Skip to main content WikiTree: Where genealogists collaborate
WikiTree: Where genealogists collaborate
Log Out
no image

Connecticut Line, American Revolution

no image

Connecticut Line, American Revolution


In the course of the war, 27 infantry regiments were assigned to the Connecticut Line. This included the eight provincial regiments of 1775, Wooster's Provisional Regiment (formed by consolidation of the remnants of the original 1st, 4th, and 5th Regiments), the five numbered Continental regiments of 1776, the eight Connecticut regiments of 1777, S.B. Webb's Additional Continental Regiment, which later became the 9th Connecticut Regiment, and four new regiments created by consolidation in 1781.

Connecticut Provincial Regiments, 1775

  • The 1st Connecticut Provincial Regiment (1775) was commanded by Colonel David Wooster. Wooster's Regiment was assigned to the Separate, or New York, Department in 1775 and did not receive an additional designation in August.
  • The 4th Connecticut Provincial Regiment (1775) was commanded by Colonel Benjamin Hinman. Hinman's Regiment was assigned to the Separate, or New York, Department in 1775 and did not receive an additional designation in August.
  • The 5th Connecticut Provincial Regiment (1775) was commanded by Colonel David Waterbury. Waterbury's Regiment was assigned to the Separate, or New York, Department in 1775 and did not receive an additional designation in August.

Massachusetts requested reinforcements from the other New England colonies following the Battle of Bunker Hill. Connecticut responded by raising two more infantry regiments. They were authorized by the Connecticut Assembly on July 1, 1775, and placed on the Continental establishment on July 19, 1775

Numbered Continental Regiments, 1776

  • The 10th Continental Regiment (1776) (created from the 6th Connecticut Provincial Regiment (1775)) was commanded by Colonel Samuel Holden Parsons from 1 January to 9 August 1776. Parsons became a brigadier general in the Continental Army on the latter date. John Tyler, who had been the lieutenant colonel of the regiment since 1 January 1776, served as its colonel from 10 August to 31 December 1776.
  • The 20th Continental Regiment (1776) was commanded by John Durkee, with the rank of lieutenant colonel from 1 January to 12 August 1776 and with the rank of colonel from 12 August to 31 December 1776. Benedict Arnold had been appointed the colonel of this regiment as of 1 January 1776, but on that date he was serving in Quebec and, on 10 January 1776 he was made a brigadier general in the Continental Army.

Named Continental Regiments, 1776

  • Colonel Andrew Ward's Regiment (1776) Colonel Andrew Ward's regiment was raised in Connecticut, on requisition of the Continental Congress, to serve for one year from May 14, 1776, and stood on the same footing as the other Continental regiments of 1776, expiration of term, May, 1777
  • Colonel Charles Burrall's Regiment (1776)
  • Colonel Samuel Elmore's Regiment (1776) Colonel Samuel Elmore's Regiment was raised under authority of the Continental Congress, to serve for one year from April, 1776, and credited to Connecticut.
  • Captain John Bigelow's Artillery Company (1776) The first artillery company raised in Connecticut during the Revolution was an independent organization commanded by Capt. John Bigelow, of Hartford. It was recruited early in 1776 and marched to the Northern Department where it appears to have been accepted as a Continental Co.
  • Colonel Comfort Sage's Regiment (1776). Raised in 1776, it was a regiment in Wadsworth's Brigade. The regiment served mainly in New York.

Connecticut Line, 1777

  • The 1st Connecticut Regiment (1777) was commanded by Colonel Jedediah Huntington from 1 January to 12 May 1777. On the latter date, Colonel Huntington became a brigadier general in the Continental Army. He was succeeded, on 27 May 1777, by Colonel Josiah Starr, who served as the regiment's colonel until 1 January 1781.
  • The 2nd Connecticut Regiment (1777) was commanded by Colonel Charles Webb from 1 January 1777 until his resignation on 13 March 1778. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Zebulon Butler from 13 March 1778 to 1 January 1781.
  • The 4th Connecticut Regiment (1777) was commanded by Colonel John Durkee from 1 January 1777 to 1 January 1781. Colonel Durkee was wounded at the Battle of Monmouth.
  • The 6th Connecticut Regiment (1777) was commanded by Colonel William Douglas from 1 January 1777 until his death on 28 May 1777. Colonel Douglas had been an aide de camp to General Wooster, and had been wounded at Harlem Plains on 16 September 1776. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs from May 1777 until 1 January 1781.
  • The 8th Connecticut Regiment (1777) was commanded by Colonel John Chandler from 1 January 1777 until his resignation on 5 March 1778. He was succeeded on the latter date by Colonel Giles Russell, who died on 28 October 1779. The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Sherman from 28 October 1779 to 1 January 1781.

Reorganization of the Connecticut Line, 1778-1779

Reorganization of the Connecticut Line, 1781 On January 1, 1781, the Connecticut Line was reorganized to consist of five regiments.

  • The 1st Connecticut Regiment (1781) was constituted in the Connecticut Line by consolidation of the 3rd and 4th Connecticut Regiments (1777). The regiment was commanded by Colonel John Durkee from 1 January 1781 until his death on 29 May 1782. He was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Grosvenor from the latter date until 1 January 1783.
  • The 2nd Connecticut Regiment (1781) was constituted in the Connecticut Line by consolidation of the 5th and 7th Connecticut Regiments of 1777. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Heman Swift from 1 January 1781 until June 1783.
  • The 3rd Connecticut Regiment (1781) was constituted in the Connecticut Line by consolidation of the 2nd and the 9th Connecticut Regiments (1780). The regiment was commanded by Colonel Samuel Blatchley Webb from 1 January 1781 until June 1783.
  • The 4th Connecticut Regiment (1781), under this reorganization, was a redesignation of the 6th Connecticut Regiment (1777). In the reorganization of 1781, Colonel Zebulon Butler transferred from the old 2nd Connecticut Regiment to take command of this regiment. Colonel Butler served as colonel until 1 January 1783.
  • The 5th Connecticut Regiment (1781) was constituted in the Connecticut Line by consolidation of the 1st and 8th Connecticut Regiments (1777). The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Sherman from 1 January 1781 to 1 January 1783.

Research links

  • The Record of Connecticut Men in the Military and Naval Service During the War of the Revolution, 1775-1783 Google eBook


See:Wikipedia:Category:Connecticut_regiments_of_the_Continental_Army

Collaboration on Connecticut Line, American Revolution

  • Login to edit this profile and add images.
  • Public Comments: Login to post. (Best for messages specifically directed to those editing this profile. Limit 20 per day.)

Memories of Connecticut Line, American Revolution



Comments on Connecticut Line, American Revolution: 1


Login to post a comment.

Dana Burns
Potentially useful source:

posted by Dana Burns

Categories: Connecticut Line, American Revolution