1776 Regiments Table, New Hampshire

Date: 1775 to 1784
Location: New Hampshire

New Hampshire Revolutionary Regiments Table

Purpose

This page contains a table of New Hampshire American Revolutionary War Regiments with their commanders spanning the timeframe of the war, which should help people find the most appropriate unit category for their profile if they know a commander's name or regiment number and timeframe. The implied orderliness of the table does not reflect the relative chaos of the time. Please find a detailed explanation below.

Table

Regiments Table

Origins		New Hampshire (1775)		"of Foot"	1776 Continental		New Hampshire (1777)		1778	1780	1781		1783	1784
		1st Stark		7th	5th Stark		1st Stark,Cilley *SC, Dearborn *CD						*NH Reid	disbanded
2nd		2nd Poor		11th	8th Poor		2nd Poor,N.Hale *PH, Reid *HR						*NH Reid	disbanded
3rd		3rd Reed		3rd	2nd Reed,Gilman *RG		3rd Scammell Dearborn *SD				disbanded
Origins		1775		Extra	1776		1777		1778	1780	1781		1783	1784
					Long Long			disbanded
Origins		1775		Rangers	1776		1777		1778	1780	1781		1783	1784
				r 1st	Bedel Bedel		disbanded
				r 2nd	Russell Russell
				r	Whitcomb Whitcomb						disbanded
Origins		1775		Militia	1776		1777		1778	1780	1781		1783	1784
				m		1st Whipple
				m		2nd Evans		2nd Drake	disbanded
				m		3rd Moulton
				m		4th Gilman		4th Evans	disbanded
				m		5th Webster		5th Nichols	RI	West Point
				m		6th Thornton	6th Ashley	6th Ashley	6th Ashley
				m		7th Bartlett
				m		8th Nichols
				m		9th Moore		9th Moore	disbanded
				m		10th Badger		10th Welch	disbanded
				m		11th Stickney		11th Stickney	disbanded
				m		12th Hobart		12th Hobart	disbanded
				m		13th Ashley		13th Chase	disbanded
				m		14th E.Hale
				m		15th Bellows	15th E.Hale		RI
				m		16th Morey		16th Bellows	disbanded
				m		17th Chase
				m					Peabody Peabody
				m					Gale Gale
				m				Stark Stark
						Tash Tash
						Baldwin Baldwin
						Pending Wyman
						Pending Wingate
						Pending Gilman
						Pending Waldron

• CD Col. Henry Dearborn commands regiment at battle of Yorktown
• HR Col. Nathan Hale captured, Lt. Col. George Reid assumes command, July 1777
• NH 1st and 2nd consolidated into "New Hampshire Regiment" with Col. George Reid appointed commander
• PH Col. Enoch Poor promoted, Nathan Hale commissioned Col., April 1777
• RG Col. James Reed promoted, Lt. Col. Nicolas Gilman takes over
• SC Col. John Stark resigns March 23, 1777, Lt. Col. Joseph Cilley takes command
• SD Col. Alexander Scammell promoted, Lt. Col. Henry Dearborn assumes command, early 1778
• Categorization work pending, please leave 1776 Sticker's unit parameter blank for now, but include details of service in the biography
• Gilman research ongoing. There are 3 regiments in question:
  • Category: 2nd Continental Regiment, Continental Army, American Revolution which was commanded by a Col. Nicholas Gilman, but we are unsure whether it is Nicolas Sr. or Nicolas Jr.. DAR and Wikipedia seem to conflict on this.
  • Category: 4th Regiment, New Hampshire Militia, American Revolution same Nicholas question as above, but is it the same Nicolas for both, and if so what are the exact dates involved?
  • Category: Gilman's Regiment of Militia, New Hampshire Militia, American Revolution - believed to be an "extra" unit apart from above mentioned 4th, and the Gilman here is probably David.

Columns Key

Each column represents a time period of the war:

• Origins - notes regarding the unit's origins
• 1775 - New Hampshire (1775) - Spring 1775:^[1] the regiments were first named as New Hampshire Regiments. For the first 3 regiments that would become Continental Army units, the Wikitree Categories include "New Hampshire Regiment (1775), Continental Army, American Revolution"
• "of Foot" - the numerical "Regiment of Foot" that Washington designated starting in August, 1775. "Extra" units were those Continental Army units raised after the numbered units for specific purposes and are named by their commander. "Rangers" are a special type of extra unit, responsible for defending a wide range of geography. "Militia" units were those units raised by New Hampshire and are not considered Continental Army, but were sometimes "called up" to reinforce the army for periods of time, and are listed separately at the bottom.
• 1776 - 1776 Continental - 1776 reorganization of regiments into Continental Army units. For Continental Army units, the Wikitree Category names include "Continental Regiment, Continental Army, American Revolution"
• New Hampshire (1777) - another reorganization, with "New Hampshire" returning to the names. ^{*SP 14:551} For Continental Army units, the Wikitree Category names include "New Hampshire Regiment (1777), Continental Army, American Revolution" (with one having 1780 in parenthesis).
• 1781 - The 3rd was disbanded, with remnants joining the others
• 1783 - March: consolidation of regiments into one "New Hampshire Regiment"
• 1784 - The New Hampshire Regiment was disbanded

Cell Contents

The numerical designation, where it appears as a link, is a link to the Category, which should include more detail on that specific regiment during the appropriate time frame. The commander's surname, if linked, takes you to that commander's profile, which may include more detail. Footnotes appear as needed to help keep the table concise. Click on it to take you to the explanation below.

Rows

Units appearing in the same row represent general transitions of a more or less cohesive unit changes name or command.

Detailed Explanation

Determining the best unit to use for the 1776 Sticker template can be quite confusing, since regiments can be named numerically or by a commander's surname, or both at the same time, and this changes over time. Things to keep in mind when trying to understand and use this table:

• This table may not be complete. See below.
• The soldier you are looking for may have been active in another states unit, especially Massachusetts so check Massachusetts Regiments table, but not limited to that, e.g. Category: Second Canadian Regiment, Continental Army, American Revolution
• Detachments - sometimes certain companies were "detached" from their organizational regiment and ordered to march elsewhere and be temporarily under another the command of another commander.
• Artillery Units are not shown (yet), and were not strictly New Hampshire anyway.
• "brigade" and "regiment" were sometimes used interchangeably
• Additional Continental regiments

It should be noted that New Hampshire has some attributes with relation to the American Revolution that distinguishes itself from the other Colonies. The Massachusetts Regiments table concerns itself with the many regiments that would become Continental Army units, and so far only touches on the Militia units. For New Hampshire, we should consider not only the regiments early on that would become part of the Continental Army, of which there were only 3 with at least one other enlisting later on, and the many militia units, many of which were called upon to reinforce the main army in particular engagements, but also "ranger" units. While prepared in many ways for the conflict that would come, there was no New Hampshire military organized at the state level when hostilities broke out. As a result, many New Hampshire men made there way to Massachusetts upon hearing the alarm of April 19, 1775 and took part in the Siege of Boston, joining up with Massachusetts units. In fact, it is said that there were more soldiers fighting the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill from New Hampshire than from Massachusetts, and that much of the arms and powder used came from a supply seized at the Fort of William & Mary in 1774 by New Hampshire Militia.

Sources

1. ↑ NH State Papers vol. 14, p. 38

• SPDocuments Relating to Towns in New Hampshire (1867-); Vols. 14-17
  • Vol. 14:
    • p. 31 capture without bloodshed of Fort William & Mary, 1774
    • p. 32 Capt. Reuben Dow's company of minutemen who marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775.
    • p. 38 Formation of 3 regiments, early 1775
    • p. 42 3 companies of NH men in Col. Paul Dudley Sargent's regiment?
    • p. 159 Bedel's Rangers
    • p. 223 Sept. 1775: 4 regiments of "minute men" for defense of Piscatagua Harbor: Col. Joshua Wingate
    • p. 242 Dec. 1775: "Winter Hill Companies": Col. Jonathan Burnham (needs profile)
    • p. 256 1776: formation of militia regiments
    • p. 311 June 1776: Col. Isaac Wyman NH regiment formed to reinforce the army in Canada
    • p. 338 July 20, 1776: Col. Joshua Wentworth DAR A200992, a detachment?
    • p. 339 July 1776: Col. Joshua Wingate
    • p. 367 1776 Col. Pierce Long's regiment
    • p. 394 Russell's rangers
    • p. 396 Tash's regiment
    • p. 416 Col. Nahum Baldwin's regiment
    • p. 435 Col. David Gilman's regiment.
    • p. 475 Josiah Bartlett's regiment. unclear if this refers to the 7th?
    • p. 476 March 6, 1776: Col. John Waldron's regiment
    • p. 478 Sept. 1776: orders to commanders of militia units to raise soldiers: Gale? Hammond? missing: Bartlett,Nichols,Hobart,Ashley,Morey,Chase
    • p. 481 1776 NH regiments: Stark, Poor, Reed, Bedel(Canada), Long(Piscatagua), +5 reinforcing regiments: Wyman, Wingate, Tash, Baldwin, Gilman.
    • p. 482 Col. Pierce Long's regiment, Dec. 1776 - Jan. 1777
    • p. 551 early 1777 reorganization
    • p. 570 1777: Col. John McClary's regiment
  • Vol. 15
    • p. 1 Ticonderoga alarm Introduction, May 7, 1777: Ashley's regt.
    • p. 238 RI Troops Introduction, June, 1777: Senter's regiment, RI extra?
    • p. 276 Saratoga Troops Introduction
    • p. 416 Langdon
    • p. 433 1777: service summary
    • p. 462 1778: Peabody's regiment
    • p. 559 August 1778 Gale's regiment
    • p. 622 RI: Col. Moses Kelly's regiment
    • p. 654 RI: Col. Hercules Mooney's regiment
    • p. 693 1779: Piscataguq defense Col. Theophilus Dame
    • p. 739 1775: NH soldiers in Massachusetts regiments
    • p. 753 1776: NH soldiers in Massachusetts regiments
  • Vol. 16
    • p. 48 1780: Col. Moses Hazen's Category: Second Canadian Regiment, Continental Army, American Revolution
    • p. 51 Nov. 1779 - Mar 1780: NH soldiers in Capt. Nathaniel Chapman's company in Col. Benjamin Flowers regiment. May be an artillery artificer regiment?
    • p. 263 1781: Col. John Bell's regiment
  • Vol. 17
    • p. 104 1780: West Point reinforcements (NOTE: A category has been created for Bartlett's Regiment)
    • p. 166 June, 1780: recruits for Whitcomb's rangers
    • p. 293 June 26, 1782: raise 2 companies under Lt. Col. Charles Johnston

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire_Line

• Wright, Robert K., Jr., 1946-. The Continental Army. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, U.S. Army , 1983.

• https://revolutionarywar.us/continental-army/newhampshire/

• McClintock, John Norris. History of New Hampshire, Colony, Province, State, 1623-1888 (B.B. Russell, Cornhill, Boston, 1888); p. 314-400

• Wikipedia: Extra Continental regiments and Additional Continental regiments

• Derby, Samuel Carroll; Early Dublin : a list of the Revolutionary soldiers of Dublin, N.H.; 1901, Columbus, Ohio : Press of Spahr & Glenn; p. 13 May 17, 1775, 17 districts

• http://www.epsomhistory.com/epsom/history/McClary%20Family%20History.pdf

Development Notes

These are all "to-do" items, roughly in order of priority:

• Wright makes mention of a "Stark's Brigade, an element of the Northern Department", in the description of all 3 of the numbers Continental Army regiments, stating they were assigned to it from July to November 1776. Was there another Stark ? It does not say "General", so I am assuming this is something different than Category: General Stark's Brigade, New Hampshire Militia, American Revolution, which I am instead putting in a separate row and assuming it refers to when John Stark was promoted to Brigadier General of the New Hampshire Militia and led a force to reinforce the Northern Department.
• Research Russell. Was this a Continental unit or NH Militia, and was it a "ranger" unit? Was it a company within Bedel's ranger regiment?
• Whitcomb: was it a ranger regiment with a number, e.g. 3rd? was it an "extra" unit?
• I am still unclear about the unnumbered units that were raised after the original 17 militia units, seemingly when needed for specific American Revolutionary War needs, the soldiers being typically enlisted from existing militia units. Peabody's and Gale's regiments are especially foggy. There may well be both types of units for a given commander.
• add rows for Col. John McClary, Col. Moses Kelly, Col. Hercules Mooney, Col. Theophilus Dame, Col. Moses Hazen, Col. John Bell
• Research those I do not have from the list found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_militia_units_in_the_American_Revolutionary_War#New_Hampshire , i.e. Fogg (Lt. Col. Josiah Fogg ?), Lovewell, Reynolds (Lt. Col. Daniel Reynolds?), Scott (DAR A101885 ?)
• For any row without a "disbanded", research is needed to complete it (the row).
• How/if to reflect involvement of NH soldiers effectively fighting for Massachusetts prior to the 3 regiments being raised, e.g. Battle of Bunker Hill. See McClintock. May need to refer to the Massachusetts table. Maybe a special Massachusetts section of the table with NH companies/captains listed under Massachusetts militia regiments? What about after 1775 including other states or the Continental Army units, e.g. Category: Second Canadian Regiment, Continental Army, American Revolution
• Gilman research: see Gilman above
• Work related to Category: New Hampshire Militia, American Revolution
  • Category: 7th Regiment, New Hampshire Militia, American Revolution ever formed? ever served?
  • Category: Langdon's Company of Light Horse Volunteers, New Hampshire Militia, American Revolution John Langdon - 1777-07-21 Saratoga campaign under Gen. John Starks, 1777-08-16 Category: Battle of Bennington, Battle of Freeman's Farm, Gen. John Sullivan's Battle of Rhode Island, 1778-Fall disbanded
  • missing sub-categories in Category: New Hampshire Militia, American Revolution ? The assembly voted to raise these, but if something changed to prevent them ever forming, then they can be eliminated.
    • 1st
    • 8th
    • 14th
    • 17th
• not much material for 7th militia yet
• Colonel profiles that need work
  • George Reid needs work: 1776 Sticker, wikipedia, categories sources...
  • Benjamin Whitcomb needs lots of work
  • Col. Samuel Ashley needs work, but contains lots of names/sources to follow up on
  • Nicolas Gilman Jr./Sr. DAR does not agree with Wikipedia ?
• (after Cols. outlined) research captains, identify, profile improvements, any effects on this page?
• other NH militia units not already dealt with, e.g. Baker's, Bell's, Dame's...
• more ref tags where appropriate
• re-write explanations, include "extra" units, once I understand them better myself
• I don't like how content for the second half of 1776 renders. I may play around with a refactored set of columns sometime.