1st American Regiment (1783-1784)
Encyclopedia
1st American Regiment, also known as Jackson's Continental Regiment of 1783-1784, was the last unit in the Continental Army
, retained after the close of the American Revolutionary War
. This regiment, under the command of Colonel Henry Jackson
of Massachusetts
, was not the same unit as Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment of 1777, which had become the 16th Massachusetts Regiment
in 1780 and had been disbanded in 1781. Equally, this regiment should not be confused with the First American Regiment
of 1784-1791, which was originally commanded by Colonel Josiah Harmar
, has remained in service to the present, and is now the 3d United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).
However, when Jackson's Regiment was disbanded in 1784 one company remained in service and was assigned to Harmar's Regiment. The remaining company, under Captain John Doughty, had been raised by Alexander Hamilton
in 1776 and had ended the war as the 2d Company, 2d Continental Artillery Regiment. Through various reorganizations the company has continued in the United States Army
to the present day.
, September 3, 1783, presented the Continental Congress
with the question of providing the newly independent United States with a peacetime Regular Army. Due to a well regulated Milita being necessary to a free State the Congress considered several plans for a permanent peace establishment, but failed to adopt any of them.
A compromise was found when the Congress finally settled on the expedient of provisionally organizing a single regiment to remain in service. Command of the new regiment was given to Colonel Henry Jackson
.
on October 23, 1783. Under this arrangement, Jackson's Regiment and the Continental Army were virtually the same thing. Jackson's Regiment was organized at West Point, New York
, on November 3, 1783. The field armies which had composed the Continental Army were disbanded in November 1783. Jackson's Regiment was the force which succeeded them.
His regiment was to consist of a regimental headquarters and nine companies. Most, but not all, of the men under his command were veterans of the Massachusetts Line
. In addition to the Massachusetts veterans, Captain John Doughty's Company of the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment was attached to the regiment, as were the remaining officers and men of the Corps of Invalids. The 2d Continental Artillery had been placed on the New York quota in 1781 and the Corps of Invalids had been raised at large.
. The company was organized at New York City in the spring of 1776. Its first commander was Captain Alexander Hamilton
. On March 17, 1777 the company, then commanded by Captain Doughty, was assigned to Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment. In August 1779 it was numbered the 2d Company in the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment.
resolved to raise a Corps of Invalids. The Invalids, a body of physically disabled Continental Army veterans, were organized as a regiment of eight companies under the command of Colonel Lewis Nicola
. They were intended to serve as guards at magazines, hospitals, and similar establishments. It was also hoped that the corps could serve as a military school, but this seems not to have happened.
, Major General Henry Knox
, submitted to Congress a list of Continental Army officers remaining in service, and a return showing the organization of Jackson's Regiment. The regiment consisted of 775 officers and men:
until its disbandment. The regiment had not been authorized until after the Armistice between Great Britain
and the United States
went into effect in April 1783 and the definitive Treaty of Peace
had been signed in September. For several months after the peace had been signed, but before the treaty had been signed or ratifications exchanged, the British continued to occupy New York City
, and Britain occupied posts in the Old Northwest
into the 1790s. The two senior officers of the regiment, Colonel Jackson and Lieutenant Colonel William Hull
, had prominent roles in the final scenes of the war.
The Neutral Ground of New York was a district on the eastern shore of the Hudson River between the outposts of the British Army on Manhattan
and the outposts of the Continental Army in the Hudson Highlands. It included most of the present Westchester County
. From 1778 to 1783 is was a "no man's land" dominated by marauders from both sides, known as Cowboys and Skinners. In the latter part of 1783 Lieutenant Colonel William Hull
led a provisional light corps into the area to aid the State of New York
in restoring its authority there.
The British Army evacuated New York City
as a result of negotiations between George Washington
and Sir Guy Carleton
. As the senior regimental officer present, Colonel Jackson
had immediate command of the 800-man column that marched into New York City on November 25, 1783, under General Washington
, to formally take possession for the United States
.
.
The Congressional resolve of June 2, 1784 caused Major Doughty's Artillery Company to continue in service, as his company was the unit retained. To his company belongs the distinction of being the only element of the Continental Army
to continue in service after the war as an element of the United States Army
.
On the following day, June 3, 1784 the Continental Congress
resolved to raise a new regiment, the First American Regiment of 1784-1791, consisting of eight infantry companies and two artillery companies. Captain Doughty furnished the senior company. The 2d Artillery Company, First American Regiment, was raised in Pennsylvania and commanded by Captain Thomas Douglass, who had been an officer in Thomas Proctor's 4th Continental Artillery Regiment from 1777 to 1783.
The organization of the United States Army changed frequently in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century; but on June 1, 1821 the company that had been commanded by Major Doughty in 1784 was designated Company "F," 4th United States Regiment of Artillery. The company retained this designation until 1901.
The company received a different designation in that year and, in a further reorganization on May 31, 1907 it became Battery "D," 5th United States Field Artillery Regiment. The battery served in France in World War I
as an element of the 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces.
On October 1, 1940 the battery became Battery "D," 5th Field Artillery Battalion. It served in North Africa
and Europe
in World War II
.
The former Battery "D," 5th Field Artillery Battalion, after a further period of reorganization, was redesignated the 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion, 5th Artillery, on April 20, 1960 and as the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery (Alexander Hamilton Battery), on January 20, 1964.
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
, retained after the close of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. This regiment, under the command of Colonel Henry Jackson
Henry Jackson (general)
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 19 October 1747, Henry Jackson was the youngest son of Joseph and Susannah Jackson. Before the War for Independence, he was an officer of the First Corps of Cadets in Boston, which was disbanded during the British occupation...
of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, was not the same unit as Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment of 1777, which had become the 16th Massachusetts Regiment
16th Massachusetts Regiment
The 16th Massachusetts Regiment also known as Henry Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment was raised on January 12, 1777 under Colonel Jackson at Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Rhode Island...
in 1780 and had been disbanded in 1781. Equally, this regiment should not be confused with the First American Regiment
First American Regiment
The First American Regiment was the first peacetime regular army force authorized by United States Congress after the American Revolutionary War...
of 1784-1791, which was originally commanded by Colonel Josiah Harmar
Josiah Harmar
Josiah Harmar was an officer in the United States Army during the American Revolution and the Northwest Indian War. He was the senior officer in the Army for seven years....
, has remained in service to the present, and is now the 3d United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).
However, when Jackson's Regiment was disbanded in 1784 one company remained in service and was assigned to Harmar's Regiment. The remaining company, under Captain John Doughty, had been raised by Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
in 1776 and had ended the war as the 2d Company, 2d Continental Artillery Regiment. Through various reorganizations the company has continued in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
to the present day.
Peacetime Regular Army
The ratification of the Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
, September 3, 1783, presented the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
with the question of providing the newly independent United States with a peacetime Regular Army. Due to a well regulated Milita being necessary to a free State the Congress considered several plans for a permanent peace establishment, but failed to adopt any of them.
A compromise was found when the Congress finally settled on the expedient of provisionally organizing a single regiment to remain in service. Command of the new regiment was given to Colonel Henry Jackson
Henry Jackson (general)
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 19 October 1747, Henry Jackson was the youngest son of Joseph and Susannah Jackson. Before the War for Independence, he was an officer of the First Corps of Cadets in Boston, which was disbanded during the British occupation...
.
Organization
Jackson's Rement was authorized as an element of the Continental ArmyContinental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
on October 23, 1783. Under this arrangement, Jackson's Regiment and the Continental Army were virtually the same thing. Jackson's Regiment was organized at West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, on November 3, 1783. The field armies which had composed the Continental Army were disbanded in November 1783. Jackson's Regiment was the force which succeeded them.
His regiment was to consist of a regimental headquarters and nine companies. Most, but not all, of the men under his command were veterans of the Massachusetts Line
Massachusetts Line
The Massachusetts Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Massachusetts Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Massachusetts at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states,...
. In addition to the Massachusetts veterans, Captain John Doughty's Company of the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment was attached to the regiment, as were the remaining officers and men of the Corps of Invalids. The 2d Continental Artillery had been placed on the New York quota in 1781 and the Corps of Invalids had been raised at large.
Doughty's Artillery Company
Doughty's Company was originally authorized on January 6, 1776 by the New York Provincial Congress as the New York Provincial Artillery CompanyNew York Provincial Company of Artillery
During the American Revolutionary War, the New York Provincial Company of Artillery was created by the New York Provincial Congress in 1776 to defend New York City from British attack.-History:...
. The company was organized at New York City in the spring of 1776. Its first commander was Captain Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
. On March 17, 1777 the company, then commanded by Captain Doughty, was assigned to Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment. In August 1779 it was numbered the 2d Company in the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment.
Corps of Invalids
On June 20, 1777 the Continental CongressContinental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
resolved to raise a Corps of Invalids. The Invalids, a body of physically disabled Continental Army veterans, were organized as a regiment of eight companies under the command of Colonel Lewis Nicola
Lewis Nicola
Lewis Nicola was an army officer in the American army during the American Revolutionary War. He was brevetted brigadier general in 1783...
. They were intended to serve as guards at magazines, hospitals, and similar establishments. It was also hoped that the corps could serve as a military school, but this seems not to have happened.
Strength of the 1st American Regiment, January 3, 1784
On January 3, 1784 the Commanding General of the ArmyCommanding General of the United States Army
Prior to the institution of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1903, there was generally a single senior-most officer in the army. From 1783, he was known simply as the Senior Officer of the United States Army, but in 1821, the title was changed to Commanding General of the United...
, Major General Henry Knox
Henry Knox
Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....
, submitted to Congress a list of Continental Army officers remaining in service, and a return showing the organization of Jackson's Regiment. The regiment consisted of 775 officers and men:
- Infantry
- 1 colonel; 1 lieutenant colonel; 1 major; 9 captains; 9 lieutenants; 9 ensigns; 1 adjutant; 1 quartermaster; 1 paymaster; 1 surgeon; 1 surgeon's mate; 1 sergeant major; 1 quartermaster sergeant; 1 drum major; 45 sergeants; 16 drummers and fifers; and 500 "rank and file" (corporals and privates)
- Artillery
- 1 major; 1 captain; 2 captain lieutenants; 7 lieutenants; 1 adjutant; 10 sergeants; 12 corporals; 2 bombardiers; 2 gunners; and 100 matrosses
- Invalids
- 4 captains; 4 lieutenants; 2 sergeants; 1 drummer; and 27 rank and file
Regimental Service
The First American Regiment served in garrison at West Point, New YorkWest Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
until its disbandment. The regiment had not been authorized until after the Armistice between Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
went into effect in April 1783 and the definitive Treaty of Peace
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
had been signed in September. For several months after the peace had been signed, but before the treaty had been signed or ratifications exchanged, the British continued to occupy New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Britain occupied posts in the Old Northwest
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
into the 1790s. The two senior officers of the regiment, Colonel Jackson and Lieutenant Colonel William Hull
William Hull
William Hull was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolution, was Governor of Michigan Territory, and was a general in the War of 1812, for which he is best remembered for surrendering Fort Detroit to the British.- Early life and Revolutionary War :He was born in...
, had prominent roles in the final scenes of the war.
The Neutral Ground of New York was a district on the eastern shore of the Hudson River between the outposts of the British Army on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and the outposts of the Continental Army in the Hudson Highlands. It included most of the present Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. From 1778 to 1783 is was a "no man's land" dominated by marauders from both sides, known as Cowboys and Skinners. In the latter part of 1783 Lieutenant Colonel William Hull
William Hull
William Hull was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolution, was Governor of Michigan Territory, and was a general in the War of 1812, for which he is best remembered for surrendering Fort Detroit to the British.- Early life and Revolutionary War :He was born in...
led a provisional light corps into the area to aid the State of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in restoring its authority there.
The British Army evacuated New York City
Evacuation Day (New York)
Following the American Revolution, Evacuation Day on November 25 marks the day in 1783 when the last vestige of British authority in the United States — its troops in New York — departed from Manhattan...
as a result of negotiations between George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Sir Guy Carleton
Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester
Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, KB , known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Irish-British soldier and administrator...
. As the senior regimental officer present, Colonel Jackson
Henry Jackson (general)
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 19 October 1747, Henry Jackson was the youngest son of Joseph and Susannah Jackson. Before the War for Independence, he was an officer of the First Corps of Cadets in Boston, which was disbanded during the British occupation...
had immediate command of the 800-man column that marched into New York City on November 25, 1783, under General Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, to formally take possession for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Disbandment of the Regiment
The 1st American Regiment served in garrison at West Point until the regiment was disbanded by Congress, on June 2, 1784. On that date, the Congress resolved:Alexander Hamilton Battery
Captain Doughty received the brevet rank of major on September 30, 1783. He was the major of artillery appearing in the return submitted by General KnoxHenry Knox
Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....
.
The Congressional resolve of June 2, 1784 caused Major Doughty's Artillery Company to continue in service, as his company was the unit retained. To his company belongs the distinction of being the only element of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
to continue in service after the war as an element of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
On the following day, June 3, 1784 the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
resolved to raise a new regiment, the First American Regiment of 1784-1791, consisting of eight infantry companies and two artillery companies. Captain Doughty furnished the senior company. The 2d Artillery Company, First American Regiment, was raised in Pennsylvania and commanded by Captain Thomas Douglass, who had been an officer in Thomas Proctor's 4th Continental Artillery Regiment from 1777 to 1783.
The organization of the United States Army changed frequently in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century; but on June 1, 1821 the company that had been commanded by Major Doughty in 1784 was designated Company "F," 4th United States Regiment of Artillery. The company retained this designation until 1901.
The company received a different designation in that year and, in a further reorganization on May 31, 1907 it became Battery "D," 5th United States Field Artillery Regiment. The battery served in France in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as an element of the 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces.
On October 1, 1940 the battery became Battery "D," 5th Field Artillery Battalion. It served in North Africa
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
and Europe
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The former Battery "D," 5th Field Artillery Battalion, after a further period of reorganization, was redesignated the 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion, 5th Artillery, on April 20, 1960 and as the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery (Alexander Hamilton Battery), on January 20, 1964.
Further reading
- Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. Published by the Library of Congress, 1904-1937. Available on line http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/'.
- Berg, Fred Anderson. Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units: Battalions, Regiments, and Independent Corps. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 1972.
- Berkhimer, William E. Historical Sketch of the Organization, Administration, Materiel and Tactics of the Artillery, United States Army. New York: Greenwood Press, 1968 (Originally Published in 1884).
- Boatner, Mark M. III. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. New York: David McKay Co., Inc. (Bicentenniel Edition, 1974. Originally Published, 1966).
- Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution, April 1775 to December 1783. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967 (Originally published, 1914).
- McKenney, Janice E., comp. Field Artillery - Regular Army and Army Reserve (Army Lineage Series). Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army, 1985.
- Wright, Robert K.Robert K. Wright, Jr.Robert K. Wright, Jr. is an American military historian and author.After growing up in Connecticut, he graduated in 1968 with a degree in history from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He entered the Army, serving as a Teletype operator in Berlin, and then with the...
The Continental Army. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, 1983. Available, in part, online
External links
- Bibliography of the Continental Army in Massachusetts compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History