In the meantime, the regiment was commanded by the senior officer present for duty, Maj. William Williams. Pay for military service was often long delayed. The west bank was a high bluff with the roadway passing down through a ravine to the bridge. Here the regiment shared the sufferings of the Continental Line, trained in Von Steuben's new manual of arms and brought itself up to strength. The regiment was furloughed January 17, 1781 at Trenton, New Jersey and disbanded on January 1, 1783. It was here that they received a new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Harmar, on the 1st of January 1778. Leaving his dead in an abandoned rock quarry and loading his wounded on wagons, Watson and his crack regiment began their withdrawal at the double-time on 28 March toward Georgetown. New Hampshire, It sustained casualties at Paoli on Sept. 21, including one officer killed, and at the Battle of Germantown it was the left flank of the American troops attacking the British center that was mistakenly fired on by other American troops. It performed excellently
in a light infantry role at the battle of Harlem Heights on 16
September 1776, but Knowlton suffered a mortal wound. The Regiment then marched to Tappan to bolster the Garrison at Ticonderoga after Arnold's defection. From beginning to end during the Revolutionary War, the brunt of the fighting was borne by line troops, companies composed of men enlisted for not less than six months and frequently for the duration of the war. There is a problem with your email/password. Benjamin Church and Maj. Robert Rogers both formed Ranger units to fight during the King Phillips War and the French and Indian War. The battalion colonels, lieutenant colonels, and majors were called to active duty in a specific order. Commanded by Dan Morgan, this Ranger force was singled out by British General John Burgoyne, the commander of British forces intent on isolating the New England colonies, as the most famous corps of the Continental Army, all of them crack shots.. The regiment would see action during the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Springfield. Seven miles later at Ox Swamp, he encountered destroyed bridges and an abatis across the causeway. Filename: Description: Date: Submitter: Revolutionary War: 1bat1782.txt : Rev War: 1782 - First Battalion, Washington County: May 1998: m. Burns: Frontier Rangers/Militia Congress called for a Flying Camp to serve under General George Washington. Light infantry companies
added to the regimental organization of each Continental Army
infantry regiment in 1778 also had European roots. The regiment
never recruited the Indian component, and changes in British operations
led to the transformation of the white elements into normal infantry. Soon, though, just as Marion had expected, the guardsmen wheeled around and made their way back to the Kingstree intersection. Only in a few instances did her armed vessels pass beyond the Capes of the Delaware into the Atlantic. Concurrent with the establishment of county militias was the creation of five companies of Rangers. All white men, aged 15 to 53, were conscripted into military service - although there was no real punishment for those who refused. Reorganized on July 1, 1778 to consist of 9 companies. The regiment was assigned to the 3d Pennsylvania Brigade of the Main Continental Army on 27 May 1777. Relieved on May 22, 1777 from Stirling's Brigade and assigned to the 1st Pennsylvania Brigade, an element of the. Militia fines became an important source of revenue. In October it participated in Anthony Wayne's defeat of the British at Valcour Island, but otherwise had an uneventful tour of garrison duty. Reorganized and redesignated on January 1, 1777 as the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment, to consist of 8 companies. Pennsylvania State Navy. Powder Horns. Other than the regiments
and separate companies of riflemen from Pennsylvania and the states
to the south, who really functioned as light infantry rather than
rangers, the Continental Army only formed two functional ranger
units. For the 2nd Class, the colonel of the 2nd Battalion, lieutenant colonel of the First Battalion, and major of the 4th Battalion entered service in command of the 2nd Class active-duty battalion. Unfortunately for Watson, the lack of trees and concealment did not diminish the fires, nor their accuracy. It gained permanent status as a two-company force
on 15 October of that year and provided reconnaissance capability
to the Northern Department until 1 January 1781 when it disbanded
at Coos, New Hampshire, as part of a general reorganization of
the Continental Army. October 4, 1777 - Possibly because of their service at Brandywine, Conway's Brigade was chosen to lead the main column of Washington's army in the attack on the British at Germantown. Lee particularly shined when his regulars
stiffened the irregular local forces of leaders like Francis ("Swamp
Fox") Marion. This data collection contains an estimated 80,000 application files from officers and enlisted men who served in the Revolutionary War in all branches of the American military: army, navy, and marines. It remained at Ticonderoga voluntarily until November 13 (three weeks beyond its term of service) to await the arrival of replacement troops. In enrollment, it probably never numbered as many as one thousand men. Comment: Adapted here with some reformating, and standardization, Links to person articles to be added as they come available. The 4th Pennsylvania Regiment was raised December 9, 1775 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for service with the Continental Army. Some of the muster rolls provide the date when duty began, and in the case of officers, the date of their commission, and perhaps some additional comments indicating such types of information as whether they were detached on special duty or the dates of any desertions. Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community. The Regiment was authorized on December 9, 1775 in the Continental Army as the 2d Pennsylvania Battalion. Organized in spring 1777 at Philadelphia to consist of 8 companies from Westmoreland, Lancaster, Chester, Philadelphia and Cumberland Counties. Continental Regiments, 1st Pennsylvania Regiment 2d Pennsylvania Regiment 3d 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 Nelson's Independent Rifle Company William's Independent Company Morehead's Independent Company Weaver's Independent Company Pugh's Independent Company Doyle's Independent Rifle Company Pennsylvania State Musketry Battalion Carlisle Independent Companies State Militia Units. The men in each battalion elected their own field officers who carried the rank of colonel, lieutenant colonel and major and these officers were then commissioned by the state and expected to serve for three years. The Regiment was authorized on January 30, 1776 in the continental Army as Capt. The Continental Army's
other light troops sprang from a relatively new European concept
not the native American ranger tradition. Subsequently, management of these troops was assumed by the Continental Congress. Associators remained independent of the Continental (Pennsylvania) Line which was comprised of regular, enlisted infantrymen. Occasionally, militia reinforcements from Cumberland, Lancaster, and York counties would be brought in to reinforce these frontiers as occurred in the summer of 1778. The financial difficulties of the new government, difficulties that lasted into the 1790's, complicated the payment of troops. The battle took place in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania on July 3, 1778 in what is now Luzerne County. The four regiments of light dragoons
raised in 1777 as a reconnaissance force derived from European
developments in light cavalry during the eighteenth century. Most of the Associators now disbanded. Watsons Buffs were considered to be one of the finest regiments in the British army. The item Washington County, Pa., Frontier Rangers, 1781-1782 : Washington County, Pa., Rangers, Revolutionary War burials of Greene County, Pa., Revolutionary War burials of Washington County, Pa., compiled by Paul W. Myers represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Indiana State Library. The Pennsylvania Lineoriginated in 1775 was organized into thirteen regiments and several independent companies. Relieved on May 19, 1778 from the 2nd Pennsylvania Brigade and assigned to the. It was the last regiment to leave Long Island. "Light
Horse Harry" Lee of Virginia (the father of Robert E. Lee)
raised the only American-born unit under this concept. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. He is said to have been wounded and taken prisoner at Stillwater, N.Y., during a British-Indian attack on Morgan's camp in September 1777. This arrangement represents more of a means of organizing manpower from specific geographical localities rather than reflecting the activity of acting military units that were drawn from this manpower pool. If you have Pennsylvania ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War, you may be confused by the varying names for forms of service. Recognizing that personal circumstances might in some cases make it inconvenient or even impossible for a particular individual to serve, the fine system was in part devised to provide money in lieu of service in order to hire substitutes. Benjamin Church (1639-1718)
of Massachusetts developed a special full-time unit mixing white
colonists selected for frontier skills with friendly Indians to
carry out offensive strikes against hostile Indians in terrain
where normal militia units were ineffective. They marched from Hannastown, Pennsylvania, to New Jersey in the winter of 1776-77, and the following campaign season took part in a number of battles, including Paoli, Brandywine, White Marsh, Boundbrook, and Germantown as part of Brig. A system error has occurred. On June 30, 1775, the Provincial Assembly gave official recognition to the Associators and grouped their companies into battalions. The regiment would see action during the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Springfield. These volunteer companies made up the who served in the war of the American Revolution, 1775-1783 Trussell, Jr. (Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1977). In December, the 2nd Pennsylvania returned to Morristown for another winter. Unfortunately, when redemption came many of the original holders had long since sold their certificates at heavy discounts. Pennsylvania, Organized between January 31- August 19, 1777 at Lancaster as Capt. Huddy was captured but escaped on the way back . Reorganized and re-designated on January 1, 1777 as the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment, to consist of 8 companies. American Revolutionary War In 1747, Ben Franklin (only 39 years of age at the time) created the Philadelphia Militia Association, a completely volunteer force totalling 10,000 enrollees. Organized spring 1777 at York, Pennsylvania, with personnel from York County. Col. DeHaas was promoted to a brigadier general in February and was replaced by Col. James Irvine, who resigned in June. Within minutes, the planks had been removed from the center of the bridge and the stringers burned on the east end. In 1782, John Alton served as a Private in the Pennsylvania Rangers on the Frontier in Captain John Dean's Company in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, with his brother Benjamin during Colonel Crawford's disastrous expedition against the Indians at Sandusky. Thousands of militiamen returned from tours of active duty unpaid, bearing only a slip signed by a commanding officer. To make amends for such depreciation, each of these men who in 1781 yet remained in line service was awarded a substantial sum in It spent the rest of the year in garrison at West Point and probably wintered at Morristown. October 28, 1776 The Battle of White Plains. Under Stewart it operated along the New York-New Jersey border and moved to Middlebrook, New Jersey, in early December for the winter of 1778-79. When the army was reorganized on January 1, 1776, the Battalion was renamed the 1st Continental Regiment of Foot. For an account of the arrangement and operations of the Pennsylvania Line soldiers see In this contest "Lord Sterling's Division & particularly Conway's Brigade" were seen to have "remarkably distinguished themselves." Morgans losses were placed at twelve killed and sixty-one wounded. Soldiers remaining in the regiment were reassigned to other units and eventually sent south to take part in the Yorktown Campaign. The 7th Pennsylvania was part of the force that attacked the blockhouse under Wayne at Bergen Heights on july 21, 1780. During the 1777 campaign, the regiment split, with the smaller rifle corps joining Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates at Saratoga. Undaunted, the Swamp Fox ordered an immediate advance and moved to position himself at Wiboo Swamp. Thus, the Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion, being the first unit formed by the state, became the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, The 1st Pennsylvania Battalion became the nucleus of the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment and so on. . There they remained until the 6th Pennsylvania was mustered out on March 15, 1777. Harmar would remain in this position until 1780. As Thompson's Rifle Battalion, the regiment participated in the siege of Boston. The regiment lost two men wounded in this action. Two
months later the remnants of the corps fell into British hands
when Fort Washington surrendered. Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872 from NARA microfilm publication T718. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. These certificates (bonds in the modern sense) were ultimately redeemed at face value. Depreciation Pay Certificates, which were both interest bearing and negotiable, like bonds of the present day. Substitute Fine was paid. The infantry moved at a trot the entire way, stopping only to fire a volley to their rear. The Pennsylvania State Regiment of Foot was organized at the end of April, 1777, from the men and officers of Miles's rifle battalion and Atlee's musketry battalion. On 1 July 1778 the regiment was re-organized to eight companies. For example, what had been Colonel White's 1st York County Battalion continued to be made up of the same men, but could now be designated as perhaps Colonel Black's 7th York County Battalion. The regiment was disbanded on January 1, 1783. Leaving twenty dead from the engagement, he, the wagons, and the remainder of his regiment forced the ford. The regiment was raised in Cumberland and York counties (companies G and H). Following additional successes by the Swamp Fox, General Nathanael Greene would write the following to Francis Marion: When I consider how much you have done and suffered, and under what disadvantage you have maintained your ground, I am at a loss which to admire most, your courage and fortitude, or your address and management. As Marions men turned back from the fires, Watson loaded two wagons with wounded. Only Elisha Sheldon's
2d Legionary Corps (a Connecticut unit serving in 1781 in the
West Point-Westchester County zone) fully exploited the possibilities
of the combined arms structure. Disbanded on July 1, 1778 at White Plains, New York. March 5, 1776 The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passes a resolution to establish: The Pennsylvania State Rifle Regiment, know as Miles's Regiment, was to consist of two battalions of six companies of seventy-eight enlisted men, armed with rifles: The State Battalion of Musketry, known as Atless's Battalion, was to consist of eight companies of fifty-eight enlisted men, armed with muskets. Special battalions of line troops were recruited for theFlying Campfrom among the Pennsylvania Associators who took part in the New Jersey campaign in 1776. With less than 200 troops remaining, the consolidated troops are assigned to Brig. There is no particular record that the unit was involved in any fighting that summer, but in October, 1779, it had 452 officers and men with Wayne at West Point. Company returns, battalion returns, and brigade returns were nearly always filled out on standard printed forms when these were available. The 5th Pennsylvania Regiment was raised December 9, 1775 at Chester, Pennsylvania for service with the Continental Army. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. During the summer, the 11th Pennsylvania was assigned to the 2d Brigade of Anthony Wayne's division. Marion knew that an engagement with them would not be easy and he could expect no support from the American army. Largely due to its Quaker roots, Pennsylvania did not initially (like neighboring colonies) form a standing militia. 1783-1788], Return of Pennsylvania Line Entitled To Donation Lands, Northumberland Co Revolutionary War Militia, Philadelphia City Revolutionary War Militia, Philadelphia Co Revolutionary War Militia, Westmoreland Co Revolutionary War Militia, PHMC Collections Management Policy Standards, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access Policy, Military Accounts, Associators, 1775-1777 (RG 4) (microfilm rolls #152), Military Accounts, Line, 1775-1809 (RG 4) (microfilm rolls #142-150), Military Accounts, Militia, 1777-1794 (RG 4) (microfilm rolls #153-189), Military Accounts, Navy, 1775-1794 (RG 4) (microfilm rolls #205-207, 150), Revolutionary War Pension File, 1809-1893 (RG 2) (microfilm rolls #20-22), Revolutionary War Pension List Book, 1834-1837 (RG 28) (microfilm roll #240), Records of Pennsylvania's Revolutionary Governments (RG 27) (microfilm rolls #689-741), Miscellaneous Manuscripts of the Revolutionary War Era, 1771-1791 (MG 275) (microfilm roll #2984), Lyman Copeland Draper Papers, 1542-1916 (MG 262) (microfilm rolls #1202-1239), Sol Feinstone Collection of the American Revolution, 1739-1859 (MG-262) (microfilm rolls #1290-1292), Lieutenant General von Knyphausen, Report of the Battle of Brandywine to Court of Hesse-Kassel, September 11, 1777 (MG 262) (microfilm rolls #3003), Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1789 (National Archives) (microfilm rolls #1733-1738), Donation and Depreciation Lands (RG 17) (microfilm roll #3429).