January 3, 1777 The Battle of Princeton. Within each county, the colonels drew lots for their individual rank, which was then assigned to their battalion as First Battallion, Second Battalion, Third Battalion, etc. These groups assisted state-controlled - yet still temporary - militias. To make amends for such depreciation, each of these men who in 1781 yet remained in line service was awarded a substantial sum in Minute Men, on call for special duty at short notice, but no evidence of the existence of such a corps in Pennsylvania survives. For an account of the arrangement and operations of the Pennsylvania Line soldiers see Associators patterned essentially upon groups which had existed briefly in 1747-1748 and again after Braddock's defeat in 1755. The battle took place in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania on July 3, 1778 in what is now Luzerne County. Revolutionary War Records Overview The Military Association, 1775-1777 At the beginning of 1775, Pennsylvania, founded under Quaker auspices, differed from other American colonies in being totally devoid of military organization. When General Washington asked for the middle Atlantic states to provide additional reinforcements willing to serve for six months duty in 1776, the Associator units were tapped as a manpower pool, though the individual units did not themselves become part of the Pennsylvania Line forces. It was here that they received a new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Harmar, on the 1st of January 1778. Due to the sixty-day turnover, however, none of the men who were at Brandywine in September would have been present at Whitemarsh in December. The regiment was disbanded on January 1, 1783. In certain counties there were recruited special troops calledRangers, who served long enlistments on the frontier against the Indians. For example, when the 1st Class was called up, the colonel of the 1st Battalion, the lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Battalion, and the major of the 3rd Battalion entered into service commanding the 1st Class active-duty Battalion. Undaunted, the British Regulars held their ground, unlimbered their field cannon, and repelled the attack. Though the act provided exemptions for members of the Continental Congress, Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council, Supreme Court judges, masters and teachers of colleges, ministers of the Gospel, and indentured servants, as a practical matter anyone could avoid serving either by filing an appeal to delay their service for a period of time or by paying a fine to hire a substitute. Realizing that he needed to clear the far bank first before his soldiers could safely enter the defile to cross the bridge, Watson emplaced his cannon. USA. July to August 1777 - With the rest of Washington's army the 6th Regiment marched back and forth across New Jersey and into New York and Pennsylvania while trying to ascertain the destination of General Howe's army, which had embarked on the British fleet. Organized between January 2- February 17, 1776 at Philadelphia to consist of 8 companies. September 11, 1777 The Battle of Brandywine. Furloughed on June 11, 1783 at Philadelphia (less 2 companies remaining active at Fort Pitt). Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The structure of the legionary corps focused on providing close reconnaissance and security patrols for a field army although various operational and manpower problems hampered most of the regiments from achieving complete success. John Nelson's Independent Rifle Company and assigned to the. Westmoreland County Revolutionary War Militia 1st Battalion, 1777 Commanding Officers: Col. Alexander Barr Lt. Col. John Pomery Major James Wilkins 2nd Battalion, 1777 Commanding Officers: Col. John Perry Lt. Col. John Shields Major Christopher Lavengair 3rd Battalion, 1778 Commanding Officers: Col. James Smith Lt. Col. Providence Mounts To the plantations Whig owner, Watson acknowledged he had never seen such shooting before in his life. While Watson established his headquarters in the plantation house, Marion and his men bivouacked in the woods of the ridge south of the ford. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File, Revolutionary War Pension Files and Related Accounts, Military Pension Accounts and Related Papers, Revolutionary War Soldiers' Claims and Related Papers, Revolutionary War Accounts and Miscellaneous Records (Associators Accounts), Revolutionary War Accounts and Miscellaneous Records (Line Accounts), Revolutionary War Accounts and Miscellaneous Records (Militia 3A Accounts), Revolutionary War Accounts and Miscellaneous Records (Militia 3B Accounts), Revolutionary War Accounts and Miscellaneous Records (Navy Accounts), American Loyalist Claims, [ca. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Military Records Pennsylvania in the Revolutionary War 1st Pennsylvania Regiment Brief History Also known as the Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion and Thompson's Rifle Battalion. On October 14, under pressure from the British rejoined the main force at Ticonderoga. On September 25 it rushed from Tappan, New York, to West Point to reinforce the garrison there after Benedict Arnold's treachery was discovered. We have set your language to These concerns were overcome and the regiment joined the army later in the month. Volume Reel 0821 American Revolutionary War Service Records; Soldiers--United States--Registers Pennsylvania, Sixth Battalion (1776) Sixth Regiment: L - Z. Please reset your password. Both Watson and Marion rode out to face each other across a quarter-mile causeway spanning the mire and marsh of the swamp. The enlisted men were held by the British until December 26, 1776 when they were set free on parole and, most probably, exchanged for prisoners held by the Continental Forces. About; Leadership; Public Information; Contact; Join; . Re-designated on January 1, 1776 as the 1st Continental Regiment. The American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence, was a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North American. These two needs determined the form and six of her armed vessels and the character of their operations. Defense Production Act Title III Presidential Determination for Airbreathing Engines, Advanced Avionics Position Navigation and Guidance Systems, and Constituent Materials for Hypersonic Systems, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Co-Hosts the First Irregular Warfare Medical Resiliency Working Group, Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III Message to the Force, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Message to the Force, Ranger Assessment & Selection Program How to Become a 75th Ranger, 75 Years Ago Today. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Virginia, From beginning to end during the Revolutionary War, the brunt of the fighting was borne by line troops, companies composed of men enlisted for not less than six months and frequently for the duration of the war. Joshua William's Independent Company. Morgan would continue to fight in support of the American Revolution in a number of significant battles, including the battle at Cowpens, South Carolina, on 17 January 1781. The item Washington County, Pa., Frontier Rangers, 1781-1782 : Washington County, Pa., Rangers, Revolutionary War burials of Greene County, Pa., Revolutionary War burials of Washington County, Pa., compiled by Paul W. Myers represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Indiana State Library. Relieved on November 18, 1776 from St. Clair's Brigade. The Pennsylvania Riflemen are sent to the left near Flatbush and the Musketeers are sent to the right with General Alexander. Pennsylvania Line Regiments and other Pennsylvania Units. Bucks County Associators and a chart showing how the units were organized is available. Lt. A man who failed to report for drill merely paid an A portion of the Pennsylvanians, most of them riflemen, served on the American left flank against the Hessians. 302-324. return to scholars showcase. Like the Associators, they were volunteers. Search above to list available cemeteries. The distance from bank to bank was the perfect sharpshooter distance, fifty yards. In the original concept rangers were full-time soldiers employed by the colonial governments to "range" between fixed frontier fortifications as a reconnaissance system to provide early warning of hostile raids. Shortly afterward, the Regiment helped delay Cornwallis before the Battle of Princeton. The regiment would see action during the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Springfield. The 7th Pennsylvania was present at Whitemarsh but did not fight. Samuel Morehead's Independent Company, an element of the. Comment: Adapted here with some reformating, and standardization, Links to person articles to be added as they come available. The regiment never recruited the Indian component, and changes in British operations led to the transformation of the white elements into normal infantry. This time, the question of military service was no longer optional. Captured in part on November 16, 1776 by the British Army at Fort Washington, New York. Choosing escape, Watson abruptly wheeled his Regiment to the right and proceeded to move at a quick pace across fifteen miles of marsh and pine lands to the Santee Road. Mifflin' Brigade re-designated on October 8, 1776 as Stirling's Brigade. Pulaski's Independent Legion. Within the formation were the wagons, periodically stopping to gather more wounded or dead. The regiment participated in the unsuccessful defense of New York City and was captured in part at Fort Washington (16 Nov., 1776). For this reason, a separate permanent billet record and an active duty record would have existed for each individual who saw active duty. By the end of that year, Pennsylvania had adopted a new more radical constitution that wrested control from the older conservative Assembly and in early 1777 the new Assembly passed Pennsylvania's first militia law requiring compulsory military service. Revolutionary War Records at FamilySearch. The next year, the regiment took part in a number of small engagements in New Jersey and again wintered at Morristown. The four regiments of light dragoons transformed into combined arms Legionary Corps composed of four mounted and two dismounted troops; the various partisan elements consolidated into two Partisan Corps, each with three mounted and three dismounted troops. Rangers committed to prolonged enlistment periods and rather than fight the war for independence, they patrolled Pennsylvania's western frontier, often fending off Indian attacks. For a more detailed account of how the Pennsylvania militia system worked see "The Pennsylvania Militia in 1777" by Hannah Benner Roach in Relieved in January 1777 from Stirling's Brigade. Commanded by Dan Morgan, this Ranger force was singled out by British General John Burgoyne, the commander of British forces intent on isolating the New England colonies, as the most famous corps of the Continental Army, all of them crack shots.. The regiment spent the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge and took part in the Battle of Monmouth (28 June) the following summer. The young officer, nicknamed "The Irish Beauty" by the ladies of Philadelphia, was a close friend of Anthony Wayne's and well acquainted with Washington as well. They were either used to augment the operations of the Continental Line such as when some of the Associators accompanied General Washington in crossing the Delaware in January 1777. After each tour of duty was completed, all of the privates and the company and field officers were returned to their permanent battalion billets. An online listing of officers in the That evening both sides encamped, though Marion did order his night patrols to take shots at Watsons sentinels. Under the provisions of the Militia Law, the men called up for active duty were automatically assigned to companies whose numbers were different from their own company numbers on the permanent billet rolls. The traditional ranger usage reached its peak during the French and Indian War. The regiment was furloughed, on June 11, 1783, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and disbanded on November 15, 1783. Marion knew that an engagement with them would not be easy and he could expect no support from the American army. . Gen. USA. These sharpshooters were proving to be so successful that Watson felt compelled by noon to redeploy his regiment to a large open field about a half-mile away. Marions response was to once again reiterate his position that he was only responding in kind to British transgressions. Learn more. Capt. Following a brief skirmish on the narrow land bridge, both sides withdrew. The financial difficulties of the new government, difficulties that lasted into the 1790's, complicated the payment of troops. For most counties, the town or township from which each of the companies were recruited is also given when known. The regiment would see action during the Battle of Valcour Island, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Springfield. The regiment was disbanded on January 17, 1781 at Trenton, New Jersey. It gained permanent status as a two-company force on 15 October of that year and provided reconnaissance capability to the Northern Department until 1 January 1781 when it disbanded at Coos, New Hampshire, as part of a general reorganization of the Continental Army. The sharpshooters were placed at the abutment where they had the clearest shot at the far end of the bridge while the remaining musketeers secured their flanks. They occasionally operated with friendly Indians, but more commonly served the British as a substitute for traditional allies. Pay for military service was often long delayed. Benjamin Church (1639-1718) of Massachusetts developed a special full-time unit mixing white colonists selected for frontier skills with friendly Indians to carry out offensive strikes against hostile Indians in terrain where normal militia units were ineffective. With no radical changes, the new militia system served the Commonwealth through war and peace until 1842. Eighty years after becoming the United States of America, the nation suffered a Civil War. Following a disastrous expedition to Quebec, Canada, and his subsequent capture and parole as a prisoner, Morgan was appointed a colonel of a rifle regiment. The Pennsylvanians assigned to the fort, mostly from the Musket Battalion, are among those captured. January to June 1777 - During this period the unit was reorganized as the 6th Regiment with Colonel Henry Bicker as its commander. William Hendrick's and Mathew Smith's companies each additionally served in: On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution calling for the raising of six companies of expert riflemen from Pennsylvania, two from Maryland, and two from Virginia. Rogers wrote the 19 standing orders that are still in use today. August 25-27, 1776 The Battle of Long Island. This arrangement represents more of a means of organizing manpower from specific geographical localities rather than reflecting the activity of acting military units that were drawn from this manpower pool. Pennsylvania Militia was organized under an act of March 7, 1777, which provided for compulsory enrollment by the constables of all able-bodied male whites between the ages of eighteen and fifty-three. The Regiment was authorized on January 18, 1777 in the Continental Army as an independent company to guard prisoners of war at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Captured by one of Rogers scouting units and personally escorted to confinement by Rogers, himself, the great American patriot Hale would be tried and hung from the gallows shortly thereafter, as a traitor, but not before uttering his immortal declaration, I only regret that I have one life to lose for my country.. Militias were paid out of Pennsylvania's then-functioning provincial treasury. Participating in a part of the left wing under Nathaniel Green, the Pennsylvanians assist in the defeat of the Hessians under Colonel Rall. During the afternoon the forces under General John Sullivan fought with the enemy for almost two hours near Birmingham Meeting House. Undaunted by the destroyed bridge or the rebels fire, the lead guardsmen closed column and plunged across the river. But they were engaged with one of the finest regiments in the British army and, thus, in the world. Robert Rogers of New Hampshire organized a corps of New England woodsmen as full-time Provincials directly under British military auspices and paid out of British funds. Col. DeHaas was promoted to a brigadier general in February and was replaced by Col. James Irvine, who resigned in June. With his cavalry defeated, Watson advanced his guards. Unfortunately, neither this stick nor the carrot achieved the desired results. Formation [ edit] Only in a few instances did her armed vessels pass beyond the Capes of the Delaware into the Atlantic. The east bank of the river was low, open, and swampy. An attack against Morgan and his crack shots by a British force of 1,100 men would result in a brilliant double envelopment that has been called by historians the American Cannae. The British defeat was total with over 110 soldiers killed and 830 captured. During the Seven Years' War most European armies developed partisan corps (also called frei korps). 3, The Pennsylvania Line: Regimental Organization and Operations, 17751783. Frequently no substitute was furnished, but instead a The Regiment was authorized on December 9, 1775 in the Continental Army as the 2d Pennsylvania Battalion. Maybe they were militia or Rangers. This was the decisive point of the campaign that required Marion to attack. On the brink of war, the Continental Congress passed a resolution on 14 June 1775, on what is known as Flag Day, that "six companies of expert riflemen be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia." Sullivan in his campaign against the Iroquois in western Pennsylvania. At Morristown, during the winter of 1780-81, the 7th Pennsylvania was involved in a mutiny with other Pennsylvania Regiments after which the unit was disbanded. The American revolutionaries were not without their Rangers, despite Rogers' support of the Crown. Soldiers who served during the years 1777-1780, when the currency was depreciating, were paid in Arriving from Ireland Kauffman, This browser does not support getting your location. Men who served with Regiment and continued their service saw action at Yorktown and mopping up operations in South Carolina. The regiment was furloughed January 17, 1781 at Trenton, New Jersey and disbanded on January 1, 1783. Revolutionary War PA Colonial Rangers 14 memorials Pvt James Chambers 19 May 1761 - 16 May 1780 Lewis Cemetery Mifflinburg, Union County, Pennsylvania, USA PVT George Etzweiler unknown - 26 May 1780 Pvt George Etzweiler Burial Site Mifflinburg, Union County, Pennsylvania, USA PVT John Forster Jr. unknown - 16 May 1780 Lewis Cemetery In January 1776, the eight companies of the newly-formed battalion began leaving the state to participate in Benedict Arnold's ill-fated attempt to capture Quebec. The two dismounted troops armed and equipped as light infantry provided a defensive element to protect the camp from enemy surprise attack, and also provided a base of fire around which the mounted elements could maneuver.