment]] in 1777).
*6th Pennsylvania Battalion (redesignated the [[7th Pennsylvania Regiment]] in 1777).

;Additional units raised later in the year
*Dubois' Regiment (redesignated the [[3rd New York Regiment]] in 1777).
*[[Nicholson's Regiment]] (New York, disbanded [[31 December]] [[1776]]).
*[[Warner's Regiment]] (expanded from the [[Green Mountain Boys]], Vermont).

===Northern Department===
*[[1st New Jersey Regiment]] (assigned to various departments in 1776)
*[[3rd New Jersey Regiment]] (assigned to various departments in 1776)
*2nd New York Regiment (known as the 3rd New York Regiment in 1775, redesignated the [[4th New York Regiment]] in 1777)
*3rd New York Regiment (known as the 4th New York Regiment in 1775, redesignated the [[2nd New York Regiment]] in 1777)
*[[Elmore's Regiment]] (Connecticut)
*1st Pennsylvania Battalion (reassigned to the Main Army in November, redesignated the [[2nd Pennsylvania Regiment]] in 1777)
*Mackay's Battalion (reassigned to the Main Army in November, redesignated the [[8th Pennsylvania Regiment]] in 1777)
*[[Isaiah Wool's Artillery Detachment]] (New York)
*[[Captain Bernard Romans' Continental Artillery Company]]

===Eastern Department===

'''Established 4 April 1776.<ref>Fitzpatrick, ''Writings'', IV:467</ref> Discontinued November 1779.'''

*[[6th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts; assigned to the Northern Department [[8 August]] [[1776]]).
*[[14th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts; later joined the Main Army in New York).
*[[16th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts; later joined the Main Army in New York).
*[[18th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts; assigned to the Northern Department [[3 August]] [[1776]]).
*[[27th Continental Regiment]] (Massachusetts; later joined the Main Army in New York).
*[[Long's Regiment]] (New Hampshire)
*[[Richmond's Regiment]] (Rhode Island state regiment serving with, but not part of, the Continental Army).

===Southern Department===

'''Established 27 February 1776. Continued to close of war.'''

*[[1st Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 20 July 1776).
*[[2nd Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 27 December 1776).
*[[3rd Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 20 July 1776).
*[[4th Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 3 September 1776).
*[[5th Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 3 September 1776).
*[[6th Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 3 September 1776).
*[[7th Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 27 December 1776).
*[[8th Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 21 January 1777).
*[[9th Virginia Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 23 November 1776).
*[[1st North Carolina Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 5 February 1777).
*[[2nd North Carolina Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 5 February 1777).
*[[3rd North Carolina Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 5 February 1777).
*[[4th North Carolina Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 5 February 1777).
*[[5th North Carolina Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 5 February 1777).
*[[6th North Carolina Regiment]] (assigned to the Main Army on 5 February 1777).
*[[1st South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[2nd South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[3rd South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[4th South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[5th South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[6th South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[1st Georgia Regiment]]
*[[Georgia Regiment of Horse Rangers]]
*[[Corps of North Carolina Light Dragoons]]

==Continental Army, 1777–1783==
The Continental Army of 1777 was a result of several critical reforms and political decisions that came about when it was apparent that the British were sending massive forces to put an end to the Revolution. In order to create a more stable, better trained army that would not cease to exist at the end of each year—the army had nearly collapsed at the end of 1776—men were now enlisted for the duration of the war. Because many men were reluctant to enlist for such an indefinite period, three-year enlistments were allowed.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 93.</ref>

On [[16 September]] [[1776]], the Continental Congress passed the "eighty-eight battalion resolve," which called for each state to contribute regiments in proportion to their population. (The terms ''regiment'' and ''[[battalion]]'' were interchangeable at that time.) The quotas ranged from 15 regiments each for Massachusetts and Virginia, down to one each for Delaware and Georgia. Each state was expected to arm, clothe, and equip their regiments. A state's quota of regiments was collectively known as that state's "line", such as the [[Pennsylvania Line]]. A state "line" was an administrative designation and not a tactical formation like a brigade or division.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 98, 99n.</ref>

Washington and his generals believed that 88 regiments were insufficient to challenge the [[British Army]], and so on [[27 December]] [[1776]], Congress gave Washington the authority to raise additional regiments which were placed directly under his control and not under any state. These additional units consisted of 16 infantry regiments, three artillery regiments, a corps of engineers, and 3,000 light horsemen. Including three other regiments previously authorized by Congress (the two Canadian regiments and [[Seth Warner]]'s regiment of Green Mountain Boys), 110 regiments were authorized for the Continental Army of 1777. Some states exceeded their quotas, and so 119 regiments were actually fielded in 1777.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 98–9, 119.</ref>

The decisions implemented in 1777 determined the basic organizational structure of the Continental Army for the duration of the war,<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 91.</ref> although state quotas were adjusted and units were consolidated or disbanded as needed. On [[9 March]] [[1779]], Congress reduced the quota of regiments in the state lines to 80, and consolidated the additional regiments not assigned to state lines.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 146–48.</ref> In 1781, when the three-year enlistments of 1777 expired, the total number of regiments was consolidated to 61.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 157.</ref>

===State lines===
The '''[[Connecticut Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 8 regiments in 1777, reduced to 6 in 1781.
*[[1st Connecticut Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[2nd Connecticut Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[3rd Connecticut Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[4th Connecticut Regiment]], consolidated in 1781 with the [[3rd Connecticut Regiment]]
*[[5th Connecticut Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[6th Connecticut Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[7th Connecticut Regiment]], consolidated in 1781 with the [[5th Connecticut Regiment]]
*[[8th Connecticut Regiment]], consolidated in 1781 with the [[1st Connecticut Regiment]]
*[[9th Connecticut Regiment]], consolidated in 1781 with the [[2nd Connecticut Regiment]]
*[[Elmore's Regiment]], disbanded [[10 May]] [[1777]]
*[[Ward's Regiment]], disbanded [[14 May]] [[1777]]
*[[Westmoreland Independent Companies]], disbanded [[1 January]] [[1781]]

The '''[[Delaware Line]]''' was assigned a quota of one regiment.
*[[1st Delaware Regiment]]

The '''[[Georgia Line]]''' was assigned a quota of one regiment.
*[[1st Georgia Regiment]], captured 1780, disbanded 1783
*[[2nd Georgia Regiment]], recruited primarily in Virginia, captured 1780, disbanded 1781
*[[3rd Georgia Regiment]], recruited primarily in North Carolina, captured 1780, disbanded 1781
*[[4th Georgia Regiment]], recruited primarily in Pennsylvania, captured 1780, disbanded 1781

The '''[[Maryland Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 8 regiments in 1777, reduced to 5 in 1781.
*[[1st Maryland Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[2nd Maryland Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[3rd Maryland Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[4th Maryland Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[5th Maryland Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[6th Maryland Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[7th Maryland Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[German Battalion]] (counted as half a regiment against the quota), disbanded in 1781
*[[Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment]] (counted as half a regiment against the quota), disbanded in 1781

The '''[[Massachusetts Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 15 regiments in 1777, reduced to 11 in 1781.
*[[1st Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[2nd Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[3rd Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[4th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[5th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[6th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[7th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[8th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[9th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[10th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[11th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[12th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[13th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[14th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[15th Massachusetts Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[16th Massachusetts Regiment]], formerly Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment; disbanded in 1781

The '''[[New Hampshire Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 3 regiments in 1777, reduced to 2 in 1781.
*[[1st New Hampshire Regiment]], disbanded in 1784
*[[2nd New Hampshire Regiment]], disbanded in 1784
*[[3rd New Hampshire Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[Long's Regiment]], disbanded July 1777
*[[Whitcomb's Rangers]], disbanded in 1781

The '''[[New Jersey Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 4 regiments in 1777, reduced to 3 in 1779, and reduced to 2 in 1781.
*[[1st New Jersey Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[2nd New Jersey Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[3rd New Jersey Regiment]], disbanded in 1781
*[[4th New Jersey Regiment]], disbanded [[7 February]] [[1779]]

The '''[[New York Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 4 regiments in 1777, increased to 5 in 1779, and reduced to 3 in 1781.
*[[1st New York Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[2nd New York Regiment]], disbanded in 1783
*[[3rd New York Regiment]], consolidated into the 1st New York in 1781
*[[4th New York Regiment]], consolidated into the 2nd New York in 1781
*[[5th New York Regiment]], consolidated into the 2nd New York in 1781

The '''[[North Carolina Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 9 regiments in 1777, reduced to 6 in 1779, and reduced to 4 in 1781.
*[[1st North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[2nd North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[3rd North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[4th North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[5th North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[6th North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[7th North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[8th North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[9th North Carolina Regiment]]
*[[10th North Carolina Regiment]]

The '''[[Pennsylvania Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 12 regiments in 1777, reduced to 11 in 1779, and reduced to 9 in 1781.
*[[1st Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[2nd Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[3rd Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[4th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[5th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[6th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[7th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[8th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[9th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[10th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[11th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[12th Pennsylvania Regiment]]
*[[13th Pennsylvania Regiment]]

The '''[[Rhode Island Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 2 regiments in 1777, reduced to 1 in 1781.
*[[1st Rhode Island Regiment]], redesignated the Rhode Island Regiment in 1781, disbanded in 1783
*[[2nd Rhode Island Regiment]], consolidated into the 1st Rhode Island in 1781

The '''[[South Carolina Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 6 regiments in 1777, reduced to 2 in 1781.
*[[1st South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[2nd South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[3rd South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[4th South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[5th South Carolina Regiment]]
*[[6th South Carolina Regiment]]

The '''[[Virginia Line]]''' was assigned a quota of 15 regiments in 1777, reduced to 11 in 1779.
*[[1st Virginia Regiment]]
*[[2nd Virginia Regiment]]
*[[3rd Virginia Regiment]]
*[[4th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[5th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[6th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[7th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[8th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[9th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[10th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[11th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[12th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[13th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[14th Virginia Regiment]]
*[[15th Virginia Regiment]]

==="Additional" regiments===
Units designated "Additional Continental Regiments" were unnumbered infantry regiments authorized in 1777 in addition to the 88 regiments previously authorized by Congress. These units were raised "at large" and not part of any state's quota, although some were later adopted into state lines. Sixteen regiments were authorized, but because of manpower shortages Washington attempted to raise only 15. Two of these 15 were never organized because their colonels declined the position in favor of other commands, leaving 13 "additional" regiments. Congress subsequently authorized one more "additional" regiment, [[Sheppard's Additional Continental Regiment]], but it was absorbed into the weak North Carolina line within a year.<ref>Wright, ''Continental Army'', 100–1.</ref>

#[[Forman's Additional Continental Regiment]] (New Jersey & Maryland), consolidated 1779 into Spencer's regiment
#[[Gist's Additional Continental Regiment]] (Virginia & Maryland), captured 1780, disbanded 1781
#[[Grayson's Additional Continental Regiment]] (Virginia, Maryland, & Delaware), consolidated 1779 into Gist's regiment
#[[Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment]] (Pennsylvania, Maryland, & Delaware), allotted to the Pennsylvania Line in 1778
#[[Henley's Additional Continental Regiment]], consolidated in 1779 into the 16th Massachusetts
#[[Henry Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment]], consolidated in 1779 into the 16th Massachusetts
#[[Lee's Additional Continental Regiment]], consolidated in 1779 into the 16th Massachusetts
#[[Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment]] (New York & Pennsylvania), broken up in 1779, units sent to the [[11th Pennsylvania Regiment]] and Spencer's regiment
#[[Patton's Additional Continental Regiment]] (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, & Delaware), consolidated 1779 into Hartley's regiment
#[[Sheppard's Additional Continental Regiment]], aka the [[10th North Carolina Regiment]], disbanded 1778
#[[Sherburne's Additional Continental Regiment]] (Rhode Island & Connecticut), disbanded in 1780
#[[Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment]] (New Jersey & Pennsylvania), disbanded in 1781
#[[Thruston's Additional Continental Regiment]] (Virginia), consolidated 1779 into Gist's regiment
#[[Webb's Additional Continental Regiment]], adopted 1780 into the Connecticut Line as the [[9th Connecticut Regiment]]

===Other infantry units===

Certain infantry units existed in the Continental Army in the later years of the war which were neither one of the 88 regiments of infantry of the line authorized by the Continental Congress on 16 September 1776, nor one of the 16 additional regiments which the Congress authorized on 27 December 1776 and which Washington raised early in 1777.

*[[1st Canadian Regiment]]
*[[2nd Canadian Regiment]] aka "Congress' Own" or "Hazen's Regiment"
*[[Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment]] of those not part of attachment to Morgan’s Provisional Rifle Corps; Maryland part of 4th Maryland; Virginia part of 11th Virginia
*[[Commander-in-Chief's Guard]] aka "Washington's Life Guard"

===Continental Light Dragoons===

The Continental Corps of Light Dragoons was created in 1777 as an element of the third establishment of the Continental Army, raised for the duration of the war. Its first commander was [[Casimir Pulaski]], who was appointed a brigadier general in the Continental Army on 15 September 1777. General Pulaski withdrew from this assignment on 28 March 1778 to organize a partisan corps, [[Pulaski's Legion]], and no Chief of Cavalry was appointed to succeed him.

*[[1st Continental Light Dragoons]] aka "Bland's Horse"
*[[2nd Continental Light Dragoons]] aka "Sheldon's Horse"
*[[3rd Continental Light Dragoons]] aka "[[George Baylor|Baylor]]'s Horse"/"Lady Washington's Horse"
*[[4th Continental Light Dragoons]] aka "Moylan's Horse"
*[[Georgia Regiment of Horse Rangers]], captured 1780, disbanded 1781
*[[Corps of North Carolina Light Dragoons]]

===Continental Artillery===

In 1777 the Continenal Artillery was increased from a single regiment to a brigade of four regiments, under [[Henry Knox]], who was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on 27 December 1776, and to the rank of major general on 15 November 1781. He served as Washington's Chief of Artillery to the close of the war.

*[[1st Continental Artillery]], aka Colonel Harrison's Regiment of Artillery
*[[2nd Continental Artillery]], aka Colonel Lamb's Regiment of Artillery
*[[3rd Continental Artillery]], aka [[John Crane (soldier)|Colonel Crane's]] Regiment of Artillery (included [[United Train of Artillery]] of Rhode Island Colony)
*[[4th Continental Artillery]], aka Colonel [[Thomas Proctor]]'s Regiment of Artillery (included Eastern Artillery Company of New Jersey Colony which later became [[3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery]] "NJ Guns")

===Partisan Corps===

Partisan corps were neither light cavalry nor light infantry but usually a combination of the two, mainly intended to engage in guerrilla warfare.

*[[Ottendorf's Corps]] (5 December 1776 to April 1778; Major Nicholas Dietrich , Baron de [[Ottendorf]]; one company became part of "Armand's Legion"; the rest became "independent Dragoons").
*[[Armand's Legion]] aka "1st Partisan Corps" (25 June 1778 to 25 November 1783; Colonel Charles [[Armand]] Tuffin, Marquis de la Rouerie).
*[[Lee's Legion]] aka "2nd Partisan Corps" (7 April 1778 to 15 November 1783; [[Henry Lee]] "Light Horse Harry": Major, 7 April 1778; Lieutenant Colonel, 6 November 1780; served to close of war).
*[[Pulaski's Legion]] (28 March 1778 to 23 February 1780; Brigadier General [[Casimir Pulaski]]; Pulaski's Legion consolidated with [[Armand's Legion]] on 23 February 1780).

===Provost Corps===

The Provost Corps in the Continental Army consisted of one mounted troop. However, the troop performed the duties of military police rather than of cavalry. They were the forerunners of the US [[United States Army Military Police Corps|Military Police Corps]].

*[[Von Heer's Provost Troop]], aka [[Marechaussee Corps]]. (27 May 1778 to 4 November 1783; [[Bartholomew Von Heer]]: Captain, 1 June 1778; Brevet Major, 30 September 1783; served to close of war).

===Invalid Corps===

The Corps of Invalids was a separate branch of the Continental Army. It was composed of Continental Army veterans who had become unfit for field duty but who could still usefully serve as guards for magazines, hospitals, and similar installations. The noncommissioned officers were also supposed to be proficient in mathematics because the corps was intended to serve as a military academy in addition to its other duties. The military academy seems to have been a dead letter, but otherwise the corps carried out its duties.<ref>Berg, ''Encyclopedia'', 54-55.</ref>

*[[Corps of Invalids]] (20 June 1777 to April 1783; some Invalids remained in service until December 1784; Colonel [[Lewis Nicola]], 20 June 1777; served to close of war).

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
::*[[Fred Anderson Berg|Berg, Fred Anderson]] ''Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units: Battalions, Regiments, and Independent Corps''. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 1972.
::*[[John C. Fitzpatrick|Fitzpatrick, John C.]] Editor. ''The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources.'' Available [http://etext.virginia.edu/washington/fitzpatrick/] from the University of Virginia website.
::*[[Francis B. Heitman|Heitman, Francis B.]] ''Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution, April 1775 to December 1783''. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967 (Originally published, 1914).
::*[[Robert K. Wright, Jr.|Wright, Robert K.]] ''The Continental Army''. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, 1983. Available, in part, [http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/revwar/contarmy/ca-fm.htm online].

==External links==
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=4Yg-5sOYFxwC&dq=offical+register+of+the+officers+and+men+of+new+jersey+in+the+revolutionary+war&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=p2VhVF-ARm&sig=WfMmtqbg08r73SUu1fXTIIE0jfY#PPA1,M1 Offical Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War]
* Massachusetts Musters: ''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar01M.htm Aacher]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar02M.htm Besse]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar03M.htm Caal]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar04M.htm Cose]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar05M.htm Duarell]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar06M.htm Fracer]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar07M.htm Haagg]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar08M.htm Hmelen]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar09M.htm Kable]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar10M.htm Luaas]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar11M.htm Mor]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar12M.htm Pea]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar13M.htm Rea]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar14M.htm Sha]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar15M.htm Stibbens]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar16M.htm Tracey]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/MaRevWar17M.htm Whicher]''
* New Jersey Musters: ''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/NJRevWarM.htm Militia]'',''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/NJVolRevWarLoyalM.htm Loyalists]''
* Pennsylvania: ''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/PaRevWarM.htm Musters]''
* Vermont: ''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/VtRevWarM.htm Musters]''
* Virginia: ''[http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/VaMilitiaRevWarM.htm Musters]''


[[Category:Military units and formations of the Continental Army| ]]
[[Category:Lists of military units and formations|Continental Army]]
[[Category:United States military lists|Continental Army]]

[[it:Reparti dell'Esercito Continentale nel 1775]]

Revision as of 20:42, 10 October 2008

American Revolutionary War
Armed Forces
United States
Continental Army
→ Commander-in-Chief
→ Regional departments
→ Units (1775, 1776, 1777–1784)
→ Manual
Continental Navy
Continental Marines
State forces
→ List of militia units
→ List of state navies
→ Maritime units
Great Britain
List of British units
France
List of French units
Related topics
List of battles
Military leadership

This is a list of units of the Continental Army, the national army of the United States during the American Revolutionary War. Created after the war had already begun, the army was always a work in progress, and was reorganized on several occasions during the war.

The Continental Congress created the Continental Army on 14 June 1775, by adopting the militia forces already conducting the siege of Boston as the first units of the army. Because most enlistments expired at the end of that year, a new army was created in 1776 with units from all of the thirteen states. Most enlistments in this army also expired at the end of the year, and so in 1777 soldiers were enlisted to serve three years or the duration of the war. In 1777, 119 regiments were fielded; thereafter the structure of the army remained basically the same, with units consolidated as needed.

Because of manpower shortages, the Continental Army often worked in conjunction with state-controlled militia units, which were called out for short periods as needed.

Continental Army of 1775

The Continental Congress created the Continental Army on 14 June 1775, by adopting the militia forces already conducting the siege of Boston as the first units of the army. Upon arrival outside Boston, General George Washington organized this body of more than 22,000 men, known as the Main Army, into three divisions of two brigades each.[1]

The Congress also extended participation in the Main Army beyond New England by authorizing companies of "expert rifleman" from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Pennsylvania frontiersman were so eager to participate that Pennsylvania's quota of companies was increased and organized as a regiment known as the Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment. The 13 rifle companies from these three colonies hurried to Boston.[2]

Meanwhile, a second force in New York under Major General Philip Schuyler was designated the New York Department, later known as the Northern Department. Schuyler's smaller army was created to defend New York, but he was instructed by the Continental Congress to launch an (ultimately disastrous) preemptive invasion of Canada, which began on 31 August 1775.[3]

Main Army

General George Washington

Right Wing
1st (Ward's) Division (Major General Artemas Ward)
1st (Thomas') Brigade (Brigadier General John Thomas)
3d (Spencer's) Brigade (Brigadier General Joseph Spencer)
Left Wing
2d (Lee's) Division (Major General Charles Lee)
5th (Sullivan's) Brigade (Brigadier General John Sullivan)
6th (Greene's) Brigade (Brigadier General Nathanael Greene)
Reserve
3d (Putnam's) Division (Major General Israel Putnam)
2d (Heath's) Brigade (Brigadier General William Heath)
4th Brigade (vacant) (commanded by Putnam because Seth Pomeroy declined his commission)
Main Army units not assigned to a division

New York Department

Major General Philip Schuyler

Provincial units attached to New York Department

Continental Army of 1776

The enlistments of most soldiers in the Continental Army of 1775 expired on the last day of the year. On 1 January 1776, a new army was established. General Washington had submitted recommendations for reorganization to the Continental Congress almost immediately after accepting the position of Commander-in-Chief, but these took time to consider and implement. Despite attempts to broaden the recruiting base beyond New England, the 1776 army remained skewed toward the Northeast both in terms of its composition and geographical focus.

Main Army

The bulk of the newly organized Main Army consisted of 27 infantry regiments, numbered in order of the seniority of the colonel of each regiment. These regiments were created by reorganizing existing units and by encouraging soldiers to reenlist for another year. Each new regiment comprised eight companies, which at full strength fielded a total of 728 men. Of these, 640 provided the firepower (privates and corporals with muskets); the remaining were officers and staff, including three field officers (a colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major), a captain for each company, a surgeon, a quartermaster, drummers, etc.[4]

Units

Canadian Department

Established 17 January 1776.[5] Discontinued 2 July 1776.

In January 1776, Congress split up the New York Department, designating the force that had invaded Canada as the Canadian Department. Units were consolidated, and a second regiment of Canadians was recruited. After Washington learned of Brigadier General Richard Montgomery's death and defeat at the Battle of Quebec, three New England units intended as militia were instead raised as Continental regiments and sent to Canada.

At Quebec, Major General John Thomas took command of Canadian Department in May 1776. Additional reinforcements from the Main Army led by Brigadier General William Thompson arrived in mid May, but were immediately disabled by an outbreak of smallpox. After General Thomas succumbed on 2 June, Brigadier General John Sullivan, who had arrived with a second group of reinforcements on 31 May, took command of the department. When British Major General John Burgoyne arrived in Quebec with reinforcements, the Americans withdrew to Crown Point by July 1776. Major General Horatio Gates arrived to take command of the Canadian Department, but with no troops in Canada, the department ceased to exist. Gates, under Schuyler's Northern Department, organized 15 Continental units as the "Northern Army" in the Fort Ticonderoga area. The remaining units, some of them in poor shape after service in Canada, were retained by Schuyler as a rear echelon guarding the Mohawk River valley.[6]

Initial units
Continental units authorized after Montgomery's defeat on 31 December 1775
Reinforcements dispatched from New York City on 15 April 1776 under Brigadier General William Thompson
Reinforcements dispatched from New York City on 27 April 1776 under Brigadier General John Sullivan
Additional units raised later in the year

Northern Department

Eastern Department

Established 4 April 1776.[7] Discontinued November 1779.

Southern Department

Established 27 February 1776. Continued to close of war.

Continental Army, 1777–1783

The Continental Army of 1777 was a result of several critical reforms and political decisions that came about when it was apparent that the British were sending massive forces to put an end to the Revolution. In order to create a more stable, better trained army that would not cease to exist at the end of each year—the army had nearly collapsed at the end of 1776—men were now enlisted for the duration of the war. Because many men were reluctant to enlist for such an indefinite period, three-year enlistments were allowed.[8]

On 16 September 1776, the Continental Congress passed the "eighty-eight battalion resolve," which called for each state to contribute regiments in proportion to their population. (The terms regiment and battalion were interchangeable at that time.) The quotas ranged from 15 regiments each for Massachusetts and Virginia, down to one each for Delaware and Georgia. Each state was expected to arm, clothe, and equip their regiments. A state's quota of regiments was collectively known as that state's "line", such as the Pennsylvania Line. A state "line" was an administrative designation and not a tactical formation like a brigade or division.[9]

Washington and his generals believed that 88 regiments were insufficient to challenge the British Army, and so on 27 December 1776, Congress gave Washington the authority to raise additional regiments which were placed directly under his control and not under any state. These additional units consisted of 16 infantry regiments, three artillery regiments, a corps of engineers, and 3,000 light horsemen. Including three other regiments previously authorized by Congress (the two Canadian regiments and Seth Warner's regiment of Green Mountain Boys), 110 regiments were authorized for the Continental Army of 1777. Some states exceeded their quotas, and so 119 regiments were actually fielded in 1777.[10]

The decisions implemented in 1777 determined the basic organizational structure of the Continental Army for the duration of the war,[11] although state quotas were adjusted and units were consolidated or disbanded as needed. On 9 March 1779, Congress reduced the quota of regiments in the state lines to 80, and consolidated the additional regiments not assigned to state lines.[12] In 1781, when the three-year enlistments of 1777 expired, the total number of regiments was consolidated to 61.[13]

State lines

The Connecticut Line was assigned a quota of 8 regiments in 1777, reduced to 6 in 1781.

The Delaware Line was assigned a quota of one regiment.

The Georgia Line was assigned a quota of one regiment.

The Maryland Line was assigned a quota of 8 regiments in 1777, reduced to 5 in 1781.

The Massachusetts Line was assigned a quota of 15 regiments in 1777, reduced to 11 in 1781.

The New Hampshire Line was assigned a quota of 3 regiments in 1777, reduced to 2 in 1781.

The New Jersey Line was assigned a quota of 4 regiments in 1777, reduced to 3 in 1779, and reduced to 2 in 1781.

The New York Line was assigned a quota of 4 regiments in 1777, increased to 5 in 1779, and reduced to 3 in 1781.

The North Carolina Line was assigned a quota of 9 regiments in 1777, reduced to 6 in 1779, and reduced to 4 in 1781.

The Pennsylvania Line was assigned a quota of 12 regiments in 1777, reduced to 11 in 1779, and reduced to 9 in 1781.

The Rhode Island Line was assigned a quota of 2 regiments in 1777, reduced to 1 in 1781.

The South Carolina Line was assigned a quota of 6 regiments in 1777, reduced to 2 in 1781.

The Virginia Line was assigned a quota of 15 regiments in 1777, reduced to 11 in 1779.

"Additional" regiments

Units designated "Additional Continental Regiments" were unnumbered infantry regiments authorized in 1777 in addition to the 88 regiments previously authorized by Congress. These units were raised "at large" and not part of any state's quota, although some were later adopted into state lines. Sixteen regiments were authorized, but because of manpower shortages Washington attempted to raise only 15. Two of these 15 were never organized because their colonels declined the position in favor of other commands, leaving 13 "additional" regiments. Congress subsequently authorized one more "additional" regiment, Sheppard's Additional Continental Regiment, but it was absorbed into the weak North Carolina line within a year.[14]

  1. Forman's Additional Continental Regiment (New Jersey & Maryland), consolidated 1779 into Spencer's regiment
  2. Gist's Additional Continental Regiment (Virginia & Maryland), captured 1780, disbanded 1781
  3. Grayson's Additional Continental Regiment (Virginia, Maryland, & Delaware), consolidated 1779 into Gist's regiment
  4. Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment (Pennsylvania, Maryland, & Delaware), allotted to the Pennsylvania Line in 1778
  5. Henley's Additional Continental Regiment, consolidated in 1779 into the 16th Massachusetts
  6. Henry Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment, consolidated in 1779 into the 16th Massachusetts
  7. Lee's Additional Continental Regiment, consolidated in 1779 into the 16th Massachusetts
  8. Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment (New York & Pennsylvania), broken up in 1779, units sent to the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment and Spencer's regiment
  9. Patton's Additional Continental Regiment (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, & Delaware), consolidated 1779 into Hartley's regiment
  10. Sheppard's Additional Continental Regiment, aka the 10th North Carolina Regiment, disbanded 1778
  11. Sherburne's Additional Continental Regiment (Rhode Island & Connecticut), disbanded in 1780
  12. Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment (New Jersey & Pennsylvania), disbanded in 1781
  13. Thruston's Additional Continental Regiment (Virginia), consolidated 1779 into Gist's regiment
  14. Webb's Additional Continental Regiment, adopted 1780 into the Connecticut Line as the 9th Connecticut Regiment

Other infantry units

Certain infantry units existed in the Continental Army in the later years of the war which were neither one of the 88 regiments of infantry of the line authorized by the Continental Congress on 16 September 1776, nor one of the 16 additional regiments which the Congress authorized on 27 December 1776 and which Washington raised early in 1777.

Continental Light Dragoons

The Continental Corps of Light Dragoons was created in 1777 as an element of the third establishment of the Continental Army, raised for the duration of the war. Its first commander was Casimir Pulaski, who was appointed a brigadier general in the Continental Army on 15 September 1777. General Pulaski withdrew from this assignment on 28 March 1778 to organize a partisan corps, Pulaski's Legion, and no Chief of Cavalry was appointed to succeed him.

Continental Artillery

In 1777 the Continenal Artillery was increased from a single regiment to a brigade of four regiments, under Henry Knox, who was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on 27 December 1776, and to the rank of major general on 15 November 1781. He served as Washington's Chief of Artillery to the close of the war.

Partisan Corps

Partisan corps were neither light cavalry nor light infantry but usually a combination of the two, mainly intended to engage in guerrilla warfare.

  • Ottendorf's Corps (5 December 1776 to April 1778; Major Nicholas Dietrich , Baron de Ottendorf; one company became part of "Armand's Legion"; the rest became "independent Dragoons").
  • Armand's Legion aka "1st Partisan Corps" (25 June 1778 to 25 November 1783; Colonel Charles Armand Tuffin, Marquis de la Rouerie).
  • Lee's Legion aka "2nd Partisan Corps" (7 April 1778 to 15 November 1783; Henry Lee "Light Horse Harry": Major, 7 April 1778; Lieutenant Colonel, 6 November 1780; served to close of war).
  • Pulaski's Legion (28 March 1778 to 23 February 1780; Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski; Pulaski's Legion consolidated with Armand's Legion on 23 February 1780).

Provost Corps

The Provost Corps in the Continental Army consisted of one mounted troop. However, the troop performed the duties of military police rather than of cavalry. They were the forerunners of the US Military Police Corps.

Invalid Corps

The Corps of Invalids was a separate branch of the Continental Army. It was composed of Continental Army veterans who had become unfit for field duty but who could still usefully serve as guards for magazines, hospitals, and similar installations. The noncommissioned officers were also supposed to be proficient in mathematics because the corps was intended to serve as a military academy in addition to its other duties. The military academy seems to have been a dead letter, but otherwise the corps carried out its duties.[15]

  • Corps of Invalids (20 June 1777 to April 1783; some Invalids remained in service until December 1784; Colonel Lewis Nicola, 20 June 1777; served to close of war).

Notes

  1. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 29, 40.
  2. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 24–5.
  3. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 41–3.
  4. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 47, 50.
  5. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 60.
  6. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 63.
  7. ^ Fitzpatrick, Writings, IV:467
  8. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 93.
  9. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 98, 99n.
  10. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 98–9, 119.
  11. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 91.
  12. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 146–48.
  13. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 157.
  14. ^ Wright, Continental Army, 100–1.
  15. ^ Berg, Encyclopedia, 54-55.

References

  • Berg, Fred Anderson Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units: Battalions, Regiments, and Independent Corps. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 1972.
  • Fitzpatrick, John C. Editor. The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources. Available [1] from the University of Virginia website.
  • Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution, April 1775 to December 1783. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967 (Originally published, 1914).
  • Wright, Robert K. The Continental Army. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, 1983. Available, in part, online.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:12.103.23.19&oldid=244442189"