laststandonzombieisland

“They Scrambled up the Parapet”: Military professionals launched this bayonet attack on Redoubt 10 during the siege of Yorktown. Only an army with thorough training. sophisticated organization, esprit de corps. And courage could have attempted this assault. The Continental Army had become such an army. The hastily assembled group that gathered at Lexington in the spring of 1775 evolved by the fall of 1781 into the effective force shown here. Howard Pyle’s modern masterpiece captures this “spirit of victory.”

Following the twin battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, and the impromptu siege of the King’s forces in Boston, the Provincial Congress met and voted to authorize an Army of 8,000 men to serve until the end of the year, where it was hoped the crisis would be resolved amicably.

Then came the Battle of Bunker Hill in June– still fought largely by New England village and county militia companies against British regulars– and the realization that the conflict had no clear end in sight, the then Continental Congress moved to have a much larger force, organized on a war footing by regiment, instead of the more ad hoc rifle company basis.

The battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17th, 1775, painted by J. Trumbull circa 1840; on stone by A. Hoffy. Print shows British and American soldiers in hand-to-hand combat during the Battle of Bunker Hill, including early Colonial martial banners. LOC LC-DIG-pga-00085

Organized on a geographic basis, at first, 23 regiments of infantry and one of artillery were authorized. Before the end of the war, something on the order of 200 regiments of assorted names had been authorized and, eventually, disbanded.

The regimental organization adopted for the infantry at first called for 598 men: a colonel, a lieutenant colonel. a major, an adjutant, a quartermaster, a chaplain, a surgeon, 2 surgeon’s mates, and 10 companies (nine organized and one Artificer). Each organized company was to have a captain, 2 lieutenants, an ensign, and 55 enlisted men. The Artificer company, a support unit, would have a master carpenter as Overseer, a master blacksmith, a master wheelwright, and 47 tradesmen, while an ordnance storekeeper, two clerks, and four conductors would serve on the regimental staff.

Newell Convers Wyeth (American, 1882-1945) – Washington Salutes the Flag as He Takes Command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, 3 July 1775

By the end of July, with Washington in charge for only seven weeks, he had three divisions, organized into six brigades and 36 assorted regiments, in the field around Boston. An impressive mobilization considering the Army had only been authorized on 14 June, a date itself just three months after the “Shot heard ’round the world” at Lexington Green.

Come October, some six months after Lexington and 250 years ago this month, those regiments were being fleshed out nicely, as noted by the CMH: 

By mid-October 1775, Washington had made great progress in organizing, staffing, and disciplining his army, although his correspondence indicates that he still was not satisfied. The Main Army actually exceeded the 22,000 men Congress had agreed to support. In addition to the artillery, the riflemen, and a handful of separate companies, it included 27 infantry regiments from Massachusetts, 5 from Connecticut, and 3 each from New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Although each colony’s units had different authorized strengths, all the regiments were at least 90 percent full on paper except for 11 from Massachusetts. Of the latter, 8 were between 80 and 90 percent complete, and 3 were below 80 percent. The individual regiments in the army averaged 474 rank and file total, ranging between 364 and 816. The total infantry rank and file strength of the Main Army was 19,497. There were also 690 drummers and fifers, 1,298 sergeants, 934 company officers, 163 regimental staff officers, and 94 field officers. Of the total rank and file strength, nearly 2,500 were sick, 750 were on furlough, and 2,400 were detached on various duties.

Four of the six brigades each contained approximately 2,400 men in combat strength. Sullivan’s Brigade was slightly larger with 2,700 men. The largest brigade was Spencer’s (3,200) because it contained two of the large Connecticut regiments and several separate companies. The relative strengths of the divisions reflected their defensive responsibilities. Ward’s had the most men (5,600), and Lee’s was only 400 smaller. The reserve division under Putnam was the smallest (4,800), while the 700 riflemen remained outside the divisional alignment. This total force was substantial. Equipped with a staff organization and a disciplinary system, it was grouped in a tactical arrangement that suited its location and mission. On the other hand, the British had not tested it in battle. Washington finished 1775 unsure of the combat potential of his army and eager to resolve some of the remaining issues relating to its internal organization.

This from the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning: