Hearts of Oak (New York militia)
Encyclopedia
The Hearts of Oak were a volunteer militia
in the British
colonial Province of New York
as part of the Thirteen Colonies
. Formed c. 1775 in New York City
, among its members were students at King's College (now Columbia University
) such as Nicholas Fish
, Robert Troup
, and perhaps most famously, Alexander Hamilton
. The company would drill in the graveyard of nearby St. Paul's Chapel
before classes in uniforms they designed themselves, consisting of short green tight-fitting jackets, a round leather hat with a cockade
and the phrase "Liberty or Death" on the band, and a badge of red tin hearts on their jackets with the words "God and Our Right". In August of 1775 the Hearts of Oak participated in a successful raid, while under fire from the HMS Asia
, to seize cannon from the Battery
, thereby becoming an artillery unit thereafter. In 1776 Hamilton was given a commission as a Captain by the revolutionary
New York Provincial Congress
with instructions to raise the New York Provincial Company of Artillery
(today the Regular Army's 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery) and the mission to protect Manhattan Island. The Hearts of Oak formed its core.
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
in the British
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...
colonial Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
as part of the Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
. Formed c. 1775 in 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...
, among its members were students at King's College (now Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
) such as Nicholas Fish
Nicholas Fish
Nicholas Fish was an American Revolutionary soldier, born in New York City.He attended Princeton but left before graduating to pursue the study of law at King's College through the office of John Morin Scott in New York...
, Robert Troup
Robert Troup
Robert Troup was an American soldier, lawyer and jurist.Born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, Troup attended King's College...
, and perhaps most famously, 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...
. The company would drill in the graveyard of nearby St. Paul's Chapel
St. Paul's Chapel
St. Paul's Chapel, is an Episcopal chapel located at 209 Broadway, between Fulton and Vesey Streets, in lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan.-History and architecture:...
before classes in uniforms they designed themselves, consisting of short green tight-fitting jackets, a round leather hat with a cockade
Cockade
A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colors which is usually worn on a hat.-Eighteenth century:...
and the phrase "Liberty or Death" on the band, and a badge of red tin hearts on their jackets with the words "God and Our Right". In August of 1775 the Hearts of Oak participated in a successful raid, while under fire from the HMS Asia
HMS Asia (1764)
HMS Asia was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 March 1764 at Portsmouth Dockyard. She participated in the American Revolutionary War and the capture of Martinique in 1794....
, to seize cannon from the Battery
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
, thereby becoming an artillery unit thereafter. In 1776 Hamilton was given a commission as a Captain by the revolutionary
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
New York Provincial Congress
New York Provincial Congress
The New York Provincial Congress was an organization formed by rebels in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-rebellion alternative to the more conservative Province of New York Assembly, and as a replacement for the Committee of One Hundred.A Provincial Convention assembled in New York...
with instructions to raise the New York Provincial Company of Artillery
New 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:...
(today the Regular Army's 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery) and the mission to protect Manhattan Island. The Hearts of Oak formed its core.
External links
- Bibliography of the Continental Army in New York compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History