pennsylvania rangers revolutionary war pennsylvania rangers revolutionary war

Washington wanted to use it as a vehicle for insuring tribal support--its Native American members would become hostages for the good behavior of the rest of the tribe--as well as a combat element. 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. From these beginnings of the Continental Army, a group of expert riflemen composed of hardy frontiersmen were formed in 1777 into an organization George Washington referred to as The Corps of Rangers. The traditional ranger usage reached its peak during the French and Indian War. Organized between October 25- November 26, 1775 at Philadelphia to consist of 8 companies from Philadelphia, Philadelphia City, Northampton, Berks and Bucks Counties. An online listing of officers in the You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. 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. On these permanent billet rolls the men in each company were listed as being either part of the first class, second class, third class, etc. Williams led the unit in patrol actions in New Jersey during the spring and summer, including an engagement at Bound Brook on April 11 or 12 and a skirmish at Amboy on April 25 in which one officer was killed. For this reason, a separate permanent billet record and an active duty record would have existed for each individual who saw active duty. The Rangers were engaged in numerous violent raids that characterized the northern frontier of the American Revolutionary War, such as the Battle of Wyoming in July 1778 and the Cherry Valley massacre of November 1778. 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. The whole force retreated to Isle Aux Noix and then to Crown Point, reached on July 1. At the beginning of 1775, Pennsylvania, founded under Quaker auspices, differed from other American colonies in being totally devoid of military organization. The 9th Pennsylvania Regiment was authorized September 16, 1776 and was assigned to the Main Continental Army on 27 December 1776. As a result of declining numbers, the Pennsylvania Regiments were reorganized into three provisional battalions. Please enable scripts and reload this page. In contrast, however, they received uniforms and arms from the state. 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. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, so many men volunteered to join the Associators that a more formal operating structure was required. who served in the war of the American Revolution, 1775-1783 It remained at Ticonderoga voluntarily until November 13 (three weeks beyond its term of service) to await the arrival of replacement troops. The 1st Pennsylvania was considered an elite unit and was given the post of honor on the right of the line. To cross it would put Watson deep within the heartland of the Whig resistance. The American revolutionaries were not without their Rangers, despite Rogers' support of the Crown. Relieved on April 27, 1776 from Green's Brigade and assigned to the. A portion of the Pennsylvanians, most of them riflemen, served on the American left flank against the Hessians. In certain counties there were recruited special troops calledRangers, who served long enlistments on the frontier against the Indians. Many members of the Pennsylvania Navy were entitled to and received Depreciation pay certificates, and, rather curiously, some were paid off with Certificates of the Funded or Militia Debt. Re-designated on January 1, 1777 as the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment. The Regiment was authorized on September 16, 1776 in the Continental Army as the 10th Pennsylvania Regiment. Gen. Anthony Wayne and Washington south in August where they fought at Brandywine on September 11, 1777. Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872 from NARA microfilm publication T718. January to June 1777 - During this period the unit was reorganized as the 6th Regiment with Colonel Henry Bicker as its commander. On July 1, 1776, the army reorganized yet again with each state directed to supply a quota of line regiments for Continental service. Relieved in January 1777 from Stirling's Brigade. Rangers, who served long enlistments on the frontier against the Indians. When active service occurred, it would have been for only sixty days at a time. The regiment would see action during the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Springfield. Pennsylvania claimed the 1st Continental Regiment as its own and renamed the regiment as the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. The men of the regiment refused at first to join the mutineers, but were finally forced to when the other troops threatened them at bayonet point and with artillery. Huddy was captured but escaped on the way back . Eight days later, Pennsylvania was directed to raise two additional companies, followed by a third. In June the men refused to report at camp for duty as they thought they were still on parole and had not been properly exchanged. For line troops, neither the type of service rendered nor the term of enlistment was uniform. Soon, the British regiment marched into view. On Sept. 1, 1780, Tye's brigade raided the Colts Neck home of Capt. . Redesignated on September 16, 1776 as the 12th Pennsylvania Regiment. Recipe Book - 1705. General financial confusion and the collapse of wartime currencies made prompt payment impossible, but eventually, under an act of April 1, 1784, Pennsylvania compensated such payment for their active service and settled accounts with certain other public creditors by passing to them interesting bearing Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Revolutionary War Re-Enactors. [2] The only time Pennsylvania seems to have had any sort of basic militia prior to the draft is during the winter months of 1776 into 1777. 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. In December, the 2nd Pennsylvania returned to Morristown for another winter. Samuel Morehead's Independent Company, an element of the. 1 . 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. Associators patterned essentially upon groups which had existed briefly in 1747-1748 and again after Braddock's defeat in 1755. 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. Organization was territorial, so that normally a company consisted of men from a single township, while a battalion included all the Associators of several neighboring townships. Pleased with James deployment, Marion reinforced him with an additional company and moved to a reserve position to the rear and out of sight. For a more detailed account of how the Pennsylvania militia system worked see "The Pennsylvania Militia in 1777" by Hannah Benner Roach in These certificates (bonds in the modern sense) were ultimately redeemed at face value. After camping at Valley Forge, the First Pennsylvania saw limited action at Monmouth. The few present were able to man a section of the army's first line of defense at Whitemarsh in early December, before moving with the rest of Washington's forces into the legendary winter encampment at Valley Forge. On May 18 the unit lost a junior officer killed in a fight at Paramus. It was here that they received a new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Harmar, on the 1st of January 1778. Search the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files of Connecticut Veterans from The National Archives: Capt. Volume Reel 0821 American Revolutionary War Service Records; Soldiers--United States--Registers Pennsylvania, Sixth Battalion (1776) Sixth Regiment: L - Z. As his situation grew more desperate with each passing day, Watson finally decided to retreat. The act called for eight battalion districts to be created in Philadelphia and in each of the eleven extant counties. The company commanders could also change. Unfortunately, neither this stick nor the carrot achieved the desired results. He was an able leader with a reputation of taking care of the welfare of his men. USA. American Revolutionary War From Bedford County Despite the fact that a totally comprehensive collection is not available, a number of rosters of Patriots of the American Revolutionary War from Bedford County, Pennsylvania have survived. Relieved on April 29, 1776 from Sullivan's Brigade and assigned to Greene's Brigade, an element of the, Relieved on August 12, 1776 from Greene's Brigade and assigned to Nixon's Brigade, an element of the, Relieved on August 31, 1776 from assignment to Nixon's Brigade and to Mifflin's Brigade (re-designated on October 8, 1776 as Stirling's Brigade), an element of the. Harmar would remain in this position until 1780. Four men running forward to recover his body were also killed in sequence. Re-designated on January 1, 1776 as the 1st Continental Regiment. 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. The Pennsylvania Lineoriginated in 1775 was organized into thirteen regiments and several independent companies. Many of the Invalids were subsequently pensioned. A counter charge of the remainder of Marions cavalry pushed the dragoons back across the land bridge. Pennsylvania, The 11th Pennsylvania fought again at Germantown on October 4, 1777. For the 2nd Class, the colonel of the 2nd Battalion, lieutenant colonel of the First Battalion, and major of the 4th Battalion entered service in command of the 2nd Class active-duty battalion. He is said to have been wounded and taken prisoner at Stillwater, N.Y., during a British-Indian attack on Morgan's camp in September 1777. Relieved on July 22, 1778 from the 3rd Pennsylvania Brigade and assigned to the 2nd Pennsylvania Brigade, and element of the, Reorganized on January 1, 1783 at Philadelphia, to consist of 9 companies, and assigned to the. The Regiment was authorized on December 9, 1775 in the Continental Army as the 2d Pennsylvania Battalion. Since the company captain and lower officers were also called up, their identities provide a clue to the permanent class, company, and battalion to which a particular individual belonged. The regiment would see action during the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of Monmouth. The regiment would see action during the New York Campaign, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Sullivan Expedition. Colonel John Bull was appointed colonel on May 2, 1777, but was succeeded on June 17 by Colonel Walter Stewart. During this time, Congress realized a more substantial national army with enlistments longer than 12 months would be needed to fight the war successfully. After wintering at Valley Forge the regiment was assigned to the Western Department, headquartered at Fort Pitt. Flying Camps were what we today might call mobile military reserves.