List of Continental Army units (1776)

The Continental Army was the army raised by the Second Continental Congress to oppose the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. The army went through three major establishments: the first in 1775, the second in 1776, and the third from 1777 until after the end of the war. The 1776 differed in some significant ways from both the 1775 establishment and the 1777 establishment.

Second establishment The Continental Army was established by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, which is also recognized as the founding date of its successor, the United States Army. On that day, the Continental Congress assumed responsibility for militia regiments that had been raised by the colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. These units and others authorized by Congress served in the Siege of Boston and the invasion of Quebec launched in September 1775. With these operations ongoing, Congress voted to authorize a second establishment of the army for 1776.

The enlistments of most soldiers in the Continental Army of 1775 expired on the last day of the year. On January 1, 1776, a new army was established. General George Washington had submitted recommendations for reorganization to the Continental Congress almost immediately after accepting the position of Commander-in-Chief, but these took time to consider and implement. Despite attempts to broaden the recruiting base beyond New England, the 1776 army remained skewed toward the Northeast both in terms of its composition and geographical focus.

Main Army units Numbered infantry regiments The bulk of the newly organized Main Army (that was commanded by General Washington) consisted of 27 infantry regiments, which were numbered in order of the seniority of the colonel of each regiment, and styled as "Continental Regiments". This differed from the regiments in the Southern Department, which retained state designations, some of which were assigned in the 1775 establishment. The Main Army regiments were created by reorganizing existing units and by encouraging soldiers to reenlist for another year. Each new regiment comprised eight companies, which at full strength fielded a total of 728 men. Of these, 640 provided the firepower (privates and corporals with muskets); the remaining were officers and staff, including three field officers (a colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major), a captain for each company, a surgeon, a quartermaster, drummers, etc.Wright, Continental Army, 47, 50. Other units were also authorized.

# State Colonels 1775 establishmentpredecessor 1777 establishmentsuccessor1stPennsylvaniaWilliam ThompsonEdward Hand (March 7, 1776)1st Pennsylvania Regiment1st Pennsylvania Regiment2ndNew HampshireJames Reed 3rd New Hampshire Regiment 3rd New Hampshire Regiment3rdMassachusettsEbenezer Learned4th Massachusetts Regiment4th Massachusetts Regiment4thMassachusettsJohn Nixon6th Massachusetts Regiment6th Massachusetts Regiment5thNew HampshireJohn Stark1st New Hampshire Regiment1st New Hampshire Regiment6thMassachusettsEdward WigglesworthAsa WhitcombNone; raised July 11, 177613th Massachusetts Regiment7thMassachusettsWilliam Prescott9th Massachusetts Regiment(not to be confused with the 1777 9th Massachusetts Regiment)Disbanded; remnants joined the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment8thNew HampshireEnoch Poor2nd New Hampshire Regiment2nd New Hampshire Regiment9thRhode IslandJames Mitchell Varnum1st Rhode Island Regiment1st Rhode Island Regiment10thConnecticutSamuel Holden ParsonsJohn Tyler6th Connecticut Regiment6th Connecticut Regiment11thRhode IslandDaniel Hitchcock2nd Rhode Island Regiment2nd Rhode Island Regiment12thMassachusettsMoses Little24th Massachusetts RegimentDisbanded.13thMassachusettsJoseph Read14thMassachusettsJohn Glover23rd Massachusetts RegimentDisbanded.15thMassachusettsJohn Paterson1st Massachusetts Regiment16thMassachusettsPaul Dudley Sargent8th Massachusetts Regiment17thConnecticutJedediah Huntington18thMassachusettsEdmund Phinney12th Massachusetts Regiment19thConnecticutCharles Webb20thConnecticutJohn Durkee21stMassachusettsJonathan Ward22ndConnecticutSamuel Wyllys23rdMassachusettsJohn Bailey2nd Massachusetts Regiment24thMassachusettsJohn Greaton3rd Massachusetts Regiment25thMassachusettsWilliam Bond26thMassachusettsLoammi BaldwinGerrish's Regiment9th Massachusetts Regiment27thMassachusettsIsrael Hutchinson5th Massachusetts Regiment

Other infantry units Commander-in-Chief's Guard ("Washington's Life Guard"). Rawlings' Independent Maryland Rifle Company. Captain Moses Rawlings. (Consolidated with the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment, June 14, 1776). Williams' Independent Maryland Rifle Company. Captain Thomas Price continued from 1775; Captain Otho Holland Williams, January 14, 1776. (Consolidated with the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment, June 14, 1776). Stephenson's Independent Virginia Rifle Company. Captain Hugh Stephenson. (Consolidated with the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment, June 14, 1776). Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment. Colonel Hugh Stephenson, Lieutenant Colonel Moses Rawlings, Major Otho Holland Williams. (Formed June 14, 1776).

Artillery Continental Artillery Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel Henry Knox.

Canadian Department units Initial infantry units Wooster's Provisional Regiment. Brigadier General David Wooster; field commander, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Ward. (Formed in Canada in December 1775 by consolidation of the remnants of the disbanded 4th and 5th Connecticut Regiments (1775) with the 1st Connecticut Regiment (1775); disbanded April 15, 1776). Van Schaick's Regiment (New York). Colonel Goose Van Schaick. (Raised from the 2nd New York Regiment of 1775; designated the 1st New York Regiment in 1777). 2nd Pennsylvania Battalion. Colonel Arthur St. Clair. (Assigned to the Canadian Department, January 8, 1776; designated the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment in 1777). 1st Canadian Regiment. Colonel James Livingston. 2nd Canadian Regiment. Colonel Moses Hazen.

Continental Regiments authorized by Washington on January 19, 1776 after Montgomery's defeat at the Battle of Quebec (December 31, 1775) Bedel's Regiment (New Hampshire). Colonel Timothy Bedel. (Most of Bedel's command was captured at the Battle of The Cedars in May 1776, and was released shortly afterwards). Porter's Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel Elisha Porter. Burrall's Regiment (Connecticut). Colonel Charles Burrall.

Reinforcements dispatched from New York City on April 15, 1776 under Brigadier General William Thompson 8th Continental Regiment (New Hampshire). Colonel Enoch Poor. 15th Continental Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel John Paterson. 24th Continental Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel John Greaton. 25th Continental Regiment (Massachusetts) Colonel William Bond.

Reinforcements dispatched from New York City on April 27, 1776 under Brigadier General John Sullivan 2nd Continental Regiment (New Hampshire). Colonel James Reed. 5th Continental Regiment (New Hampshire). Colonel John Stark. 2nd New Jersey Regiment. Colonel William Maxwell. 4th Pennsylvania Battalion. Colonel Anthony Wayne. (Redesignated the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment in 1777). 6th Pennsylvania Battalion. Colonel William Irvine. (Redesignated the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment in 1777).

Additional units raised later in the year Dubois' Regiment (New York). Colonel Lewis Dubois. (Redesignated the 5th New York Regiment in 1777). Nicholson's Regiment (New York). Colonel John Nicholson. (Disbanded December 31, 1776). Warner's Regiment (Vermont). Colonel Seth Warner. (Reraised and expanded from the Green Mountain Boys).

Northern Department units Elmore's Regiment (Connecticut). Colonel Samuel Elmore. 1st New York Regiment (1775–1776). Colonel Alexander McDougall. (Reorganized February 24-May 21, 1776; assigned to the Main Army, April 24, 1776). 2nd New York Regiment (1776). Colonel James Clinton. (Raised from the 3rd New York Regiment of 1775; designated the 4th New York Regiment in 1777). 3rd New York Regiment (1776). Colonel Rudolphus Ritzema. (Raised from the 4th New York Regiment of 1775; designated the 2nd New York Regiment in 1777). 4th New York Regiment (1776). Colonel Cornelius D. Wynkoop. (Consolidated with Van Schaick's Regiment to form 1st New York Regiment in 1777). 1st New Jersey Regiment (1776). (Assigned to various departments in 1776). 3rd New Jersey Regiment (1776). (Assigned to various departments in 1776). 1st Pennsylvania Battalion. Colonel John Philip De Haas. (Assigned to the Main Army in November; designated the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment in 1777). Mackay's Battalion (Pennsylvania). Colonel Aeneas Mackay. (Assigned to the Main Army in November; designated the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment in 1777).

Artillery units Wool's Artillery Detachment (New York). Captain Lieutenant Isaiah Wool. (Remnant of Lamb's Artillery Company of 1775; assigned to the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment in 1777). Bauman's Continental Artillery Company. Captain Sebastian Bauman. (Assigned to the Main Army, April 13, 1776; later part of the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment). Romans' Continental Artillery Company. Captain Bernard Romans.

Eastern Department units 6th Continental Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel Asa Whitcomb. (Assigned to the Northern Department August 8, 1776). 14th Continental Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel John Glover. (Stationed at Beverly, Massachusetts;Lesser, Sinews, 12. assigned to the Main Army in New York on July 20, 1776). 16th Continental Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel Paul Dudley Sargent. (Assigned to the Main Army in New York on July 11, 1776). 18th Continental Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel Edmund Phinney. (Assigned to the Northern Department on August 3, 1776). 27th Continental Regiment (Massachusetts). Colonel Israel Hutchinson. (Assigned to the Main Army in New York on July 11, 1776). Long's Regiment (New Hampshire). Colonel Pierse Long. (Assigned to the Northern Department, November 22, 1776). Ward's Regiment (Connecticut). Colonel Andrew Ward. (Assigned to the Main Army, August 1, 1776).

Rhode Island Garrison Regiments.

Two regiments of Rhode Island state troops which served with the Continental Army in 1776, but were not placed on the Continental establishment.Berg, Encyclopedia, 106.

Richmond's Regiment (Rhode Island). Colonel William Richmond. (Assigned to the Eastern Department, November 1775). Babcock's/Lippitt's Regiment (Rhode Island). Colonel Henry Babcock: January 15, 1776; Colonel Christopher Lippitt: May 1776. (Assigned to the Main Army, May 11, 1776).

Middle Department units The Middle Department was created on February 27, 1776,Wright, Continental Army, 82. as a military administrative district embracing New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. When the Main Army moved from Boston to New York in April 1776 and Washington opened his headquarters in New York City, he assumed direct command of the department. As a result the Main Army became, for the remainder of the war, the field army associated with the Middle Department.Wright, Continental Army, 84. At the same time New York and the Northern Department became practically coextensive; only the Hudson Highlands and parts of New York to the south remained in the Middle Department.Wright, Continental Army, 83-84. These changes left Washington holding three posts at once: Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, Commanding General of the field army under his immediate command, the Main Army, and Commanding General of the Middle Department.

Infantry units 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion. Colonel John Shee. (Assigned to the Middle Department, February 27, 1776; assigned to the Main Army, June 11, 1776; captured at Fort Washington, New York, on November 16, 1776; reconstituted and designated the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment in 1777).