1.
Continental Army
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The Continental Army was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Congress on June 14,1775, the Continental Army was supplemented by local militias and troops that remained under control of the individual states or were otherwise independent. General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the army throughout the war, most of the Continental Army was disbanded in 1783 after the Treaty of Paris ended the war. The 1st and 2nd Regiments went on to form the nucleus of the Legion of the United States in 1792 under General Anthony Wayne and this became the foundation of the United States Army in 1796. The Continental Army consisted of soldiers from all 13 colonies, and after 1776, when the American Revolutionary War began at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19,1775, the colonial revolutionaries did not have an army. As tensions with Great Britain increased in the leading to the war. Training of militiamen increased after the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774, colonists such as Richard Henry Lee proposed forming a national militia force, but the First Continental Congress rejected the idea. On April 23,1775, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress authorized the raising of an army consisting of 26 company regiments. New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut soon raised similar, on July 18,1775, the Congress requested all colonies form militia companies from all able bodied effective men, between sixteen and fifty years of age. It was not uncommon for men younger than sixteen to enlist as most colonies had no requirement of consent for those under twenty-one. Four major-generals and eight brigadier-generals were appointed by the Second Continental Congress in the course of a few days, after Pomeroy did not accept, John Thomas was appointed in his place. As the Continental Congress increasingly adopted the responsibilities and posture of a legislature for a sovereign state, as a result, the army went through several distinct phases, characterized by official dissolution and reorganization of units. Soldiers in the Continental Army were citizens who had volunteered to serve in the army, early in the war the enlistment periods were short, as the Continental Congress feared the possibility of the Continental Army evolving into a permanent army. The army never numbered more than 17,000 men, turnover proved a constant problem, particularly in the winter of 1776–77, and longer enlistments were approved. Major General Philip Schuylers ten regiments in New York were sent to invade Canada, the Continental Army of 1776, reorganized after the initial enlistment period of the soldiers in the 1775 army had expired. 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 of its geographical focus. This army consisted of 36 regiments, most standardized to a battalion of 768 men strong and formed into eight companies. Enlistment terms extended to three years or to the length of the war to avoid the crises that depleted forces
2.
Charles M. Lefferts
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Charles MacKubin Lefferts was an American illustrator and soldier. He served on and off in the New York National Guard from 1893 onwards and he retired from the army in 1921, having attained the rank of Lieutenant. In his early years he lived in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he met his future wife Anne Harrison, Lefferts spent most of his time outside of the military studying uniforms of the American Revolution. He was made a member of the New York Historical Society in 1909, three years after his death, the society published many of his images and their descriptions in a book titled Uniforms of the Armies in the War of the American Revolution, 1775-1783
3.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
4.
Rhode Island
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Rhode Island, officially the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Rhode Island is the smallest in area, the eighth least populous, and its official name is also the longest of any state in the Union. Rhode Island is bordered by Connecticut to the west, Massachusetts to the north and east, the state also shares a short maritime border with New York. It boycotted the 1787 convention that drew up the United States Constitution, on May 29,1790, Rhode Island became the 13th and last state to ratify the Constitution. Rhode Islands official nickname is The Ocean State, a reference to the fact that the state has several large bays, Rhode Island covers 1,214 square miles, of which 1,045 square miles are land. Despite its name, most of Rhode Island is located on the mainland of the United States, the official name of the state is State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, which is derived from the merger of four settlements. Rhode Island is now commonly called Aquidneck Island, the largest of several islands in Narragansett Bay, Providence Plantation was the name of the colony founded by Roger Williams in the area now known as the city of Providence. This was adjoined by the settlement of Warwick, hence the plural Providence Plantations and it is unclear how Aquidneck Island came to be known as Rhode Island, although there are two popular theories. Explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano noted the presence of an island near the mouth of Narragansett Bay in 1524, subsequent European explorers were unable to precisely identify the island that Verrazzano had named, but the Pilgrims who later colonized the area assumed that it was Aquidneck. A second theory concerns the fact that Adriaen Block passed by Aquidneck during his expeditions in the 1610s, historians have theorized that this reddish appearance resulted from either red autumn foliage or red clay on portions of the shore. The earliest documented use of the name Rhode Island for Aquidneck was in 1637 by Roger Williams, the name was officially applied to the island in 1644 with these words, Aquethneck shall be henceforth called the Isle of Rodes or Rhode-Island. The name Isle of Rodes is used in a document as late as 1646. Dutch maps as early as 1659 call the island Red Island, Williams was a theologian forced out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Seeking religious and political tolerance, he and others founded Providence Plantation as a proprietary colony. Providence referred to the concept of providence, and plantation was an English term for a colony. State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is the longest official name of any state in the Union, advocates for excising plantation asserted that the word specifically referred to the British colonial practice of establishing settlements which disenfranchised native people. Advocates for retaining the name argued that plantation was simply an archaic English synonym for colony, the referendum election was held on November 2,2010, and the people voted overwhelmingly to retain the entire original name. It shares a maritime border with New York State between Block Island and Long Island
5.
Infantry
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Infantry is the general branch of an army that engages in military combat on foot. As the troops who engage with the enemy in close-ranged combat, infantry units bear the largest brunt of warfare, Infantry can enter and maneuver in terrain that is inaccessible to military vehicles and employ crew-served infantry weapons that provide greater and more sustained firepower. In English, the 16th-century term Infantry describes soldiers who walk to the battlefield, and there engage, fight, the term arose in Sixteenth-Century Spain, which boasted one of the first professional standing armies seen in Europe since the days of Rome. It was common to appoint royal princes to military commands, and the men under them became known as Infanteria. in the Canadian Army, the role of the infantry is to close with, and destroy the enemy. In the U. S. Army, the closes with the enemy, by means of fire and maneuver, in order to destroy or capture him, or to repel his assault by fire, close combat. In the U. S. Marine Corps, the role of the infantry is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy fire and maneuver. Beginning with the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, artillery has become a dominant force on the battlefield. Since World War I, combat aircraft and armoured vehicles have become dominant. In 20th and 21st century warfare, infantry functions most effectively as part of a combined arms team including artillery, armour, Infantry relies on organized formations to be employed in battle. These have evolved over time, but remain a key element to effective infantry development and deployment, until the end of the 19th century, infantry units were for the most part employed in close formations up until contact with the enemy. This allowed commanders to control of the unit, especially while maneuvering. The development of guns and other weapons with increased firepower forced infantry units to disperse in order to make them less vulnerable to such weapons. This decentralization of command was made possible by improved communications equipment, among the various subtypes of infantry is Medium infantry. This refers to infantry which are heavily armed and armored than heavy infantry. In the early period, medium infantry were largely eliminated due to discontinued use of body armour up until the 20th century. In the United States Army, Stryker Infantry is considered Medium Infantry, since they are heavier than light infantry, Infantry doctrine is the concise expression of how infantry forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements. It is a guide to action, not a set of hard, doctrine provides a very common frame of reference across the military forces, allowing the infantry to function cooperatively in what are now called combined arms operations. Doctrine helps standardise operations, facilitating readiness by establishing common ways of accomplishing infantry tasks, doctrine links theory, history, experimentation, and practice
6.
Rhode Island Line
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The Rhode Island Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term Rhode Island Line referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Rhode Island at various times by the Continental Congress and these, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota, however. On December 27,1776, the Continental Congress gave Washington temporary control over certain decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These “dictatorial powers” included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large, early in 1777, Washington offered command of one of these additional regiments to Ezekiel Cornell of Rhode Island. Cornell declined in order to command a brigade of Rhode Island state troops, Washington also offered command of an additional regiment to Henry Sherburne of Rhode Island, who accepted. In 1776, Sherburne has served with distinction at the Battle of The Cedars, half of Sherburne’s Regiment was drawn from Rhode Island and half from Connecticut. Still other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service. In response, the Rhode Island Assembly voted, on May 6,1775, the Rhode Island troops were formed into a brigade of three infantry regiments. Nathanael Greene was the brigade commander, two of the regiments had eight companies each, and one of the regiments had seven companies. (The Rhode Island Train of Artillery, which was a part of this force, Rhode Island infantry regiments initially had an official establishment of 487 officers and men in eight companies. The troops were enlisted to serve until December 31,1775, the legislation of the Rhode Island Assembly which created this force described it as an Army of Observation. This term was used for the forces raised by the four New England colonies to observe the British garrison in Boston. Massachusetts requested reinforcements from the other New England colonies following the Battle of Bunker Hill, Rhode Island responded, on June 28,1775, by raising six new companies and assigning two companies to each Rhode Island regiment. The board was to consist of a general as moderator. It completed its task on August 20,1775, and reported its decision to Washington, the regiments of infantry in the Continental Army were accordingly numbered without reference to their colony of origin. There were thirty-nine Regiments of Foot in the Army of the United Colonies, in General Orders, Washington often referred to his regiments by these numbers, and they appear in the strength reports compiled by Adjutant General Horatio Gates
7.
American Revolutionary War
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From about 1765 the American Revolution had led to increasing philosophical and political differences between Great Britain and its American colonies. The war represented a culmination of these differences in armed conflict between Patriots and the authority which they increasingly resisted. This resistance became particularly widespread in the New England Colonies, especially in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. On December 16,1773, Massachusetts members of the Patriot group Sons of Liberty destroyed a shipment of tea in Boston Harbor in an event that became known as the Boston Tea Party. Named the Coercive Acts by Parliament, these became known as the Intolerable Acts in America. The Massachusetts colonists responded with the Suffolk Resolves, establishing a government that removed control of the province from the Crown outside of Boston. Twelve colonies formed a Continental Congress to coordinate their resistance, and established committees, British attempts to seize the munitions of Massachusetts colonists in April 1775 led to the first open combat between Crown forces and Massachusetts militia, the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Militia forces proceeded to besiege the British forces in Boston, forcing them to evacuate the city in March 1776, the Continental Congress appointed George Washington to take command of the militia. Concurrent to the Boston campaign, an American attempt to invade Quebec, on July 2,1776, the Continental Congress formally voted for independence, issuing its Declaration on July 4. Sir William Howe began a British counterattack, focussing on recapturing New York City, Howe outmaneuvered and defeated Washington, leaving American confidence at a low ebb. Washington captured a Hessian force at Trenton and drove the British out of New Jersey, in 1777 the British sent a new army under John Burgoyne to move south from Canada and to isolate the New England colonies. However, instead of assisting Burgoyne, Howe took his army on a campaign against the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia. Burgoyne outran his supplies, was surrounded and surrendered at Saratoga in October 1777, the British defeat in the Saratoga Campaign had drastic consequences. Giving up on the North, the British decided to salvage their former colonies in the South, British forces under Lieutenant-General Charles Cornwallis seized Georgia and South Carolina, capturing an American army at Charleston, South Carolina. British strategy depended upon an uprising of large numbers of armed Loyalists, in 1779 Spain joined the war as an ally of France under the Pacte de Famille, intending to capture Gibraltar and British colonies in the Caribbean. Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic in December 1780, in 1781, after the British and their allies had suffered two decisive defeats at Kings Mountain and Cowpens, Cornwallis retreated to Virginia, intending on evacuation. A decisive French naval victory in September deprived the British of an escape route, a joint Franco-American army led by Count Rochambeau and Washington, laid siege to the British forces at Yorktown. With no sign of relief and the situation untenable, Cornwallis surrendered in October 1781, Whigs in Britain had long opposed the pro-war Tory majority in Parliament, but the defeat at Yorktown gave the Whigs the upper hand
8.
Siege of Boston
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The Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army garrisoned in what was then the city of Boston. Both sides had to deal with supply and personnel issues over the course of the siege. British resupply and reinforcement activities were limited to sea access, after eleven months of the siege, the British abandoned Boston by sailing to Nova Scotia. The siege began on April 19 after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Continental Congress formed the Continental Army from the militia, with George Washington as its Commander in Chief. Military actions during the remainder of the siege were limited to raids, minor skirmishes. In November 1775, Washington sent the 25-year-old bookseller-turned-soldier Henry Knox to bring to Boston the heavy artillery that had captured at Fort Ticonderoga. In a technically complex and demanding operation, Knox brought many cannons to the Boston area by January 1776, in March 1776, these artillery fortified Dorchester Heights, thereby threatening the British supply lifeline. The British commander William Howe saw the British position as indefensible and withdrew the British forces in Boston to the British stronghold at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 17. Prior to 1775, the British had imposed taxes and import duties on the American colonies, parliament authorized Gage, among other actions, to disband the local provincial government. It was reformed into the Provincial Congress, and continued to meet, the Provincial Congress called for the organization of local militias and coordinated the accumulation of weapons and other military supplies. Under the terms of the Boston Port Act, Gage closed the Boston port, when British forces were sent to seize military supplies from the town of Concord on April 19,1775, militia companies from surrounding towns opposed them in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. At Concord, some of the British forces were routed in a confrontation at the North Bridge, the British troops, on their march back to Boston, were then engaged in a running battle, suffering heavy casualties. All of the New England colonies raised militias in response to this alarm and they particularly blocked the Charlestown Neck, and the Boston Neck, leaving only the harbor and sea access under British control. In the days following the creation of the siege line, the size of the colonial forces grew, as militias from New Hampshire, Rhode Island. General Gage turned his attention to fortifying easily defensible positions, in the south, at Roxbury, Gage ordered lines of defenses with 10 twenty-four pound guns. In Boston proper, four hills were quickly fortified and they were to be the main defense of the city. Over time, each of these hills were strengthened, Gage also decided to abandon Charlestown, removing the beleaguered forces to Boston
9.
New York and New Jersey campaign
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The British held New York harbor for the rest of the war, using it as a base for expeditions against other targets. Washington had New England soldiers as well as regiments from states as far south as Virginia, landing on Long Island in August, Howe defeated Washington in the largest battle of the war, but the Continental Army was able to retreat to Manhattan under cover of darkness and fog. Washington suffered a series of defeats in Manhattan, with the exception of the skirmish at Harlem Heights, at that point Howe returned to Manhattan to capture forces Washington had left in the north of the island. Howe ordered his troops into winter quarters in December, establishing a chain of outposts from New York to Burlington, during the remaining winter months, both sides skirmished frequently as the British sought forage and provisions. Britain maintained control of New York City and some of the territory until the war ended in 1783. Northern New Jersey was the scene of skirmishing between the forces for the rest of the war. When the American Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, British troops were under siege in Boston and they defeated Patriot forces in the Battle of Bunker Hill, suffering very high casualties. In January 1776 Washington ordered Charles Lee to raise troops and take command of New Yorks defenses, Lee had made some progress on the citys defenses when word arrived in late March 1776 that the British army had left Boston after Washington threatened them from heights south of the city. At the end of April, Washington dispatched General John Sullivan with six regiments to the north to bolster the faltering Quebec campaign, in June he set sail for New York with the 9,000 men assembled there, before all of the transports arrived. German troops, primarily from Hesse-Kassel, as well as British troops from Henry Clintons ultimately unsuccessful expedition to the Carolinas, were to meet with Howes fleet when it reached New York. General Howes brother, Admiral Lord Howe, arrived at Halifax with further transports after the general sailed, Washington learned from prisoners taken that Howe had landed 10,000 men, but was awaiting the arrival of another 15,000. He consequently split the Continental Army between fortified positions on Long Island, Manhattan and other locations, and also established a Flying Camp in northern New Jersey. This was intended as a force that could support operations anywhere along the Jersey shore of the Hudson. The Howe brothers had been granted authority as peace commissioners by Parliament, king George III was not optimistic about the possibility of a peace, yet I think it right to be attempted, whilst every act of vigour is unremittingly carried on. Their powers were limited to granting of general and special pardons, on July 14, pursuant to these powers, Admiral Howe sent a messenger with a letter addressed to George Washington, Esq. across the harbor. Washingtons adjutant, Joseph Reed, politely informed the messenger that no person with title was in their army. Admiral Howes aide wrote that the Punctilio of an Address should not have prevented the letters delivery, a second request, addressed to George Washington, Esq. etc. was similarly rejected, although the messenger was told that Washington would receive one of Howes adjutants. In that fruitless meeting, held July 20, Washington pointed out that the powers the Howe brothers had been given were not of much use
10.
Battle of the Assunpink Creek
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Washington and the council decided to meet this attack in Trenton, and established a defensive position south of the Assunpink Creek. Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis led the British forces southward in the aftermath of the December 26 battle, leaving 1,400 men under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood in Princeton, Cornwallis advanced on Trenton with about 5,000 men on January 2. His advance was slowed by defensive skirmishing by American riflemen under the command of Edward Hand. After assaulting the American positions three times, and being repulsed each time, Cornwallis decided to wait and finish the battle the next day, Washington moved his army around Cornwalliss camp that night and attacked Mawhood at Princeton the next day. That defeat prompted the British to withdraw from most of New Jersey for the winter, the Hessian garrison was surrounded and quickly defeated. Washington crossed the river again and returned to his camp in Pennsylvania that afternoon, on December 30, Washington moved his army back to Trenton and stationed his men on the south side of the Assunpink Creek. At Trenton, Washington faced a dilemma, all but a handful of his mens enlistments were expiring on December 31, and he knew that the army would collapse unless he convinced them to stay. So, on the 30th, Washington appealed to his men to one month longer for a bounty of ten dollars. He asked any men who wanted to volunteer to poise their firelocks and you have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty. At first no one stepped forward, but then one soldier stepped forward, on January 1,1777, money from the Continental Congress arrived in Trenton and the men were paid. Washington also received a series of resolves from Congress including one that gave Washington powers similar to those of a military dictator. Washington decided that he would stand and fight at Trenton, and ordered General John Cadwalader, on December 31 Washington learned that an army of 8,000 men under the command of General Charles Cornwallis was moving to attack him at Trenton. Washington ordered his men to build earthworks that were parallel to the bank of the Assunpink Creek southeast of Trenton proper. The lines extended about three miles down the end of the stream. However, one of Washingtons aides, Joseph Reed, pointed out there were fords up stream that the British could cross. Washington could not escape across the Delaware because all of his boats were a few miles upstream, Washington told his officers that he planned to move the army and that their current position was only temporary. Cornwallis, who had been planning to return to Britain, had his leave canceled and he rode to Princeton to catch up with General James Grant, who had moved with 1,000 troops to reinforce Princeton
11.
Battle of Princeton
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After defeating the Hessians at the Battle of Trenton on the morning of December 26,1776, Washington withdrew back to Pennsylvania. He subsequently decided to attack the British forces before going into winter quarters, on December 29, he led his army back into Trenton. On the night of January 2,1777, Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek and that night, he evacuated his position, circled around General Lord Cornwallis army, and went to attack the British garrison at Princeton. On January 3, Brigadier General Hugh Mercer of the Continental Army clashed with two regiments under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood of the British Army, Mercer and his troops were overrun, and Mercer was mortally wounded. Washington sent a brigade of militia under Brigadier General John Cadwalader to help them, the militia, on seeing the flight of Mercers men, also began to flee. Washington rode up with reinforcements and rallied the fleeing militia and he then led the attack on Mawhoods troops, driving them back. Mawhood gave the order to retreat and most of the tried to flee to Cornwallis in Trenton. In Princeton itself, Brigadier General John Sullivan encouraged some British troops who had taken refuge in Nassau Hall to surrender, after the battle, Washington moved his army to Morristown, and with their third defeat in 10 days, the British evacuated southern New Jersey. With the victory at Princeton, morale rose in the American ranks, the battle was the last major action of Washingtons winter New Jersey campaign. Part of the site of the battle is now Princeton Battlefield State Park, on the night of December 25–26,1776, General George Washington, Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, led 2,400 men across the Delaware River. After a nine-mile march, they seized the town of Trenton on the morning of the 26th, killing or wounding over 100 Hessians, soon after capturing the town, Washington led the army back across the Delaware into Pennsylvania. On the 29th, Washington once again led the army across the river, on the 31st, Washington appealed to his men, whose enlistments expired at the end of the year, Stay for just six more weeks for an extra bounty of ten dollars. His appeal worked, and most of the men agreed to stay, also, that day, Washington learned that Congress had voted to give him wide-ranging powers for six months that are often described as dictatorial. In response to the loss at Trenton, General Lord Cornwallis left New York City and reassembled a British force of more than 9,000 at Princeton to oppose Washington. Leaving 1,200 men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood at Princeton, Washington sent troops to skirmish with the approaching British to delay their advance. It was almost nightfall by the time the British reached Trenton, after three failed attempts to cross the bridge over the Assunpink Creek, beyond which were the primary American defenses, Cornwallis called off the attack until the next day. During the night, Washington called a council of war and asked his officers whether they should stand and fight, attempt to cross the river somewhere, or take the backroads to attack Princeton. Although the idea had occurred to Washington, he learned from Arthur St. Clair
12.
Battle of Red Bank
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To that end, two forts were constructed commanding the river. One was Fort Mercer on the New Jersey side at the Red Bank Plantation in what was part of Deptford Township. The other was Fort Mifflin on Mud Island, in the Delaware River just south of the confluence of the Schuylkill River, so long as the Americans held both forts, British navy ships could not reach Philadelphia to resupply the army. On October 18, General Sir William Howe, the commander of the British Army, evacuated his camp at Germantown and he sent a part of his force to capture the two American forts denying him use of the Delaware River. Earlier, Howe had sent a group of men via Webbs Ferry, at the mouth of the Schuylkill River, the first bombardment of Fort Mifflin came on October 11. This was merely a desultory attack which convinced the British to expand, von Donop, whose attack had been repulsed at the Second Battle of Trenton, was eager to avenge what he considered to be a humiliation. He declared to his men, Either the fort will be called Fort Donop, von Donop divided his force into two groups totaling 1,200 men for a two-pronged attack upon the fort on the morning of October 22. With six British men-of-war in the river to support the attack, after a cannonade by the Hessian artillery, Linsing moved against the nine-foot-high southern parapet, and his men were cut down by devastating cannon and musket fire and were forced to retreat. On the north, Minnigerodes grenadiers managed to scale the ramparts of a section of the fort. But when they moved on they were confronted by a mass of felled trees with pointed branches. With little in the way of tools, they were soon spotted trying to claw their way through the barricade and were fired upon by the Americans waiting for them on the other side. Suffering heavy casualties, the Hessians began to retreat, falling back to their camp ten miles away in the village of Haddonfield which they had taken after landing at nearby Coopers Ferry. Von Donop was wounded in the thigh during the attack and was left on the battlefield by his retreating troops. Mortally wounded, von Donop died three days later in the Whitall House, a farmhouse just outside the works of the fort between the fort and Woodbury Creek. To make matters worse for the British and Hessians, the six British men-of-war were engaged by smaller American gunboats, overnight attempts to free the ships were unsuccessful. Fort Mifflin and the Pennsylvania Navy engaged the stranded ships the next morning, with cannons and fire ships, the Augusta caught fire and within an hour the fire reached the magazine and the ship exploded. The loss of the Augusta was attributed to accidental ignition by the British, soon after, the crew of Merlin was ordered to abandon the ship and destroy it also. The Hessian army reported casualties of 377 killed and wounded with 20 missing or captured, frustrated by the failure to capture Fort Mercer, Howe ordered the Hessian regiments withdrawn from New Jersey while he made plans to attack Fort Mifflin by a massive artillery bombardment
13.
Siege of Fort Mifflin
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The operation finally succeeded when the wounded Smiths successor, Major Simeon Thayer, evacuated the fort on the night of November 15 and the British occupied the place the following morning. Owing to a shift of the river, Fort Mifflin is currently located on the bank of the Delaware adjacent to Philadelphia International Airport. After General Sir William Howes British-Hessian army occupied Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 26,1777, with Philadelphia effectively blockaded by the Americans, the Howe brothers were forced to lay siege to Fort Mifflin in order to clear the river. A Hessian attempt to storm Fort Mercer failed with heavy losses on October 22 in the Battle of Red Bank, two British warships which had run aground near Mud Island were destroyed the next day. General George Washington reinforced Fort Mifflin throughout the siege, but the garrison never numbered more than 500 men, after a few setbacks, the British finally assembled enough artillery and warships to bring Fort Mifflin under an intense bombardment beginning on November 10. No longer able to reply to the British bombardment, Thayer ordered the survivors to row across to New Jersey in the night, Fort Mercer was abandoned soon afterward, opening the Delaware and permitting the British to hold Philadelphia until June 1778. After the British defeated the American army at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11,1777, Howe failed to follow up Washingtons withdrawal to Chester, from that town on the Delaware, the Americans marched northeast through Darby to cross the Schuylkill River at the Middle Ferry. From the ferry, the army moved north to present-day East Falls, for the next ten days, the two armies sparred while the British won the Battle of Paoli and several skirmishes. On the night of September 22, Howe outmaneuvered Washington and won an unopposed crossing of the Schuylkill near Valley Forge, on September 26, the British army occupied the rebel capital of Philadelphia. In the face of the British advance the Second Continental Congress fled first to Lancaster then to York, during the summer of 1777, Philippe Charles Tronson du Coudray, a French artillery expert, arrived from France. Congress appointed him a general and inspector general of ordnance. His aristocratic airs soon irritated people and he began to quarrel with another French military engineer, Louis Lebègue Duportail, about how the defenses were to be prepared and even managed to anger Gilbert Motier, marquis de La Fayette. To the relief of many, Coudray drowned on September 16 after he rode his horse onto a Schuylkill ferry. The Mud Island Fort was designed and begun by British engineer Captain John Montresor in 1771, the river front was shielded by a stone face, but then the work stopped due to a shortage of money. After the outbreak of war with Britain, the rest of the defenses were completed with wooden palisades and earthen ramparts. There were wooden barracks for the men along the west. Nearby was a building to accommodate officers. According to one of the soldiers, a battery of 18-pound artillery pieces stood at the southeast end of Mud Island
14.
Battle of Monmouth
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The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28,1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court House and it is also known as the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse. Sensing the opportunity to smash the Continentals, Cornwallis pressed his attack, finally, Washington tried to hit the exhausted British rear guard on both flanks, but darkness forced the end of the engagement. Both armies held the field, but the British commanding general Clinton withdrew undetected at midnight to resume his armys march to New York City. The battle improved the military reputations of Washington, Lafayette and Anthony Wayne but ended the career of Charles Lee, who would face court martial at Englishtown for his failures on the day. According to some accounts, an American soldiers wife, Mary Hays, brought water to thirsty soldiers in the June heat, British forces had captured Philadelphia in 1777. Clinton was ordered to dispatch units to West Florida and the West Indies which left him too few troops to continue occupying Philadelphia, Clinton was also ordered to abandon New York and withdraw to Quebec if he felt his position there was untenable. A French fleet under dEstaing had sailed from Toulon in April,1778 and it was originally intended that the withdrawing British army would travel directly to New York via the sea, escorted by the Royal Navy. A lack of transports forced Clinton to change his plans, while the stores, heavy equipment and Loyalist American civilians fleeing revenge attacks would be shipped by sea, the main army would march overland across New Jersey. On June 18, the British began to evacuate Philadelphia, the British force comprised 11,000 British and German regulars, a thousand Loyalists from Philadelphia, and a baggage train 12 miles long. As the British advanced, the Americans slowed their advance by burning bridges, muddying wells, with a high of over 100 °F, both sides lost almost as many men to heat stroke as to the enemy. Major General Charles Lee, Washingtons second-in-command, advised awaiting developments as he did not wish to commit the American force against the British regulars. However, Washington determined that the British column was vulnerable to attack as it traveled across New Jersey with its baggage train, Washington was still undecided how to attack the British column, and held a council of war. The council, however, was divided on the issue, with a group of officers including General Anthony Wayne urging a partial attack on the British column while it was strung out on the road. Lee was still cautious, advising only harassing attacks with light forces, Lee, as Washingtons senior subordinate, was initially appointed commander of the advance force, but turned it down because of his doubts about the plan. However, when the force was increased to 5,000, Lee met with his subordinates but failed to give them proper orders, resulting in a piecemeal and disorganized attack on June 28 against the British rear guard under General Charles Cornwallis. After several hours of fighting in the hot weather, several American brigades executed a tactical retreat, the British rear guard counterattacked and as his flanks rapidly became routed, Lee was forced to order a withdrawal. Washington, advancing with the force along the Monmouth road, encountered Lees fleeing troops and finally Lee himself
15.
Battle of Rhode Island
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The Battle of Rhode Island, also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill, and the Siege of Newport took place on August 29,1778. The battle ended inconclusively, but afterwards Continental forces withdrew to the mainland, the battle was the first attempt at cooperation between French and American forces following Frances entry into the war as an American ally. France formally recognized the United States of America in February 1778 following the surrender of the British Army after the Battles of Saratoga in October 1777, War was declared between France and Great Britain in March 1778. It was not until early June that a fleet of 13 ships of the line left European waters in pursuit, dEstaings crossing of the Atlantic took three months, but Byron was also delayed due to bad weather and did not reach New York until mid August. The British evacuated from Philadelphia to New York City before dEstaings arrival and their North American fleet was no longer on the river when the French fleet arrived at Delaware Bay in early July. DEstaing decided to sail for New York, but its well-defended harbor presented a challenge to the French fleet. The troops reached their destination on July 15, raising the size of Major General Robert Pigots garrison to more than 6,700 men, American and British forces had been in a standoff on Aquidneck Island since the British occupation began in late 1776. In March 1778, Congress approved the appointment of Major General John Sullivan to Rhode Island, by early May, Sullivan had arrived in the state and produced a detailed report on the situation. He began logistical preparations for an attack on Newport, caching equipment and supplies on the shore of Narragansett Bay. British General Pigot was aware of Sullivans preparations and launched an expedition on May 25 that raided Bristol and this destroyed military supplies and plundered the towns. Sullivans response was to make renewed appeals for assistance, which were reinforced by a Congressional declaration after a raid on Freetown on May 31. General Washington wrote to Sullivan on July 17 ordering him to raise 5,000 troops for operations against Newport. Sullivans force at that time amounted to 1,600 troops, Laurens had left Washingtons camp on the 22nd, riding ahead of a column of Continental troops led by the Marquis de Lafayette. News of the French involvement rallied support for the cause, however, these forces took some time to muster, and the majority of them did not arrive until the first week of August. Washington sent Major General Nathanael Greene, a Rhode Island native and reliable officer, Sullivan had been regularly criticized in Congress for his performance in earlier battles, and Washington urged him to take counsel from Greene and Lafayette. Greene wrote to Sullivan on the matter and reinforced the need for a successful operation, dEstaing sailed from his position outside the New York harbor on July 22, when the British judged the tide high enough for the French ships to cross the bar. He initially sailed south before turning northeast toward Newport, the British fleet in New York consisted of eight ships of the line under the command of Lord Richard Howe, and they sailed out after him once they discovered that his destination was Newport. DEstaing arrived off Point Judith on July 29 and immediately met with Generals Greene, the next day, dEstaing sent frigates into the Sakonnet River and into the main channel leading to Newport
16.
Battle of Springfield (1780)
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The Battle of Springfield was fought during the American Revolutionary War on June 23,1780. Although the British were initially able to advance, they were forced to withdraw in the face of newly arriving colonial forces. Clinton hoped that Washington would respond to Knyphausen’s attack by bringing his main army round the tip of the Watchung Mountains west of Newark to hit Knyphausen’s right flank. In anticipation of this response, Major General Alexander Leslie was dispatched up the Hudson with 6,000 men in order to prevent Washington from retiring behind the Watchung Mountains. Meanwhile, Major General James Robertson was to remain in reserve in Elizabethtown with five regiments to protect Knyphausen’s rear against attack from militia and to reinforce Leslie if necessary. At Springfield and Elizabethtown, barring Knyphausen’s path to Hobart Gap, at 5 a. m. on June 23, Knyphausen’s force advanced for Elizabethtown Point, with the Queen’s Rangers and the New Jersey Volunteers in the vanguard. They overwhelmed the American outposts at Elizabethtown, capturing several men, warned by retreating men, General Maxwell sent Colonel Elias Dayton’s 3rd New Jersey Regiment to guard the Galloping Hill Road and Henry Lee’s 2nd Partisan Corps to the Vauxhall Road. Soon afterwards, the advancing Loyalist troops engaged Maxwell, who fell back toward Connecticut Farms with the rest of his brigade, meanwhile, General Greene ordered the planking to be destroyed on the Vauxhall and Galloping Hill bridges over the Rahway River. Greene organized his left wing, at the Galloping Hill Road, Connecticut Farms was to be held by Colonel Dayton’s 3rd New Jersey and some militia under Brigadier General Nathaniel Heard. Behind Dayton, Colonel Israel Angell with his 2nd Rhode Island Regiment, reduced by illness, on the American right wing, Greene reinforced Major Lee and his 2nd Partisan Corps at the Vauxhall Bridge with Colonel Matthias Ogden and his 1st New Jersey Regiment. In reserve, at Bryan’s Tavern up on the ground of the Short Hills. The New Jersey Volunteers under Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Barton, now approached Connecticut Farms and engaged Dayton’s force, outnumbered more than two-to-one by the defenders, Barton’s men made little progress. However, Lieutenant Colonel John Graves Simcoe with his Queen’s Rangers outflanked the Americans on the left, Dayton and Heard’s men were quickly swept away and Connecticut Farms was in British hands. Heard and some of his militiamen retired northward and reinforced the defenders of the Vauxhall Bridge, meanwhile, Knyphausen himself advanced on the bridge with 3,000 men, comprising the British 37th and 38th regiments and most of the German troops. At the Galloping Hill Bridge, Knyphausen bombarded Colonel Angell’s defenders with six cannons, “Give ‘em Watts, boys. ”, he advised. The British quickly followed up the retreat, driving back Shreve and Angell, who only narrowly foiled an attempt to outflank them by the British 38th Regiment, recognizing the danger of Shreve and Angell being encircled, Greene recalled them to Bryant’s Tavern, abandoning Springfield to the enemy. As directed by Knyphausen, Major General Edward Mathew had left the Galloping Hill Road and they were soon joined by the advancing Loyalist troops, who assailed them from front and flank, driving them back again, this time all the way to the slopes of the Short Hills. Here, they were reinforced by the 400 men of General Stark’s two Continental regiments and a cannon and this, and the presence of an increasing number of militia gathering on the slopes of Newark Mountain, persuaded General Mathew to halt his advance
17.
Daniel Hitchcock
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Daniel Hitchcock was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Yale University. He moved to Providence, Rhode Island where he became an attorney and was suspected by the authorities of involvement in the Gaspee Affair, at the start of the American Revolutionary War he formed Hitchcocks Regiment of infantry in the Rhode Island Army of Observation. He was first appointed lieutenant colonel in command of the regiment when it marched to serve in the Siege of Boston in 1775 and his regiment was renamed the 11th Continental Regiment during 1776. That year, he led his troops at Long Island, Harlem Heights and he was promoted to colonel in November 1776. His regiment was renamed the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment at the start of 1777 and he led a small brigade of Rhode Island troops at Assunpink Creek and Princeton. At the latter action on 3 January 1777, George Washington publicly thanked him for his efforts and he died ten days later of tuberculosis at Morristown, New Jersey. Not much is known of Daniel Hitchcocks early life and he was born on February 15,1739 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the youngest our 14 children from Lieutenant Ebenezer and Mary Hitchcock, in 1761, Hitchcock graduated from Yale University, and he went on to practice law in Northampton, Massachusetts. Hitchcock moved to Providence, Rhode Island in 1771, Hitchcock was thought by authorities to be affiliated with the Gaspée Affair, a sinking of a British ship and a lead up to the American Revolutionary War. Hitchcock, along with other lawyers, were forced to testify in front of the Rhode Island Court, Hitchcock, however, denied any involvement in the Affair. In June 1775, Hitchcock authorized the Providence County Regiment, which was organized as eight companies of volunteers from Providence County of the colony of Rhode Island, the Regiments first battle was the Siege of Boston, the opening battle of the American Revolutionary War. At the start of 1776, the Regiment was renamed to the 11th Continental Regiment, the colonists were victorious on May 17,1776, and the British were removed from the town of Boston, Massachusetts. Hitchcocks next battle was the Battle of Long Island, the British landed in Long Island on August 22 ready to attack American troops. He and six other Regiments were sent to Long Island on August 25, the battle took place two days later, and the British won in a decisive victory. On September 15,1776, the British moved part of their troops to Kips Bay, the following day, the Battle of Harlem Heights happened. The British were losing, and started to retreat, George Washington sent various troops, including Hitchcocks Regiment, to pursue them. By the time the units got there, the British brought in more reinforcements, the British troops ran out of ammunition and were forced to retreat a second time. The Americans kept up a close pursuit until it was heard that British reserves were coming, and Washington, fearing a British trap, ordered a withdrawal, Hitchcocks next battle was the Battle of White Plains
18.
Boston campaign
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The Boston campaign was the opening campaign of the American Revolutionary War, taking place primarily in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The entire British expedition suffered significant casualties during a running back to Charlestown against an ever-growing number of militia. Subsequently, accumulated militia forces surrounded the city of Boston, beginning the Siege of Boston. The main action during the siege, the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17,1775, was one of the bloodiest encounters of the war, and resulted in a Pyrrhic British victory. There were also numerous skirmishes near Boston and the areas of Boston, resulting in loss of life, military supplies. In July 1775, George Washington took command of the assembled militia, on March 4,1776, the colonial army fortified Dorchester Heights with cannon capable of reaching Boston and British ships in the harbor. The siege ended on March 17,1776, with the permanent withdrawal of British forces from Boston, to this day, Boston celebrates March 17 as Evacuation Day. In 1767, the British Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which imposed duties on paper, glass, paint. The Sons of Liberty and other Patriot organizations responded with a variety of protest actions, francis Bernard, then Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, requested military forces to protect the Kings personnel. In October 1768, British troops arrived in the city of Boston, tensions led to the Boston Massacre on March 5,1770, and the Boston Tea Party on December 16,1773. In response to the Tea Party and other protests, Parliament enacted the Intolerable Acts to punish the colonies, with the Massachusetts Government Act of 1774 it effectively abolished the provincial government of Massachusetts. However, popular resistance compelled the newly appointed officials in Massachusetts to resign or to seek refuge in Boston. Gage commanded four regiments of British regulars from his headquarters in Boston, on September 1,1774, British soldiers removed gunpowder and other military supplies in a surprise raid on a powder magazine near Boston. This expedition alarmed the countryside, and thousands of American Patriots sprang into action, partly in response to this action, the colonists carried off military supplies from several forts in New England and distributed them among the local militias. On the night of April 18,1775, General Gage sent 700 men to seize munitions stored by the militia at Concord. Several riders — including Paul Revere — alerted the countryside, shots were exchanged, eight Minutemen were killed, the outnumbered colonial militia dispersed, and the British moved on to Concord. During the search, there was a confrontation at the North Bridge, by the time the redcoats or lobster backs began the return march to Boston, several thousand militiamen had gathered along the road. A running fight ensued, and the British detachment suffered heavily before reaching Charlestown, with the Battle of Lexington and Concord — the shot heard round the world — the war had begun
19.
Battle of Bunker Hill
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The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17,1775, during the Siege of Boston in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts and it was the original objective of both the colonial and British troops, though the majority of combat took place on the adjacent Breeds Hill. In response,1,200 colonial troops under the command of William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker Hill, during the night, the colonists constructed a strong redoubt on Breeds Hill, as well as smaller fortified lines across the Charlestown Peninsula. By daybreak of June 17, the British became aware of the presence of forces on the Peninsula. Two assaults on the positions were repulsed with significant British casualties. The colonists retreated to Cambridge over Bunker Hill, leaving the British in control of the Peninsula, the battle had demonstrated that inexperienced militia were able to stand up to regular army troops in battle. Subsequently, the battle discouraged the British from any further attacks against well defended front lines. American casualties were much fewer, although their losses included General Joseph Warren and Major Andrew McClary. Their new approach to battle was actually giving the Americans greater opportunity to retreat if defeat was imminent, the costly engagement also convinced the British of the need to hire substantial numbers of foreign mercenaries to bolster their strength in the face of the new and formidable Continental Army. Boston, situated on a peninsula, was protected from close approach by the expanses of water surrounding it. In the aftermath of the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19,1775, the militia, a force of about 15,000 men had surrounded the town. Under the command of Artemas Ward, they controlled the land access to Boston itself. The British troops, a force of about 6,000 under the command of General Thomas Gage, occupied the city, in theory, they were thus able to remain in Boston indefinitely. However, the land across the water from Boston contained a number of hills, if the militia could obtain enough artillery pieces, these could be placed on the hills and used to bombard the city until the occupying army evacuated it or surrendered. It was with this in mind that the Knox Expedition, led by Henry Knox, the Charlestown Peninsula, lying to the north of Boston, started from a short, narrow isthmus at its northwest, extending about 1 mile southeastward into Boston Harbor. Bunker Hill, with an elevation of 110 feet, lay at the end of the peninsula. Breeds Hill, at a height of 62 feet, was more southerly, the town of Charlestown occupied flats at the southern end of the peninsula. At its closest approach, less than 1,000 feet separated the Charlestown Peninsula from the Boston Peninsula, throughout May, in response to orders from Gage requesting support, the British received reinforcements, until they reached a strength of about 6,000 men
20.
Fortification of Dorchester Heights
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General William Howe, commander of the British forces occupying the city, considered contesting this act, as the cannon threatened the town and the military ships in the harbor. After a snowstorm prevented execution of his plans, however, Howe chose to withdraw from the city, the British forces, accompanied by Loyalists who had fled to the city during the siege, left the city on March 17 and sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The siege of Boston began on April 19,1775, when, in the aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, on May 3, the Committee gave Arnold a colonels commission and authorized him to raise troops and lead a mission to capture the fort. Arnold, in conjunction with Ethan Allen, his Green Mountain Boys, after George Washington took command of the army outside Boston in July 1775, the idea of bringing the cannons from Ticonderoga to the siege was raised by Colonel Henry Knox. Knox was eventually given the assignment to transport weapons from Ticonderoga to Cambridge, historian Victor Brooks has called Knoxs feat one of the most stupendous feats of logistics of the entire war. Early in the siege, on June 15, the British agreed on the plan of seizing both of these heights, beginning with those in Dorchester, which had a view of the harbor than the Charlestown hills. It was the leaking of this plan that precipitated events leading to the Battle of Bunker Hill, neither the British nor the Americans had the daring to take and fortify the heights, but both armies knew of its strategic importance in the war. By the end of February, Knox had arrived with the cannon from Ticonderoga, as had additional supplies of powder, Washington decided the time was right to act. Washington first placed some of the cannons from Ticonderoga at Lechmeres Point and Cobble Hill in Cambridge. These cannonades were repeated on the night of March 3, while preparations for the taking of the heights continued, on the night of March 4,1776, the batteries opened fire again, but this time the fire was accompanied by action. General John Thomas and about 2,000 troops quietly marched to the top of Dorchester Heights, hauling entrenching tools, hay bales were placed between the path taken by the troops and the harbor in order to muffle the sounds of the activity. Throughout the night, these troops and their relief labored at hauling cannon and building earthworks overlooking the town, general Washington was present to provide moral support and encouragement, reminding them that March 5 was the sixth anniversary of the Boston Massacre. By 4 a. m. they had constructed fortifications that were proof against small arms, work continued on the positions, with troops cutting down trees and constructing abbatis to impede any British assault on the works. The outside of the works also included rock-filled barrels that could be rolled down the hill at attacking troops, if Howe decided to launch an attack on the heights, Washington planned to launch an attack against the city from Cambridge. As part of the preparations, he readied two floating batteries and boats sufficient to carry almost 3,000 troops, washingtons judgment of Howes options was accurate, they were exactly the options Howe considered. Admiral Shuldham, commander of the British fleet, declared that the fleet was in danger unless the position on the heights was taken. Howe and his staff then determined to contest the occupation of the heights, Washington, notified of British movements, increased the forces on the heights until there were nearly 6,000 men on the Dorchester lines. However, a storm began late on March 5 and halted any chance of a battle for several days
21.
Connecticut Line
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The Connecticut Line was a formation within the Continental Army. These, together with similarly apportioned contingents from the twelve states. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, in the course of the war,27 infantry regiments were assigned to the Connecticut Line. This included the eight regiments of 1775, Woosters Provisional Regiment, the five numbered Continental regiments of 1776. Webbs Additional Continental Regiment, which became the 9th Connecticut Regiment. Not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota, on December 27,1776, the Continental Congress gave Washington temporary control over certain military decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These “dictatorial powers” included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large, early in 1777, Washington offered command of one of these additional regiments to Samuel Blatchley Webb, who accepted. Webb had formerly served as one of Washington’s personal aides, webb’s Regiment was allotted to the Connecticut Line on July 24,1780, and officially designated the 9th Connecticut Regiment. The 9th Connecticut Regiment was consolidated with the 2d Connecticut Regiment on January 1,1781, half of Sherburne’s Additional Continental Regiment was drawn Rhode Island and half from Connecticut. Still other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service. Elmores Regiment, raised in 1776 for the defense of Canada, was an example of such an “extra” regiment, in response, the Connecticut Assembly voted, on April 27,1775, to contribute 6,000 men to this army. The Connecticut troops were formed into six infantry regiments, Connecticut infantry regiments had an official establishment of 1,046 officers and men in ten companies. The troops were enlisted to serve until December 10,1775 and this was done on June 14,1775, and these troops were designated the Continental Army. George Washington was selected as commander in chief of this force, and all other Continental Army troops, the board was to consist of a brigadier general as moderator and six field officers as members. It completed its task on August 20,1775, and reported its decision to Washington, the regiments of infantry in the Continental Army were accordingly numbered without reference to their colony of origin. There were thirty-nine Regiments of Foot in the Army of the United Colonies, in General Orders, Washington often referred to his regiments by these numbers, and they appear in the strength reports compiled by Adjutant General Horatio Gates. The 1st Connecticut Provincial Regiment was commanded by Colonel David Wooster, Woosters Regiment was assigned to the Separate, or New York, Department in 1775 and did not receive an additional designation in August
22.
Georgia Line
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The Georgia Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term Georgia Line referred to the quota of one regiment which was assigned to Georgia at various times by the Continental Congress. The term also included the three regiments in excess of Georgias quota that were raised outside the state. These, together with contingents from the other twelve states. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, on November 4,1775, the Continental Congress created the second establishment of the Continental Army, which served in the campaign of 1776. On the same day, Congress also voted to two infantry battalions in South Carolina and one infantry battalion in Georgia. United States Army Center of Military History,1983, Georgia Roster Georgia Roster Bibliography of the Continental Army in Georgia compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
23.
Maryland Line
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Col. Washingtons previous military experience had been during the late French and Indian War. Not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota and these “dictatorial powers” included the authority to recruit and raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large. Forman’s, Gist’s, Grayson’s, and Hartley’s Regiments were partially drawn from Maryland, other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a state quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service. According to Maryland State Archivist Ryan Polk, what distinguished the Maryland troops from other colonial levies was the time spent drilling before joining the ranks of the Continental Army. This resulted in a disciplined, cohesive unit, the term Maryland Line referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Maryland at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with contingents from the other twelve colonies. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, the Maryland Line was assigned a quota of eight regiments in 1777, which was reduced to five in 1781. Because of the service of the high quality regiments, General Washington referred to the Maryland units as his Old Line. The Maryland Line protected the evacuation of Washingtons troops across the East River to Manhattan at the Battle of Long Island, of the approximately 270 men of the so-called Maryland 400, fewer than a dozen made it back to the American lines. The 1st Maryland Regiment under William Smallwood was held in reserve, one hundred eighty Marylanders saw action at the January 17,1781 Battle of Cowpens. Holding the Line, The Origin of the the Old Line State, Maryland State Archives, Annapolis,2005 Wright, Robert K. - The Continental Army, Washington, D. C, United States Army Center of Military History,1983. Bibliography of the Continental Army in Maryland, Washington, D. C. compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
24.
Massachusetts Line
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These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. Line regiments were assigned to a state, which was then financially responsible for the maintenance of the regiment. The concept of the line was particularly important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, the size of the Massachusetts Line varied from as many as 27 active regiments to four. Massachusetts line troops were involved in most of the major battles north of Chesapeake Bay. General officers of the line included Major Generals Artemas Ward, William Heath, and Benjamin Lincoln, the lines history began in the immediate aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, after which the Massachusetts Provincial Congress raised 27 regiments as a provincial army. These units, which were organized by mid-May, were adopted into the first establishment of the Continental Army in June 1775. These units were referred to by the names of their colonels. At the end of 1775 the army was reorganized into its establishment, a number of Massachusetts units were disbanded. In the 1776 establishment regiments from the states identified as Continental regiments. At the end of 1776 the army was again reorganized, the third establishment restored a state-based regimental numbering scheme which was retained until the end of the war. After two major reorganizations the army was almost completely disbanded in November 1783, leaving a regiment under the command of Massachusetts Colonel Henry Jackson. Not all Continental infantry regiments raised were part of a state quota, on December 27,1776, the Continental Congress gave Washington temporary control over certain military decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These dictatorial powers included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large, early in 1777, Washington offered command of one of these additional regiments to David Henley of Massachusetts, who accepted. Henley had been adjutant general on the staffs of Generals William Heath and Joseph Spencer, Washington also offered command of an additional regiment to William Raymond Lee of Massachusetts, who accepted. In 1776, Lee had been the major of John Glovers famous Marblehead regiment, finally, Washington offered command of an additional regiment to Henry Jackson of Massachusetts, who accepted. These three regiments were raised in Massachusetts in the spring of 1777, much of the recruiting for them was done in the Boston area, which until then had been unable to raise troops because of the British occupation. Henleys and Lees Regiments were consolidated into Jacksons Regiment on April 9,1779, Jacksons Regiment was allotted to the Massachusetts Line on July 24,1780, and officially designated the 16th Massachusetts Regiment
25.
New Hampshire Line
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The New Hampshire Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term New Hampshire Line referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to New Hampshire at various times by the Continental Congress and these, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota, however. On December 27,1776, the Continental Congress gave Washington temporary control over certain decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These “dictatorial powers” included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large, early in 1777, Washington offered command of one of these additional regiments to Alexander Scammel of New Hampshire. Scammel declined in order to become colonel of the newly raised 3d New Hampshire Regiment, still other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a state quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service. Bedels Regiment and Longs Regiment, both raised in New Hampshire in 1776, were examples of such “extra” regiments. In response, on May 22,1775, the New Hampshire Provincial Congress voted to raise a force of 2,000 men to join the patriot army at Boston. These “provincials” were organized into three regiments, each regiment having an establishment of 648 officers and men in ten companies. The troops were enlisted to serve until December 31,1775 and this was done on June 14,1775, and these troops were designated the Continental Army. George Washington was selected as commander in chief of this force, and all other Continental Army troops, the board was to consist of a brigadier general as moderator and six field officers as members. It completed its task on August 20,1775, and reported its decision to Washington, the regiments of infantry in the Continental Army were accordingly numbered without reference to their colony of origin. There were thirty-nine Regiments of Foot in the Army of the United Colonies, in General Orders, Washington often referred to his regiments by these numbers, and they appear in the strength reports compiled by Adjutant General Horatio Gates. The 1st New Hampshire Regiment was commanded by Colonel John Stark, in August 1775, Starks Regiment was designated The 7th Regiment of Foot. It served in the Siege of Boston until its disbandment, the 2d New Hampshire Regiment was commanded by Colonel Enoch Poor, of Exeter. In August 1775, Poors Regiment was designated The 11th Regiment of Foot and it served in the Siege of Boston until its disbandment. The 3d New Hampshire Regiment was commanded by Colonel James Reed, in August 1775, Reeds Regiment was designated The 3d Regiment of Foot
26.
New Jersey Line
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The New Jersey Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term New Jersey Line referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to New Jersey at various times by the Continental Congress and these, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota, however. On December 27,1776, the Continental Congress gave Washington temporary control over certain decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These “dictatorial powers” included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large, early in 1777, Washington offered command of one of these additional regiments to David Forman of New Jersey, who accepted. Forman had formerly been a New Jersey militia leader, Washington also offered command of an additional regiment to Oliver Spencer of New Jersey, who accepted. In 1776, Spencer had also served in the New Jersey militia, spencer’s Regiment was unofficially designated the “5th New Jersey Regiment. ”One company was recruited in Pennsylvania, however. Pattons Additional Continental Regiment was also drawn from New Jersey. Still other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service. Under the command of Brigadier General William Maxwell, it was known as Maxwells brigade or simply. As with preceding military units from New Jersey, the regiments that comprised the New Jersey Line were often referred to as the Jersey Blues, the first two regiments were authorized by Congress on October 9,1775. The Third New Jersey Regiment was authorized on January 1,1776, formans Additional Continental Regiment, under the command of Colonel David Forman, was authorized on September 16,1776. Another unit, known formally as Spencers Additional Continental Regiment, under the command of Colonel Oliver Spencer, was referred to as the Fifth New Jersey Regiment. Neither unit was allotted to the New Jersey Line although they contained a large proportion of troops from New Jersey. Bibliography of the Continental Army in New Jersey compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
27.
New York Line
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The New York Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term New York Line referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to New York at various times by the Continental Congress and these, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota, however. On December 27,1776, the Continental Congress gave Washington temporary control over certain decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These “dictatorial powers” included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large, early in 1777, Washington offered command of one of these additional regiments to William Malcolm of New York, who accepted. Malcolm had formerly commanded a New York militia unit, half of Malcolm’s Regiment was drawn from New York and half from Pennsylvania. Still other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service. Nicholsons Regiment, raised in 1776 for the defense of Canada, was an example of such an “extra” regiment, the New York Line was created in consequence of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen on May 10,1775. The Second Continental Congress resolved on May 25,1775, to permit the Province of New York to maintain as many as 3,000 troops at Continental expense. Under this authority, New York raised four regiments, each of some 750 men, which were designated the 1st, 2d, 3d, the enlistments in this first establishment ended on December 31,1775. The Continental Congress authorized the establishment of the four regiments on January 19,1776. The Continental Congress authorized the establishment of the Continental Army on September 16,1776. The troops raised under this Congressional resolution were to serve for the duration of the war, the number of regiments was reduced from five to two on January 1,1781. The New York Brigade was first established from the New York regiments on July 22,1778 to defend the New York frontier, fernow, Berthold, New York in the Revolution,1887. United States Army Center of Military History,1983, bibliography of the Continental Army in New York compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
28.
North Carolina Line
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The North Carolina Line refers to North Carolina units within the Continental Army. The term North Carolina Line referred to the quota of regiments assigned to North Carolina at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with contingents from the other twelve states. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota, however. On December 27,1776, the Continental Congress gave Washington temporary control over certain decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These “dictatorial powers” included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large, on June 17,1777, the Continental Congress accepted the offer of North Carolina to furnish another regiment for the Continental Army. This regiment, under the command of Colonel Abraham Sheppard, was designated the “10th North Carolina Regiment. ”Still other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units. On June 26,1775, less than ten weeks after the Battles of Lexington and Concord and this force was organized in September of that year as two regiments of 500 men each. Available online at Berg, Fred Anderson Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units, Battalions, Regiments, the Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources. Available from the University of Virginia website, historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution, April 1775 to December 1783. The Sinews of Independence, Monthly Strength Reports of the Continental Army, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press,1976. United States Army Center of Military History,1983, roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution Bibliography of the Continental Army in North Carolina compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
29.
Pennsylvania in the American Revolution
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Pennsylvania was the site of key events and places related to the American Revolution. The state, and especially the city of Philadelphia, played a role in the American Revolution. Washingtons Secret War, The Hidden History of Valley Forge, frantz, John B. and Pencak, William. Beyond Philadelphia, The American Revolution in the Pennsylvania Hinterland, the Soldiers Revolution, Pennsylvanians in Arms and the Forging of Early American Identity. The Drillmaster of Valley Forge, The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army, mcGuire, Thomas J. Battle of Paoli. The Philadelphia Campaign, Volume One, Brandywine and the Fall of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Campaign, Volume Two, Germantown and the Roads to Valley Forge. Spies in the Continental Capital, Espionage Across Pennsylvania During the American Revolution, bibliography of the Continental Army in Pennsylvania compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
30.
South Carolina Line
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The South Carolina Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term South Carolina Line referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to South Carolina at various times by the Continental Congress and these, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state. 1st South Carolina Regiment 2nd South Carolina Regiment 3rd South Carolina Regiment 4th South Carolina Regiment 5th South Carolina Regiment 6th South Carolina Regiment Wright, United States Army Center of Military History,1983. Bibliography of the Continental Army in South Carolina compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
31.
Virginia Line
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The Virginia Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term Virginia Line referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Virginia at various times by the Continental Congress and these, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state, not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota, however. On December 27,1776, the Continental Congress gave Washington temporary control over certain decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These “dictatorial powers” included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large, early in 1777, Washington offered command of one of these additional regiments to Nathaniel Gist of Virginia, who accepted. He also offered command of a regiment to William Grayson of Virginia. In 1776, Grayson had served as one of Washington’s personal aides, finally, Washington offered command of an additional regiment to Charles Mynn Thruston of Virginia, who accepted. Still other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service. The independent companies raised by Virginia in 1777 to garrison Fort Pitt, in August 1775 the Virginia Convention voted to raise fifteen companies to serve one year. The companies were raised in the fall of 1775 and organized into two regiments, the Continental Congress resolved, on November 1,1775, to place these two regiments on the Continental establishment. The regiments were designated the 1st and 2d Virginia Regiments, the 1st Virginia Regiment was commanded by Patrick Henry. The 2d Virginia Regiment was commanded by William Woodford, on December 28,1775, the Continental Congress voted to raise four more regiments in Virginia. The Virginia Convention concurred on January 11,1776, the Convention ordered that an additional 72 companies be raised and that the term of service of the original fifteen companies be extended. The 87 companies were to be organized into nine regiments of ten companies each, the new force was to serve for not exceeding two and a half years. In the course of 1776 the state regiments were placed on the Continental establishment, on September 16,1776, the Continental Congress resolved to raise an army of eighty-eight infantry regiments which were to serve for the duration of the war. Virginia was called upon to contribute fifteen of these regiments, the 1st through 9th Virginia Regiments were reconstituted in the Continental Army as regiments raised to serve for the duration of the war. The cadres for these regiments were drawn from the regiments which Virginia had sent to the field in 1775 and 1776, the remaining six regiments were entirely new
32.
Armand's Legion
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Armands Legion was formed on June 25,1778 at Boston, Massachusetts under the command of Colonel Charles Armand Tuffin of France, for service with the Continental Army. George Washington had given permission to Armand to raise a legion in 1776, but Armand did not fare so well, the Legion was recruited primarily from foreign volunteers to the American Revolution. After hard fighting with Washington in the north Armands Legion had taken heavy losses, in 1780 the remnants of Pulaskis Legion was added to Armands Legion. In 1781 the legion was consolidated with Capt. Henry Bedkins Troop of Light Horse and was reorganized and renamed the 1st Partisan Corps, the Legion would see action at the Battle of Camden, Battle of Guilford Court House and the Battle of Yorktown. The Legion was disbanded at York, Pennsylvania on December 25,1783
33.
Lee's Legion
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Lees Legion was a military unit within the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It primarily served in the Southern Theater of Operations, and gained a reputation for efficiency and bravery on the battlefield and ruthlessness equal to that of Tarletons Raiders. The original unit was raised June 8,1776, at Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 7,1778, the Legion left the 1st CLDs and became known as Lees Legion. It included elements of cavalry and foot, and typically was uniformed with short green woolen jackets and white linen or doeskin pants. The unit first saw action in September of that year, defeating a Hessian regiment in an ambush, when Lord Cornwallis moved his British Army into North Carolina, Lees Legion entered South Carolina to protect that colony, to intimidate Loyalists and harass British expeditions. Often, the Legion served with Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter in these missions, in 1781, it participated in Pyles Massacre and the Siege of Ninety Six. The Legion saw considerable action at the Battle of Guilford Court House, the Legion was disbanded at Winchester, Virginia, on November 15,1783. United States Marshal Robert Forsyth was a member of Lees Legion, Lees Legion Remembered, Profiles of the 2nd Partisan Corps NWTA Congressional Forces
34.
Militia (United States)
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The militia of the United States, as defined by the US Congress, has changed over time, complicating its meaning. During colonial America, all able-bodied men of certain ages were eligible for the militia, individual towns formed local independent militias for their own defense. The year before the US Constitution was ratified, The Federalist Papers detailed the founders vision of the militia, the new Constitution empowered Congress to regulate this national military force, leaving significant control in the hands of each State government. Unorganized militia – composing the Reserve Militia, every able-bodied man of at least 17 and under 45 years of age, the term militia derives from Old English milite meaning soldiers, militisc meaning military and also classical Latin milit-, miles meaning soldier. The Modern English term militia dates to the year 1590, with the meaning now obsolete. The spelling of millitia is often observed in written and printed materials from the 17th century through the 19th century, the early colonists of America considered the militia an important social institution, necessary to provide defense and public safety. During the French and Indian Wars, town militia formed a pool for the Provincial Forces. The legislature of the colony would authorize a certain level for the seasons campaign. In September 1755, George Washington, then adjutant-general of the Virginia militia, upon a frustrating and futile attempt to call up the militia to respond to a frontier Indian attack. And what added to his mortification was, that the laws gave him no power to correct these evils, either by enforcing discipline, or compelling the indolent, the militia system was suited for only to times of peace. It provided for calling out men to repel invasion, but the powers granted for effecting it were so limited, see New Hampshire Provincial Regiment for a history of a Provincial unit during the French and Indian War. This was far short of the wanted, that the council recommended an immediate application to the New England governments to make up the deficiency. They recommended to the militia to form themselves into companies of minute-men and these minute-men were to consist of one quarter of the whole militia, to be enlisted under the direction of the field-officers, and divide into companies, consisting of at least fifty men each. The privates were to choose their captains and subalterns, and these officers were to form the companies into battalions, and chose the field-officers to command the same. Hence the minute-men became a distinct from the rest of the militia. More attention than formerly was likewise bestowed on the training and drilling of militia, the American Revolutionary War began near Boston, Massachusetts with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, in which a group of local militias constituted the American side. On April 19,1775, a British force 800 strong marched out of Boston to Concord intending to destroy Patriot arms, at 5,00 in the morning at Lexington, they met about 70 armed militiamen whom they ordered to disperse, but the militiamen refused. Firing ensued, it is not clear which side opened fire, eight militiamen were killed and ten wounded, whereupon the remainder took flight
35.
Providence County, Rhode Island
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Providence County is a county located in the U. S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 626,667 and it is home to the state capital of Providence. Providence County is included in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area, in 2010, the center of population of Rhode Island was located in Providence County, in the city of Cranston. Providence County was constituted on June 22,1703, as the County of Providence Plantations and it consisted of five towns, namely Providence, Warwick, Westerly, Kingstown, and Greenwich and encompassed territory in present-day Kent and Washington counties. Washington County was split off as Kings County in 1729, while Kent County was split off in 1750, County government in Rhode Island was abolished in 1842. Providence County, like other counties in Rhode Island, has no governmental functions, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles, of which 410 square miles is land and 26 square miles is water. It is the largest of Rhode Islands five counties by land area, the Pawtuxet is dammed in the western part of the county to form the Scituate Reservoir, which supplies drinking water for Providence and surrounding communities. The highest natural point in the county and the state of Rhode Island is Jerimoth Hill at 812 feet, sea level is the lowest point. The population density was 1,504 people per square mile, there were 253,214 housing units at an average density of 613 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 78. 38% White,6. 55% Black or African American,0. 51% Native American,2. 90% Asian,0. 07% Pacific Islander,8. 02% from other races, and 3. 58% from two or more races. 13. 39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,19. 0% were of Italian,10. 9% Irish,8. 1% French,7. 7% Portuguese,7. 2% French Canadian and 5. 8% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 72. 7% spoke English,13. 4% Spanish,4. 9% Portuguese,2. 5% French and 1. 6% Italian as their first language. 29. 80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the population was out with 24. 00% under the age of 18,11. 10% from 18 to 24,29. 80% from 25 to 44,20. 50% from 45 to 64. The median age was 35 years, for every 100 females there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males, the median income for a household in the county was $36,950, and the median income for a family was $46,694. Males had an income of $35,336 versus $26,322 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,255, about 11. 90% of families and 15. 50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22. 30% of those under age 18 and 12. 70% of those age 65 or over
36.
Nathanael Greene
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When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible, he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washingtons most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United States are named after him and he suffered financial difficulties in the post-war years and died in 1786. Greene was the son of Nathanael Greene, a Quaker farmer and smith, Nathanael was born on Forge Farm at Potowomut in the township of Warwick, Rhode Island on August 7,1742. His mother Mary Mott was his fathers second wife and his fathers sect discouraged literary accomplishments, so Greene educated himself with a special study of mathematics and law. The Rev. Ezra Stiles, later president of Yale University, was an influence in the young Nathanaels life. In 1770, Greene moved to Coventry, Rhode Island to take charge of the family-owned foundry and he sympathized strongly with the Whig or Patriot element among the colonists. In July 1774, he married Catharine Littlefield, also known as Caty or Kitty and they had six children who survived infancy. He was Quaker by birth, and struggled to reconcile the faiths commitment to pacifism throughout his military career and he continued to serve despite this, as did many other Quakers in the American Revolution. In August 1774, Greene helped organize a militia which was chartered as the Kentish Guards that October. His participation in the group was challenged because he had a pronounced limp, at this time, he began to acquire many expensive volumes on military tactics and began to teach himself the art of war. In December 1774, he was on an appointed by the assembly to revise the militia laws. His zeal in fighting the British and organizing the militia led to his expulsion from the pacifistic Quakers, on May 8,1775, he was promoted from private to major general of the Rhode Island Army of Observation formed in response to the Siege of Boston. He was appointed a brigadier of the Continental Army by the Continental Congress on June 22,1775, George Washington assigned Greene the command of the city of Boston after it was evacuated by the British in March 1776. Severe illness prevented him taking part in the Battle of Long Island. Greene was also a Rhode Island Freemason and bore a masonic jewel, Greene was prominent among those who advised a retreat from New York City. He also advocated the burning of the city so that the British might not use it and he justified this by asserting that the majority of property was owned by Loyalists. While Washington agreed with this, the proposal was rejected by Congress and he was placed in command of Fort Constitution on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. On October 25,1776, he succeeded General Israel Putnam in command of Fort Washington, Greene ordered Colonel Magaw, who was in immediate command, to defend the place until he should hear from him again, and reinforced it to meet General Howes attack
37.
Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec
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Part of a two-pronged invasion of the British Province of Quebec, his expedition passed through the wilderness of what is now Maine. The other expedition, led by Richard Montgomery, invaded Quebec from Lake Champlain, unanticipated problems beset the expedition as soon as it left the last significant colonial outposts in Maine. The portages up the Kennebec River proved grueling, and the boats frequently leaked, ruining gunpowder, more than a third of the men turned back before reaching the height of land between the Kennebec and Chaudière rivers. The areas on either side of the height of land were swampy tangles of lakes and streams, and the traversal was made more difficult by bad weather and inaccurate maps. Many of the troops lacked experience handling boats in white water, by the time Arnold reached the French settlements above the Saint Lawrence River in November, his force was reduced to 600 starving men. They had traveled about 350 miles through poorly charted wilderness, twice the distance they had expected to cover, assisted by the local French-speaking Canadiens, Arnolds troops crossed the Saint Lawrence on November 13 and 14 and attempted to put Quebec City under siege. Failing in this, they withdrew to Point-aux-Trembles until Montgomery arrived to lead an attack on the city. Arnold was rewarded for his effort in leading the expedition with a promotion to brigadier general, allen and Arnold were aware that Quebec was lightly defended, there were only about 600 regular troops in the entire province. Arnold, who had business in the province before the war. Congress did not want to alarm the people of Quebec, Arnold, who had hoped to lead the invasion, decided to pursue a different approach to Quebec. He went to Cambridge, Massachusetts in early August 1775, Washington approved of the idea in principle, but sent a message to General Schuyler on August 20 to ensure his support of the endeavor, since the two forces would need to coordinate their efforts. Arnolds plan called for the expedition to sail from Newburyport, Massachusetts along the coast, from there, they would use shallow-draft river boats called bateaux to continue up the Kennebec River, cross the height of land to Lake Mégantic, and descend the Chaudière River to Quebec. Arnold expected to cover the 180 miles from Fort Western to Quebec in 20 days, Washington introduced Arnold to Reuben Colburn, a boat builder from Gardinerstown, Maine, who was in Cambridge at the time. Colburn left for Maine on August 21 to fulfill these requests, Colburn asked Samuel Goodwin, the local surveyor in Gardinerston, to provide maps for Arnold. Goodwin, who was known to have Loyalist sympathies, provided maps that were inaccurate in the routes, distances, on September 2, Washington received a letter from General Schuyler in reply to his August 20 message. Schuyler agreed with the plan, and Washington and Arnold immediately began to raise troops. Arnold selected a force of 750 men from the number who expressed interest in the proposed expedition. Most of these were divided into two battalions, one commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Roger Enos and the other by Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Greene, the rest were placed in a third battalion under Daniel Morgan that included three companies—250 men—of Continental riflemen from Virginia and the Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment
38.
Hudson River
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The Hudson River is a 315-mile river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York in the United States. The river originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, flows through the Hudson Valley, the river serves as a political boundary between the states of New Jersey and New York, and further north between New York counties. The lower half of the river is a tidal estuary occupying the Hudson Fjord, tidal waters influence the Hudsons flow from as far north as Troy. The river is named after Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Dutch East India Company, who explored it in 1609, and after whom Canadas Hudson Bay is also named. The Dutch called the river the North River – with the Delaware River called the South River –, during the eighteenth century, the river valley and its inhabitants were the subject and inspiration of Washington Irving, the first internationally acclaimed American author. In the nineteenth century, the area inspired the Hudson River School of landscape painting, the Hudson was also the eastern outlet for the Erie Canal, which, when completed in 1825, became an important transportation artery for the early-19th-century United States. The source of the Hudson River is Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Park at an altitude of 4,322 feet, the river is not cartographically called the Hudson River until miles downstream. From that point on, the stream is known as the Hudson River. Popular culture and convention, however, more often cite the photogenic Lake Tear of the Clouds as the source, South of the confluence of Indian Pass Brook and Calamity Brook, the Hudson River flows south into Sanford Lake. South of the outlet of the lake, the Opalescent River flows into the Hudson, the Hudson then flows south, taking in Beaver Brook and the outlet of Lake Harris. After its confluence with the Indian River, the Hudson forms the boundary between Essex and Hamilton counties, in the hamlet of North River, the Hudson flows entirely in Warren County and takes in the Schroon River. Further south, the forms the boundary between Warren and Saratoga Counties. The river then takes in the Sacandaga River from the Great Sacandaga Lake, shortly thereafter, the river leaves the Adirondack Park, flows under Interstate 87, and through Glens Falls, just south of Lake George although receiving no streamflow from the lake. It next goes through Hudson Falls, at this point the river forms the boundary between Washington and Saratoga Counties. At this point the river has an altitude of 200 feet, further south the Hudson takes in water from the Batten Kill River and Fish Creek near Schuylerville. The river then forms the boundary between Saratoga and Rensselaer counties, the river then enters the heart of the Capital District. It takes in water from the Hoosic River, which extends into Massachusetts, shortly thereafter the river has its confluence with the Mohawk River, the largest tributary of the Hudson River, in Waterford. Shortly thereafter, the river reaches the Federal Dam in Troy, at an elevation of 2 feet, the bottom of the dam marks the beginning of the tidal influence in the Hudson as well as the beginning of the lower Hudson River
39.
Philadelphia campaign
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The Philadelphia campaign was a British initiative in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. From there, he advanced northward toward Philadelphia, Washington prepared defenses against Howes movements at Brandywine Creek, but was flanked and beaten back in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11,1777. After further skirmishes and maneuvers, Howe was able to enter, Washington then unsuccessfully attacked one of Howes garrisons at Germantown before retreating to Valley Forge for the winter. General Howe resigned during the occupation of Philadelphia and was replaced by his second-in-command, Clinton evacuated the troops from Philadelphia back to New York City in 1778 in order to increase that citys defenses against a possible Franco-American attack. Washington harried the British army all the way across New Jersey, at the end of the campaign the two armies were roughly in the same positions they were at its beginning. While this time was punctuated by numerous skirmishes, the British army continued to occupy outposts at New Brunswick and Perth Amboy, Germain approved his plan, although with fewer troops than Howe requested. He also approved plans by John Burgoyne for an expedition to force his way to Albany from Montreal, Washington realized that Howe certainly ought in good policy to endeavor to Cooperate with Genl. Burgoyne and was baffled why he did not do so, historians agree that Lord Germain did a poor job in coordinating the two campaigns. Following Howes capture of New York and Washingtons retreat across the Delaware, Howe on December 20,1776 wrote to Germain, proposing an elaborate set of campaigns for 1777. These included operations to control of the Hudson River, expand operations from the base at Newport, Rhode Island. The latter Howe saw as attractive, since Washington was then just north of the city, Howe wrote that he was persuaded the Principal Army should act offensively, where the enemys chief strength lies. Germain acknowledged that this plan was well digested, but it called for more men than Germain was prepared to provide. However, by mid-May Howe had apparently abandoned the idea of an overland expedition and we must probably abandon the Jersies. Along the same lines Don Higginbotham concludes that in Howes view, was Burgoynes whole show, with regard to Burgoynes army, he would do only what was required of him. He sailed from New York not long after, Washingtons Continental Army had been encamped primarily at Morristown, New Jersey, although there was a forward base at Bound Brook, only a few miles from the nearest British outposts. In response to this raid, Washington moved his army forward to a fortified position at Middlebrook in the Watchung Mountains that commanded likely British land routes toward Philadelphia. For reasons that are not entirely clear, General Howe moved an army to Somerset Court House. If he performed this move as a feint to draw Washington out from his position, it failed
40.
1st Rhode Island Regiment
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For the Civil War and Spanish-American War units see 1st Rhode Island Infantry. The 1st Rhode Island Regiment also, known as Varnums Continentals was a Continental Army regiment, from Rhode Island, like most regiments of the Continental Army, the unit went through several incarnations and name changes. It became well known as the Black Regiment because, for a time and it is regarded as the first African-American military regiment, despite the fact that its ranks were not exclusively African-American. Like many Continental Army regiments, the 1st Rhode Island was initially formed by a colonial or state government before being taken into the national army, the revolutionary Rhode Island Assembly authorized the regiment on 6 May 1775 as part of the Rhode Island Army of Observation. The regiment was organized on 8 May 1775 under Colonel James Mitchell Varnum and it consisted of eight companies of volunteers from Kent and King Counties. Varnum marched the regiment to Roxbury, Massachusetts, in June 1775, the regiment was adopted into the Continental Army on 14 June 1775. On 28 June it was reorganized into ten companies, on 28 July 1775, it was assigned to General Nathanael Greenes Brigade in General George Washingtons Main Army. In 1776, the Continental Army was completely reorganized, with many regiments receiving new names, on 1 January 1776, Varnums Regiment was reorganized with eight companies and re-designated as the 9th Continental Regiment. Under Colonel Varnum the regiment took part in the disastrous 1776 campaign, in 1777, the Continental Army was reorganized once again, and on 1 January 1777 the 9th Continental Regiment was re-designated as the 1st Rhode Island Regiment. Varnum no longer commanded the regiment, having made a brigadier general, his eventual successor was Colonel Christopher Greene. Under Colonel Greene the regiment successfully defended Fort Mercer at the Battle of Red Bank on 22 October 1777 against an assault by 2,000 Hessians, blacks had initially been barred from military service in the Continental Army from November 12,1775 until February 23,1778. This was because “bigoted Southern politicians” objected to black involvement in the War because they thought they would be bad soldiers, and they feared armed “negroes. Varnum had raised the idea in a letter to George Washington, the owners of slaves who enlisted were to be compensated by the Assembly in an amount equal to the market value of the slave. A total of 88 slaves enlisted in the regiment over the four months. The regiment eventually totaled about 225 men, probably fewer than 140 of these were African Americans, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment became the only regiment of the Continental Army to have segregated companies of black soldiers. The enlistment of slaves had been controversial, and after June 1778, under Colonel Greene, the regiment fought in the Battle of Rhode Island in August 1778. The regiment played a fairly minor—but praised—role in the battle, suffering three killed, nine wounded, and eleven missing, the first engagement of the “Black Regiment” came in 1778 at the Battle of Rhode Island. The Continental Army was soundly beaten at the Battle of Rhode Island, the regiment, under the leadership of Colonel Greene, held the line admirably, especially considering the British expected to break the line where the Rhode Island Regiment was
41.
Simeon Thayer
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Simeon Thayer fought in Rogers Rangers during the French and Indian War and made a harrowing escape from French-allied Indians. At the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, the Rhode Island assembly appointed him an officer and he quickly raised a company of soldiers and marched with them to the Siege of Boston. He and his men went on Benedict Arnolds expedition to Quebec during which time he kept a journal of his experiences and he fought at Quebec and was captured. After being paroled, he served as an officer in the Continental Army. Thayer distinguished himself at the Siege of Fort Mifflin in the autumn of 1777, for the period of four days he commanded the garrison until he was compelled to evacuate the fort by the tremendous bombardment. He fought at Barren Hill and Monmouth, where he was seriously wounded and he led his men in a clash at Springfield and retired from the army in 1781. Later, he served as a general of Rhode Island militia for three years. He was married three times and died after being thrown from a horse at age 63, Simeon Thayer was born in Mendon, Massachusetts on April 30,1737 of parents David and Jane Keith Thayer. His eight brothers and sisters were named Jean, David, Susanna, George, Faithful, Jemima, Mary, as a young man, he served as an apprentice to a wig-maker. In 1756 he volunteered for service with a Rhode Island regiment. Soon after, he joined Colonel Frys Massachusetts regiment and served in Rogers Rangers during three separate clashes with French-allied Indians and he became a prisoner after the Siege of Fort William Henry on August 9,1757. He survived the massacre of many British prisoners by pro-French Indians that followed the surrender, the captured troops were stripped of their weapons and much of their clothing and made to march from the fort. A tomahawk-armed Native Americans seized Thayer by his under-waistcoat and began dragging him toward a swamp, the garment tore off, allowing Thayer to flee his captor. He soon joined another prisoner and the two were pursued by an Indian who tomahawked his companion to death, Thayer began sprinting and reached Fort Edward in safety. The effort of running a distance on a hot day impaired his health and rendered him unfit for service for the rest of the French. In 1761, Thayer, now employed as a wig-maker in Providence, Rhode Island, when trouble with Great Britain started in 1772, he joined a grenadier company in the local militia. When war broke out, the Rhode Island general assembly commissioned him a captain in May 1775 and he personally enlisted his company to full strength and marched for Boston on May 19, arriving there two days later. These were the first Rhode Island troops to arrive in Boston and his company became part of Colonel Daniel Hitchcocks regiment in the Army of Observation
42.
Battles of Lexington and Concord
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The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19,1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge, near Boston. The battles marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen of its colonies on the mainland of British America. In late 1774 the Suffolk Resolves were adopted to resist the enforcement of the made to the Massachusetts colonial government by the British parliament following the Boston Tea Party. The colonial assembly responded by forming a Patriot provisional government known as the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, the rebel government exercised effective control of the colony outside of British-controlled Boston. In response, the British government in February 1775 declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion, through effective intelligence gathering, Patriot colonials had received word weeks before the expedition that their supplies might be at risk and had moved most of them to other locations. They also received details about British plans on the night before the battle and were able to notify the area militias of the British expedition. The first shots were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington, the militia were outnumbered and fell back, and the regulars proceeded on to Concord, where they broke apart into companies to search for the supplies. At the North Bridge in Concord, approximately 400 militiamen engaged 100 regulars from three companies of the Kings troops at about 11,00 am, resulting in casualties on both sides. The outnumbered regulars fell back from the bridge and rejoined the body of British forces in Concord. The British forces began their march to Boston after completing their search for military supplies. Gunfire erupted again between the two sides and continued throughout the day as the regulars marched back towards Boston, upon returning to Lexington, Lt. Col. Smiths expedition was rescued by reinforcements under Brigadier General Hugh Percy, a future duke of Northumberland known as Earl Percy. The combined force, now of about 1,700 men, marched back to Boston under heavy fire in a tactical withdrawal, the accumulated militias blockaded the narrow land accesses to Charlestown and Boston, starting the Siege of Boston. Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his Concord Hymn, described the first shot fired by the Patriots at the North Bridge as the shot heard round the world, Gages plan was to avoid conflict by removing military supplies from Whig militias using small, secret, and rapid strikes. This struggle for supplies led to one British success and several rebel successes in a series of nearly bloodless conflicts known as the Powder Alarms. Gage considered himself to be a friend of liberty and attempted to separate his duties as Governor of the colony, edmund Burke described Gages conflicted relationship with Massachusetts by saying in Parliament, An Englishman is the unfittest person on Earth to argue another Englishman into slavery. The colonists had been forming militias since the 17th century, initially for local defense against Indian attacks and these forces also saw action in the French and Indian War between 1754 and 1763 when they fought alongside British regulars. Under provincial law, all towns were obligated to form militia companies composed of all males 16 years of age and older, the militias were formally under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, but New England militia companies elected their own officers
United States of America
Rhode Island