Among these 68,720 Massachusetts soldiers, about 1,700 were African American and Native American men. 2nd Massachusetts Brigade relieved on July 22, 1778 from the Main Continental Army and assigned to the Eastern Department. Stephen Bullock The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. 2, 1916, pp. Massachusetts also furnished Henry Knoxs Artillery Regiment and the First Continental Artillery, neither of which were part of the Massachusetts Line. Muster and Pay Rolls, List of Men Mustered - Mass. In April 1775, war finally came to Massachusetts with the events at Lexington and Concord on April 19. PPT. Reorganized on April 1, 1779 to consist of 9 companies. Reassigned on June 12, 1783 from the 1st Massachusetts Brigade and assigned to the 2nd Massachusetts Brigade, an element of the Highlands Department. Peter Salem at Bunker Hill, illustration published in The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution, circa 1855. Odle, Cliff. The Regiment was authorized on April 23, 1775 in the Massachusetts State Troops as Bridges Regiment. Finally, on April 28, 1778, the Massachusetts legislature passed a law officially allowing the enlistment of African-Americans. Box 309, Milford, MA 01757, Houses military discharge records from 1940-present, Military records prior to 1940 are maintained by the Massachusetts Archives, Various military records from the Revolutionary through the Civil Wars, including military service records and pension files, Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, Open M-F 9 a.m.5 p.m. *Advance appointments are strongly recommended. Colonel Benjamin Tupper was commanding officer from 1 January 1781 until 1 January 1783. Deborah Sampson Gannett, also known as Deborah Samson or Deborah Sampson, was born on December 17, 1760 in Plympton, Massachusetts. Its exploits were depicted in the 1989 film Glory. Felix Cuff of Waltham If you need assistance, please contact the State Library of Massachusetts. Rebecca Beatrice Brooks is the author and publisher of the History of Massachusetts Blog. It was organized as seven companies of volunteers from across Massachusetts, and Mayhew's company from the 25th Continental Regiment during the later months of 1776. When George Washington later prohibited the enlistment of African-American men in the Continental Army, in November of 1775, the matter was taken up by Congress who declared on January 15, 1776: That the free negroes who have served faithfully in the army at Cambridge may be reenlisted therein, but no others.. Caleb Rich You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. The regiment was then reassigned to Reed's Brigade of the Northern Department on 20 July 1776. Joseph Palmer You can see the written roll call of the Menotony. (Now named Arlington) Minuteman who reported when Paul Revere stopped here on the evening of his ride! The minuteman units were later abandoned when the Continental Army was established in June of 1775 but the state militia continued. This brigade was reassigned from the Highland's Department to the Northern Department on 14 October 1781. Authorized 27 Infantry regiments on 22 May 1775. Summary of S.547 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First Rhode Island Regiment, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolutionary War. Massachusetts was the first state to send troops to join the war effort after the Battle of Fort Sumter occurred on April 12, 1861. It consisted of eleven companies of volunteers from Berkshire, Hampshire, Suffolk, Middlesex, Worcester, and York counties in Massachusetts and the county of Litchfield in the colony of Connecticut. The 1777 quota established by the Continental Congress dropped to fifteen regiments, mostly by consolidating and reorganizing existing units. The regiment was reassigned to the New Hampshire Brigade of the main army on 23 August 1779. Notable abolitionists including Frederick Douglass and local leaders such as Lewis Hayden recruited men for the 54 th Regiment. Late in October the provisional formation broke up and its troops were assigned to Jacksons and Lees units, while the men still in Boston became Henleys. Visitors can see the holes in the wall from the British musket fire. Revolutionary War Battles in 1776: January 1, 1776: Burning of Norfolk in Virginia February 27, 1776: Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in North Carolina Result: Patriot victory March 2-3, 1776: Battle of the Rice Boats in Georgia Result: British victory March 3-4, 1776: Battle of Nassau in the West Indies Toby Gilmore In 1780 the province became the District of Maine. I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now? The site also includes non-military and international records. Worcester by Mary Cochran Dodge, Soldiers of Oakham, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War by Henry Parks Wright, Massachusetts Revolutionary War Soldiers 1775-1783. ma-roots.org. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images. Christian Febiger Isaac Davis The State Library also has some archival collections that may not yet be included in the online catalog. In marked contrast to the other states, the Massachusetts units did not take numbers until 1 August 1779, as the army attempted to sort out competing claims to seniority. Reassigned on November 14, 1779 from the 3rd Massachusetts Brigade and assigned to the 1st Massachusetts Brigade, an element of the. The retreating British stole silver from the home including the silver clockworks in a beautiful clock. The regiment was assigned to the Northern Department on 9 February 1777. Hartgrove, W. B. Digitized multi-volume print sets owned by the State Librarythat contain brief biographical & service information on Massachusetts Revolutionaryand Civil War soldiers. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. Some of the first minutemen companies were created in Worcester, Massachusetts, in September 1774. 2013, www.massar.org/african-americans-of-massachusetts-in-the-revolution/ Organized in spring 1775 in Cumberland County to consist of 10 companies from Cumberland County. Two months later, on 14 June, when the Continental Congress adopted the existing forces as the Continental army, the colony still was unable to give precise information on exactly what units existed and how many men they contained. The Hartwellcollection contains numerous photographs of soldiers of the 44th & 55th regiments of the Massachusetts Infantry during the Civil War. These regiments included the first African-American regiment in the Civil War: the 54th Massachusetts Regiment led by Robert Gould Shaw as well as the first Irish regiment in the state: the 9th Massachusetts Regiment. The regiment saw action at the Battles of Saratoga, the Cherry Valley massacre (in which Colonel Alden was killed and Lt. Col. William Stacy was captured), and the Sullivan Expedition. It is estimated that 20,000 African Americans joined the British cause, which promised freedom to enslaved people, as Black Loyalists. Aaron Bancroft James Owen served in Revolutionary War as a teen before settling in Robertson County; Can you plan for an unplanned retirement? BENJAMIN WHITE, Weymouth 1747 - 1815 Reorganized and re-designated on January 1, 1777 as Nixons Regiment, to consist of 8 companies. Sources: On 1 January 1781 the regiment was reassigned to the 1st Massachusetts Brigade in the Highland Department and was disbanded on 3 November 1783 at West Point, New York. Secretary of the Commonwealth. 1st Massachusetts Brigade relieved on July 1, 1777 from the Highlands Department and assigned to the Northern Department. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of Saratoga, Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Rhode Island. But since the city was now free and had made substantial progress in its recovery, General George Washington remedied the omission by allocating three additional Continental Regiments to Massachusetts officers, with the expectation that they would concentrate their recruiting efforts in Boston. This list contains links to both free and subscription databases. The abolitionist governor of Massachusetts, John . in journalism. That year Massachusetts set its own criteria for the enlistment of African Americans by passing two acts in 1776. The Regiment was authorized on September 16, 1776 in the Continental Army as Marshalls Regiment. It was assigned on July 22, 1775 to Heaths Brigade, an element of the Main Continental Army. 65 [Located in Special Collections Department, Room 55 State House]. Reeds Brigade re-designated on August 11, 1776 as Patersons Brigade. Jonathan Houghton's Company, Col. Jonathan Smith's Regiment of Massachusetts Militia, Aug. 9-26, 1776 (not continuous). Seth Pomeroy This United States military history article is a stub. They formed a provisional group which joined the main army in 1777, leaving recruiters behind. Organized in spring 1777 at Boston to consist of 7 companies from Worcester, Middlesex, Essex, York, Cumberland, Hampshire, Lincoln, and Suffolk Counties, and Mayhews Company, 25th Continental Regiment. Samuel Osgood Constituted on September 16, 1776 in the Continental Army as Aldens Regiment. Asa Pollard Baxter Hall Reassigned on October 15, 1776 from Stirlings Brigade and assigned to Clintons Brigade, an element of the Main Continental Army. Copyright 2017 RevolutionaryWar.us | All Rights Reserved, Henry Jacksons Additional Continental Regiment, Sayers and Sullivans Companies, Scammons Regiment, Prescotts Regiment (7th Continental Regiment), Phinneys Regiment (12th Continental Regiment), New York and New Jersey Campaign (1776-77), Fairfields and Pillsburys Companies, Wigglesworths Regiment, Walbridges Company, 13th Continental Regiment, Danforths Company, David Brewers Regiment, Bents and Whitings Companies, 24th Continental Regiment, Danforths Company, 6th Continental Regiment, Mayhews Company, 25th Continental Regiment, Claps Company, 21st Continental Regiment, Thompsons Company, 4th Continental Regiment, Egerys Company, 25th Continental Regiment. The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought during the Siege of Boston in the early stages of the Revolutionary War.. www.ma-roots.org/military/revwar. The 6th Middlesex County Regiment was organized in the fall of 1999, a recreation of a north Middlesex County regiment from the revolutionary war period. The quota fell to ten regiments in 1781, to eight on 1 January 1783, and to four on 15 June of that year, when the men who had enlisted for the duration of the war were sent home on furlough. More than 1,000 men responded. On 1 August 1779 the regiment was in the 2nd Massachusetts Brigade in the Highland Department. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca. Alta's Place. This article is about a regiment in the American Revolution. The Regiment was authorized on April 23, 1775 in the Massachusetts State Troops as Nixons Regiment. The Boston Evening Transcript (1851-1915), and the Boston Daily Evening Transcript (1866-1872) are freely accessible via the Google newspaper archive. John Hannum III Seth Read Reassigned on April 15, 1776 from Fryes Brigade and assigned to the, It was assigned on July 20, 1776 to Reeds Brigade, an element of the. Bezaleel Taft Sr It was assigned on July 22, 1775 to Sullivans Brigade, an element of the Main Continental Army. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. We live several doors away from the Jason Russell House, site of the bloodiest battle of the first day of the American Revolution. Paul Revere later served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Massachusetts Militia but was court-martialed in 1779 for disobey orders during the failed Penobscot Expedition in Maine. The First Rhode Island Regiment, Integrated Revolutionary Force A painting by French artist and sub-lieutenant Jean Baptiste Antoine de Verger, depicting the different men of war, including a. Organized in spring and summer 1775 at Cambridge to consist of 10 companies from Essex County, Bristol County, Middlesex County, Plymouth County, Worcester County, Suffolk County, and Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and Hillsborough County and Cheshire County, New Hampshire. Reassigned on February 9, 1777 from Clintons Brigade and assigned to the Northern Department. Disbanded on December 31, 1775 at Cambridge. When you have located your ancestors record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Reorganized on November 1, 1779 to consist of nine companies. Reassigned on August 12, 1776 to Stirlings Brigade, and assigned to Nixons Brigade, an element of the Main Continental Army. Pomp Jackson of Newburyport These carried the names of their colonels. For the regiment in the American Civil War, see, 1st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, United States Army Center of Military History, Bibliography of the Continental Army in Massachusetts, Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1st_Massachusetts_Regiment&oldid=1089065469, Massachusetts regiments of the Continental Army, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 21 May 2022, at 18:34. Organized in spring 1775 at Cambridge to consist of 11 companies from Berkshire, Hampshire, Suffolk, Middlesex, Worcester, and York Counties, Massachusetts; and Litchfield County, Connecticut.