pennsylvania rangers revolutionary war

The 10th Pennsylvania Regiment was raised September 16, 1776 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for service with the Continental Army. 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. Stephanie Hoover 2017 - All Rights Reserved, Directory of Pennsylvania Genealogical & Historical Societies, Pennsylvania Research Reference Materials. Copyright 2017 RevolutionaryWar.us | All Rights Reserved, Captain Samual Morehead's Independent Company, Captain Jacob Weaver's Independent Company, Revolutionary War Records at the Pennsylvania State Archives, Pennsylvania Final Payment Vouchers Index for Military Pensions, 1818-1864, Pennsylvania Revolutionary War Prize Cases - Captured Vessels, Pennsylvania Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, Pennsylvania Revolutionary War Service Records, Pennsylvania in the War of the Revolution : battalions and line, 1775-1783, Pennsylvania Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the American Revolution, List of Soldiers and Widows of Soldiers Granted Revolutionary War Pensions by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Militia in 1777: A Reprint from The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vol. For Northumberland County, the number of militiamen serving in each company of the 1776 Associator Battalions and for the 1778 3rd and 4th Militia Battalions is provided. 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. Please reset your password. A man who failed to report for drill merely paid an Pleased with James deployment, Marion reinforced him with an additional company and moved to a reserve position to the rear and out of sight. Before daybreak, Marion roused his men and deployed his troops. During this period, 135 men and officers were detached to Col. Daniel Morgan and participated in the Saratoga campaign as part of his rifle corps. Pennsylvania Long Rifles. But they were engaged with one of the finest regiments in the British army and, thus, in the world. September 11, 1777 - Stirling's Division takes part in the action on the right of Washington's army during the battle of Brandywine. The Pennsylvania Council of Safety prescribes that there will be ten companies, "eight of them armed with muskets and the other two with riffles." Nothing will give me greater pleasure, than to do justice to your merit, and I shall miss no opportunity of declaring to Congress, the Commander-in-chief of the American Army, and to the world in general, the great sense I have of your merit and services. Continental bills of Credit, which quickly lost value. Volume Reel 0822 American Revolutionary War Service Records; Soldiers--United States--Registers Pennsylvania, Seventh Battalion (Cumberland County Militia), Seventh Regiment: A -F American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies . With his cavalry defeated, Watson advanced his guards. The militia did provide a significant defensive force patrolling the south side of the Schuylkill River and engaged in occasional clashes with British outposts and scouting parties including heavy skirmishes at Whitemarsh on December 7. . Lt. 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. The Regiment was authorized on October 12, 1775 in the Continental Army as the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion. Colonel Piper are captured. Trussell, Jr. (Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1977). 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. Relieved in January 1777 from Stirling's Brigade. It was assigned on August 12, 1776 to Stirling's Brigade, an element of the Main Army. The regiment lost two men wounded in this action. Curtailing his attempt to clear the far side first, Watson formed his men in column and ordered the first column forward with its captain out front. The majority of the Regiment fought with the main army at Brandywine, covered the American retreat at Paoli, attacked at Germantown, and skirmished at Whitemarsh. It was during this action that the "wives of several of the soldiers belonging to the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment took the empty canteens of their husbands and friends and returned them filled with waterduring the hottest part of the engagement, although frequently cautioned as to the danger of coming into the line of fire.". Mifflinburg, A militiaman called for active duty who found such duty inconvenient was permitted to hire a Substitute to march and fight in his stead. In the mid 1700s, Capt. On July 1, 1778, the regiment absorbed the remainder of the 13th Pennsylvania Regiment, most of its men's enlistments having expired. Revolutionary Soldiers, thanks again Ed Carsons In April of 1781, Robinson's Rangers had already been involved, as General Potter stated in his letter xiv in a "sharp engagement at Bald Eagle Creek." Little is known of that particular engagement, and perhaps it is the same one related by Van Campen, later. Contrary to myth, the light troops in the Continental Army overwhelmingly followed European doctrinal concepts. There was a problem getting your location. 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. During 1777, the regiment participated in the Philadelphia Campaign and fought at the Battles of Brandywine (11 Sept.) and Germantown (4 Oct.). In response to the Associators' building dissatisfaction, the Provincial Assembly passed a tax on men aged 16 to 50 who did not volunteer, and paid a bonus to those who did. 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. Marion knew that an engagement with them would not be easy and he could expect no support from the American army. 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.. 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. 1 . USA, Winfield, Samuel Morehead's Independent Company, an element of the. Gen. Anthony Wayne's Division. Supporting Army Rangers past, present, and future-RLTW. Most of the Associators now disbanded. Organized between January 31- August 19, 1777 at Lancaster as Capt. Baffled about what to do next, Watson waited on the bluff until evening, when he withdrew to a plantation a mile north of the bridge. Watson did not take long to initiate the fight. Please enable scripts and reload this page. For line troops, neither the type of service rendered nor the term of enlistment was uniform. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Organized in spring 1777 at Kittanning to consist of 8 companies from Westmoreland County. In Pennsylvania, the Associators once again stepped up to fill these roles, but the cost and commitment of their near continuous service were growing burdensome. The mix of mounted and dismounted men gave it somewhat greater staying power in independent firefights while also allowing rapid forced marches (each light infantryman held on to a dragoon's stirrups). Formation [ edit] Many men listed on company rosters never drilled, and tens of thousands enrolled in the militia never experienced a single day of 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. The 7th Pennsylvania marched with Brig. The whole force retreated to Isle Aux Noix and then to Crown Point, reached on July 1. Relieved on November 14, 1776 from St. Clair's Brigade and assigned to the. 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. About Us | Contact Us | Copyright | Report Inappropriate Material Soldiers who served during the years 1777-1780, when the currency was depreciating, were paid in Congress called for a Flying Camp to serve under General George Washington. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. As Marions men turned back from the fires, Watson loaded two wagons with wounded. For most counties, the town or township from which each of the companies were recruited is also given when known. Reorganized and re-designated on January 1, 1777 as the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, to consist of 8 companies. Reorganized and redesignated on January 1, 1777 as the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment, to consist of 8 companies. During the Revolutionary War, Western Pennsylvania saw much fighting between American soldiers and British rangers and their Indian allies. The term "Pennsylvania Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Pennsylvania at various times by theContinental Congress. 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. In 1776, the state's Provincial Assembly was replaced by a General Assembly and a new Pennsylvania constitution. Most crucial to the American Revolutionary War effort was the fact that between 15 August 1780 and 8 September 1781, Marion and his men alone held eastern South Carolina from the British. During the 1777 campaign, the regiment split, with the smaller rifle corps joining Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates at Saratoga. Swearingen resigned from the service in August 1779 and settled in Washington County, Pa., where he owned a handful of slaves and became the county's first sheriff two years later. The Regiment was authorized on August 23, 1776 in the Continental Army as the Northampton and Northumberland Defense Battalion and assigned to the. 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. On June 10, 1777, the Pennsylvania Assembly, following the advice of the Supreme Executive Council of the state, transferred the state regiment to Continental service. Reorganized on July 1, 1778 to consist of 9 companies. Organized between January 2- late March 1776 at Philadelphia to consist of 8 companies from Philadelphia City and Berks, Bucks Chester and Philadelphia Counties. 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. Consolidated on January 17, 1781 with the, Reorganized on January 1, 1783 at Ashley Hills, South Carolina, to consist of 9 companies, and assigned to the. Pennsylvania Archives volumes and not directly from original archival records. Organized in between September 28- December 18, 1776 at Sunbury to consist of 8 companies from Northampton, Berks, Cumberland and Northumberland Counties. Joshua William's Independent Company. An online listing of officers in the Furloughed on January 17, 1781 at Trenton, New Jersey. New Hampshire, In formal battles it provided unblemished flank security, but it was even better in rear battle by conducting deep raids against British logistical bases. With no radical changes, the new militia system served the Commonwealth through war and peace until 1842. January 3, 1777 The Battle of Princeton. Pennsylvania claimed the 1st Continental Regiment as its own and renamed the regiment as the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. This collection is from Record Group 93, War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, and is National Archives Microfilm publication M246. 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. Men who served with Regiment and continued their service saw action at Yorktown and mopping up operations in South Carolina. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Pierce's Certificates. Black regimental hats are bound up in yellow.Records of deserters in 1777-78 show however, men clad in various color regimental coats and hunting shirts. Relieved on May 22, 1777 from Stirling's Brigade and assigned to the 1st Pennsylvania Brigade, an element of the. 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. 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. The regiment was in combat again on September 20 when, with the rest of Wayne's division, it was surprised at Paoli. November 30, 2006 by Trevor. December 26, 1776 The Battle of Trenton. Organized between July 15- September 15, 1776 at Kittanning to consist of 8 companies from Westmoreland, Bedford and Cumberland Counties. The U.S. Army Ranger history predates the Revolutionary War. The situation was not good. 31; Dillin, John G.W., The Kentucky Rifle p. 83-84. . When several classes were called up for active duty, a separate roll for each company listed the names of the men who actually served, either in person or as substitutes. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Various state governments did employ such units for local frontier security, but the Continental Army formed very few, in part because George Washington considered frontier security to be a local responsibility and focused national military forces on opposing regular British and German units in a formal battlefield context. Other units in the Continental Army either used the term ranger in their designation or were commonly called rangers, but did not serve in that capacity in the traditional sense. John Doyle's Independent Rifle Company. In 1779, a detachment accompanied light infantry troops in the storming of Stoney Point. 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. June 10, 1777 The transfer of the Pennsylvania State Regiment to the Continental service is formalized. 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. Seventy men, thirty of whom were sharpshooters, were dispatched to ride ahead to secure and hold the Lower Bridge under Major James. Revolutionary War Re-Enactors. But the bluff was too high and the artillery canister just passed overhead of the defenders on the east bank when fired. 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. December 19, 1777 - After an encampment of almost six weeks at Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania the army moved into its winter quarters at Valley Forge where they would remain for the next six months. Queen's Rangers. The regiment was furloughed January 17, 1781 at Trenton, New Jersey and disbanded on January 1, 1783. John Nelson's Independent Rifle Company and assigned to the. You can always change this later in your Account settings. About; Leadership; Public Information; Contact; Join; . He and Washington intended it to be the companion to the famous "Blue Book", but operational factors prevented its publication and distribution. USA, Somerset, After the British attacked at Long Island, the 1st Continental Regiment covered the retreat the American army. In fact, Major General Friedrich von Steuben wrote a separate drill manual for them in late 1780. Like the Associators, they were volunteers. With France entering the conflict on the side of the new United States in May, the British abandoned Philadelphia and moved across New Jersey to the more easily defended stronghold of New York City. Ohio, Late that afternoon, he bivouacked south of Nelsons Ferry. In contrast, however, they received uniforms and arms from the state. PHMC. To get things off to a spirited start, he dispatched a detachment of sharpshooters across the river to the plantation where Watson and his troops were housed with orders to shoot his sentries and to wreak havoc. From there it moved to Morristown, New Jersey, for the encampment in Jockey Hollow where it endured the most brutal winter of the 18th Century. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 23 (No. All males aged 20 to 45 - including immigrants seeking citizenship - had to register for the draft. The Raid at Cabanatuan, Philippines, 75th Ranger Regiment The Legacy Continues. Associators patterned essentially upon groups which had existed briefly in 1747-1748 and again after Braddock's defeat in 1755. For line troops, neither the type of service rendered nor the term of enlistment was uniform. 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. Minute Men, on call for special duty at short notice, but no evidence of the existence of such a corps in Pennsylvania survives. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. At Mount Hope Swamp, Marion had his men disassemble the bridge. The regiment was authorized in December, 1775 as the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion. The Pennsylvanians assigned to the fort, mostly from the Musket Battalion, are among those captured. Comment: Adapted here with some reformating, and standardization, Links to person articles to be added as they come available. Reorganized and re-designated on January 1, 1777 as the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment, to consist of 8 companies.