| The Continental Army of 1776 |
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Connecticut Line l Pennsylvania Line l New Hampshire Line l Massachusetts Line l New York Line
Rhode Island Line l New Jersey Line l Delaware Line l Maryland Line l Virginia Line l North Carolina Line
South Carolina Line l Georgia Line l Other Regiments l Artillery Units l Mounted Units |
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On 4 November Congress approved the reorganization of the Main Army to consist of at least 20,000 men Organized into 26 standard infantry regiments and separate units of riflemen and artillery. Each regiment was to be reduced from ten to eight companies. Each company was to have a captain, 2 lieutenants, an ensign, 4 sergeants, 4 corporals, a fifer, a drummer, and 76 privates. Each regiment would then have a total strength of 728 officers and men. Eight companies lent themselves to better tactical deployment than ten companies in linear warfare. The new organizations would have stronger companies than those of most of the existing regiments and would save money.
Washington implemented the reorganization of the Main Army on 1 January 1776. Each infantry regiment was assigned a numerical designation based on its Col.'s relative seniority
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| Massachusetts Line |
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| 3rd Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Ebenezer Learned; Formed Jan 1776 from consolidating Learned's Regiment with Danielson's Regiment and Wood's Company, Cotton's Regiment(see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 4th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col.'s John Nixon and Thomas Nixon; Formed Jan 1776 from consolidating Nixon's Regiment with Thompson's Company, Danielson's Regiment (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 6th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Asa Whitcomb, Formed from J. Brewer's Massachusetts Regiment |
| 7th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. William Prescott, Formed from Prescott's Massachusetts Regiment |
| 12th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Moses Little; ReOrganized and Redesignated Jan 1776 from Little's Massachusetts Regiment; Disbanded Feb. 1777 (see also 1775) |
| 13th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Joseph Reed, Formed from Read's , Walker's and D. Brewer's /Putnam's Massachusetts Regiments, Disbanded Jan. 1777 |
| 14th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. John Glover; ReOrganized and Redesignated Jan 1776 from Glover's Massachusetts Regiment; Disbanded Dec. 1776 (see also 1775) |
| 15th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. John Paterson; Formed Jan 1776 from consolidating, less Morse's (see 7th Regiment) and Watkin's Companies (see 12th Regiment), Patterson's Regiment with Sayer's and Sullivan's Companies, Scammon's Regiment (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 16th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Paul D. Sargent; ReOrganized and Redesignated Jan 1776 from Sargent's Massachusetts Regiment (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 18th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Edmund Phinney; Consolidated Jan 1776 with Scammon's Regiment and Watkin's Company, Paterson's Regiment (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 21st Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Jonathan Ward, Formed from Fellows' and Wards Massachusetts Regiments |
| 23rd Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. John Bailey; Formed Jan 1776 from consolidating Thomas' Regiment with Cotton's Regiment (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 24th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. John Greaton; Formed Jan 1776 from consolidating Heath's Massachusetts Regiment with with Craft's Company, Gardner's Regiment (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 25th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. William Bond; Formed Jan 1776 from consolidating Gardner's Massachusetts Regiment, less Craft's Company (see 24th Regiment) with |
| 26th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Loammi Baldwin; ReOrganized and Redesignated Jan 1776 from Gerrish's /Baldwin's Massachusetts Regiment (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 27th Continental Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Israel Hutchinson; ReOrganized and Redesignated Jan 1776 from Mansfield's /Hutchinson's Massachusetts Regiment (see also 1775 & 1777) |
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| Maryland Line |
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Smallwood's Maryland Battalion
(aka 1st Maryland Battalion) |
Commanded by Col.s William Smallwood and Francis Ware; Authorized Jan. 1776 in Maryland State Troops; Organized in spring 1776; Adopted Aug 1776 into Continental Army (see also 1777) |
| Maryland Independent Companies |
Authorized Jan. 1776 in Maryland State Troops as 7 Independent Companies; Organized in Mar 1776; Adopted Aug 1776 into Continental Army (see also 1777) |
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| Connecticut Line |
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| 1st Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Col. James Reed; ReOrganized Jan 1776 (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 2d Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Col. William Woodford; ReOrganized Jan 1776 (see also 1775 & 1777) |
| 3d Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col.s Hugh Mercer and George Weedon |
| 4th Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col.s Adam Stephen and Thomas Elliott |
| 5th
Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col.s William Peachy and Charles Scott |
| 6th Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Mordecai Buckner |
| 7th
Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col.s William Dangerfield and William Crawford |
| 8th Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col. Col. Peter Muhlenberg |
| 9th Virginia Regiment |
Commanded by Col.s Charles Fleming and Isaac Reed |
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| Additional Continental Regiments |
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| 1st Canadian Regiment |
Commanded by Col. ?;Redesignated Jan 1776 from the Canadian Regiment; ReOrganized Dec 1776 (see also 1775 & 1777) |
2d Canadian Regiment
(aka Congress' Own) |
Commanded by Col. ?;Authorized Jan 1776; Organized Feb 1776 (see also 1777) |
German Battalion
(aka 8th Maryland Regiment) |
Commanded by Col. Nicholas Hussecker; Half was from pennsylvania |
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| Artillery Units |
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| Virginia Artillery |
Commanded by Col. Charles Harrison |
| Gridley's /Knox's Continental Artillery Regiment |
Commanded by Col.s Richard Gridley and Henry Knox's , renamed in autum of 1775 from Regiment of the Train of Artillery, Expanded with the addition of Steven's Rhode Island Train of Artillery Jan. 1776, Disbanded Jan. 1777 |
South Carolina Artillery Regiment
(aka 4th South Carolina Regiment) |
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| Pennsylvania State Artillery Regiment |
Commanded by Col. ? |
| Independent
Battalion of Continental Artillery |
Commanded by Col. Steven |
| Georgia
Continental Artillery Companies |
Commanded by Col. ? |
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| Mounted Units |
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1st Continental Light Dragoon Regiment
(aka unofficially as Bland's Horse) |
Commanded by Col. ?; Authorized June 1776 in Virginia State Troops as Troops of Light Horse; Organized June-Sep 1776; Redesignated June 1776 as Virginia Light Horse; Adopted Nov 1776 into the Continental Army (see also 1777) |
2d Continental Light Dragoon Regiment
(aka unofficially as Sheldon's Horse) |
Commanded by Col. Elisha Sheldon; Authorized Dec 1776; Organized Dec 1776-June 1777 (see also 1777) |
| Corps of North Carolina Light Dragoons |
Commanded by Col. ?;Authorized Apr 1776 in the North Carolina State Troops; Organized in spring and summer 1776; Adopted July 1776 (see also 1777) |
| Major Nicholas Dietrich, Baron de Ottendorf's , Corp |
Commanded by Major De Ottendorf; Authorized Dec 1776 Major Nicholas Dietrich, Baron de Ottendorf's, Corp Organized Dec 1776 -June 1777 (see also 1777) |
| Georgia Regiment of Horse Rangers |
Commanded by Col ?; Authorized in Jan 1776 as 1st & 2d Troop of Georgia Horse; Organized in spring 1776; Adopted July 1776 in Continental Army, concurrently Redesignated (see also 1777) |
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