Recognizing that personal circumstances might in some cases make it inconvenient or even impossible for a particular individual to serve, the fine system was in part devised to provide money in lieu of service in order to hire substitutes. 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. On June 7, it fought at Connecticut Farms and on June 21 was at "the blockhouse" at Bergen Hts., where it joined the First Pennsylvania Regiment in a gallant but futile headlong charge on a sturdy Loyalist fortification despite the attempts of the officers to restrain the men. There were hopes that under this new form of government military service would become mandatory. "Light Horse Harry" Lee of Virginia (the father of Robert E. Lee) raised the only American-born unit under this concept. Military Association, a civilian reserve designed to repel invasion. Most of the Associators now disbanded. In March 1777, this indeed occurred. There, on January 1, 1781, the mutiny of the Pennsylvania troops took place. To each of her line soldiers, who served to the end of the war, Pennsylvania granted On New Year's Day, 1781, members of the 6th Pennsylvania joined the mutiny of the Pennsylvania regiments then quartered at Morristown. During the Seven Years' War most European armies developed partisan corps (also called frei korps). 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. Safely camped in the vicinity of Georgetown later that evening, Watson was extremely bitter, complaining that Marion and his men would not sleep and fight like gentlemen. Instead, like savages, they were eternally firing and whooping around us by night, and by day waylaying and popping at us from behind every tree! Marion and his partisan group of uncivilized American militia had soundly defeated the Buffs Regiment, one of the finest fighting combat units in the world. The Regiment was authorized on January 18, 1777 in the Continental Army as an independent company to guard prisoners of war at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Refusal to turn out for military exercises would result in a fine, the proceeds from which were used to hire substitutes. You can always change this later in your Account settings. 1st Pennsylvania Regiment (Revolutionary War) FamilySearch As a result of this alliance, Rogers greatest claim to fame during the Revolution and possibly most infamous overall was the seizure of Nathan Hale. Another sixty-six enlisted men were sick, and thirty-one were on detached service. Rangers, who served long enlistments on the frontier against the Indians. Contrary to common belief, none of the lands granted to veterans by the federal government were located in Pennsylvania. It spent the rest of the year in garrison at West Point and probably wintered at Morristown. USA. Search above to list available cemeteries. 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. 14 cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. L.G. Morning arrived and Watson again resumed his march with Marion leading. At the Battle of Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777, the regiment was part of the force guarding Chadds Ford until the British diversionary force stormed across the creek and compelled Wayne's Division to withdraw. The Pennsylvania Line originated in 1775 was organized into thirteen regiments and several independent companies. 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. Muster rolls of the navy and line, militia and rangers, 1775-1783:198-220 Intemediate Sources: USGENwebArchives Transcribed by Christina Hunt Archive.org, OCR Transcription. Though titled Rangers by Washington and a grateful American people, Morgans Rangers were not, in essence, Rangers in the sense of the uniquely trained, motivated, and challenged soldier. In fact over the period of several years the 3d South Carolina Regiment gradually evolved into a line infantry regiment. In October it participated in Anthony Wayne's defeat of the British at Valcour Island, but otherwise had an uneventful tour of garrison duty. At some point, the settlers at Hannastown erected a stockade, fashioned of logs placed upright in the ground, around a spring and a blockhouse at the edge of town. Associators patterned essentially upon groups which had existed briefly in 1747-1748 and again after Braddock's defeat in 1755. Revolutionary War Online Records Northumberland County Revolutionary War Militia They marched from Hannastown, Pennsylvania, to New Jersey in the winter of 1776-77, and the following campaign season took part in a number of battles, including Paoli, Brandywine, White Marsh, Boundbrook, and Germantown as part of Brig. This data collection contains an estimated 80,000 application files from officers and enlisted men who served in the Revolutionary War in all branches of the American military: army, navy, and marines. A militiaman called for active duty who found such duty inconvenient was permitted to hire a Substitute to march and fight in his stead. At Brandywine, the women of the 6th Pennsylvania were cited for their bravery under fire while bringing water to the men. These voluntary "Associators" never represented more than a fraction of the state's total population. Northumberland County Revolutionary War Militia Upper Division Associators, 24 January 1776 Commanding Officers: Col. unknown Allen, William; lieutenant in Colonel Timothy Green's battalion, 1776; wounded at White Plains. The regiment as a whole seems to have seen its first major action at the Battle of Brandywine, on September 11, 1777, and saw especially hard fighting, taking heavy casualties. The regiment was authorized in December, 1775 as the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion. When new elections were held for field officers in 1780 and 1783, the colonels elected at that time again drew lots for their rank and this resulted in a new order for the battalions. Lee particularly shined when his regulars stiffened the irregular local forces of leaders like Francis ("Swamp Fox") Marion. Only in extreme cases was any individual militia man required to drill with his neighbors as many as twelve times each year, and at most he was called upon to perform during the entire course of the war, two or possibly three, short tours of active duty. A County Lieutenant holding the rank of colonel was responsible for implenenting the law with the assistence of sub-lieutenants who held the rank of lieutenant colonel. On January 1, 1777, the survivors of the 5th Battalion, along with exchanged prisoners and new recruits, were reorganized into the 6th Pennsylvania. 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.. For an account of the arrangement and operations of the Pennsylvania Line soldiers see Resend Activation Email. Re-designated on January 1, 1777 as the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment. 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.. After spending the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge with the other regiments of the Pennsylvania Line, the 11th Pennsylvania took part in the campaign across New Jersey which followed. Realizing that he had done enough and that his men would not be able to stand in the open ground against such a disciplined and highly trained force, Marion had his men remount and follow him, leaving the field of battle to Watson. The regiment was disbanded on January 17, 1781 at Trenton, New Jersey. Pennsylvania Long Rifles. It was the last regiment to leave Long Island. Some of its troops were detached to serve with the special task force (the "light infantry corps") under Brig. November 30, 2006 by Trevor. It was consolidated with the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment on 17 January 1781 and re-designated as the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment and concurrently furloughed at Trenton, New Jersey. None of the light units employed by the Continental Army carried out a training role as Rogers' Rangers had during the French and Indian War. Unfortunately for Watson, the lack of trees and concealment did not diminish the fires, nor their accuracy. Men who served with Regiment and continued their service saw action at Yorktown and mopping up operations in South Carolina. At Mount Hope Swamp, Marion had his men disassemble the bridge. We have set your language to 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. Most of the regiment's men were recruited from Berks and Chester counties, although many came from Philadelphia and as far away as Northumberland County. Following a brief skirmish on the narrow land bridge, both sides withdrew. Mifflinburg, USA. 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. They also helped garrison Fort Pitt, Fort Henry, and a number of smaller posts. When active service occurred, it would have been for only sixty days at a time. Marions response was to once again reiterate his position that he was only responding in kind to British transgressions. On July 1, 1778, the regiment absorbed the remainder of the 13th Pennsylvania Regiment, most of its men's enlistments having expired. About; Leadership; Public Information; Contact; Join; . After the British attacked at Long Island, the 1st Continental Regiment covered the retreat the American army. Pennsylvania was assigned to provide 12 of these "Continental" regiments and decided to use the battalions created in 1775 as the foundation for the state's quota. Please try again later. The Pennsylvania Line: Regimental Organization and Operations, 1776-1783 by John B.B. Begin Main Content Area Bedford County Revolutionary War Militia. During this period, activist elements among Pennsylvania's population organized local volunteer "associations" that were eventually formed into fifty-three battalions. The military unit may also be identified by searching the collection "United States, Revolutionary War Compiled Service Records, 1775-1783" Index provided by Fold3.com and FamilySearch. Revolutionary War Records at FamilySearch. Mifflin' Brigade re-designated on October 8, 1776 as Stirling's Brigade. Seventy men, thirty of whom were sharpshooters, were dispatched to ride ahead to secure and hold the Lower Bridge under Major James. The Regiment then marched to Tappan to bolster the Garrison at Ticonderoga after Arnold's defection. American Revolutionary War Leaving twenty dead from the engagement, he, the wagons, and the remainder of his regiment forced the ford. For a more detailed account of how the Pennsylvania militia system worked see "The Pennsylvania Militia in 1777" by Hannah Benner Roach in Watson and his men remained where they were, subsisting off the plantation, gathering from those homes around them anything else they needed. Or were they Associators? Contrary to common belief, none of the lands granted to veterans by the federal government were located in Pennsylvania. 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. Following additional successes by the Swamp Fox, General Nathanael Greene would write the following to Francis Marion: When I consider how much you have done and suffered, and under what disadvantage you have maintained your ground, I am at a loss which to admire most, your courage and fortitude, or your address and management. Colonel Stewart called his regiment the Thirteenth Pennsylvania Regiment in his weekly return of October 27, and it was so designated and officially added to the Continental Line by a resolution of the Continental Congress dated November 12, 1777. This time, the question of military service was no longer optional. Like the Associators, they were volunteers. The men in each battalion elected their own field officers who carried the rank of colonel, lieutenant colonel and major and these officers were then commissioned by the state and expected to serve for three years. The origin of the ranger tradition lies in the seventeenth century wars between colonists and Native American tribes. It then reported to march with the army under Col. Arthur St. Clair and was involved at Three Rivers on June 9. The Pennsylvanians assigned to the fort, mostly from the Musket Battalion, are among those captured. It performed excellently in a light infantry role at the battle of Harlem Heights on 16 September 1776, but Knowlton suffered a mortal wound. As Thompson's Rifle Battalion, the regiment participated in the siege of Boston. Organized between March 13- May 29, 1776 at Chester to consist of 8 companies from Philadelphia City and Bucks, Philadelphia, Chester and Lancaster Counties. The individuals who volunteered at this time were formed into battalions by county and were known as "Flying Camps" that served on active duty until November 30, 1776. Soldiers who served during the years 1777-1780, when the currency was depreciating, were paid in These groups assisted state-controlled - yet still temporary - militias. The 13th Pennsylvania Regiment, also known as The Pennsylvania State Rifle Regiment and Miles's Regiment, was raised March 6, 1776, as a state militia regiment and later for service with the Continental Army. Exemptions were extremely limited, and an estimated 60,000 men were enrolled. Relieved on April 27, 1776 from Green's Brigade and assigned to the. Following the British practice of calling a regiment after its commander, this battalion came to be called Thompson's Rifle Battalion. 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. Relieved on November 18, 1776 from St. Clair's Brigade. Organized between January 31- August 19, 1777 at Lancaster as Capt. Reorganized and re-designated on January 1, 1777 as the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment, to consist of 8 companies. Scouts abounded about the British regiment. Many men listed on company rosters never drilled, and tens of thousands enrolled in the militia never experienced a single day of active duty. In 1779, the 6th Pennsylvania was part of the force commanded by "Mad" Anthony Wayne that stormed the British fortifications at Stony Point, NY (16 July). Reorganized and re-designated on January 1, 1777 as the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, to consist of 8 companies. About. Somewhat similarly, at the end of the war arrearages and allowances due were met by issuing to each soldier still in the service a number of interest-bearing Final Settlements, also calledPierce's Certificates. Eighty years after becoming the United States of America, the nation suffered a Civil War. These active duty rolls could be distinguished from the permanent billet rolls by the fact that instead of being listed by individual classes as they were in the permanent rolls, the names of the men were here listed under the name of the company captain. 13th Pennsylvania Regiment - Wikipedia