1st Virginia State Regiment
| 1st Virginia State Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1776-1782 |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  Commonwealth of Virginia |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Type | Regular state troops |
| Role | Line infantry |
| Size | 10 companies |
| Engagements | American Revolutionary War |
The 1st Virginia State Regiment was a regiment of regular state troops from Virginia which fought during the American Revolutionary War.
Formation[edit]
The regiment was authorized by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia in December 1776 as a force of regular troops for the Commonwealth's defense.
In the Contintenal Army[edit]
In 1777, Virginia had difficulty meeting its quota for the regular line of the Continental Army. As a result, in July 1777 under the command of Colonel George Gibson, the regiment began a march North to temporarily join the Continental Army in the Philadelphia Campaign.[1][2] In January 1778, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act directing that the 1st Virginia State Regiment "now in Continental service, be continued in said service instead of the Ninth Virginia Regiment, made prisoners by the enemy in the Battle of Germantown."[3][4] The regiment camped at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78 and at Middlebrook in the winter of 1778-79 and participated in the Battle of Monmouth. The regiment remained in the service of the Continental Army until late 1779 when redeployed Virginia.[5][3]
Organization[edit]
Unlike the standard division of eight found in the regular line regiments of the Continental Army, the 1st Virginia State Regiment consisted of ten companies including one of light infantry.
Field Officers[edit]
- Colonel George Gibson
- Lt. Colonel William Brent
- Lt. Colonel John Allison
- Major Thomas Meriweather
Company Commanders[edit]
- Captain Thomas "Ol'Henry" Pollard
- Captain William Hoffler
- Captain Thomas Ewell
- Captain Windsor Brown
- Captain John Nicholas
- Captain John Holt (replaced Capt. Nicholas)
- Captain William Payne
- Captain Charles Ewell (replaced Capt. Payne)
- Captain John Lee
- Captain Thomas Armistead (replaced Capt. Lee)
- Captain Thomas Meriweather (promoted to Major)
- Captain John Shields (replaced Capt. Meriweather)
- Captain William Campbell (replaced Capt. Shields)
- Captain John Camp
- Captain Angus Rucker (replaced Capt. Camp)
- Captain Jacob Valentine (replaced Capt. Rucker)
- Captain Abner Crump
- Captain Thomas Hamilton
- Captain Robert Daniel Brown
- Captain Thomas Smith
References[edit]
- ^ Flagg, C.A. and Waters, W.O.(1913). "Virginia Soldier's in the Revolution." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 21, No. 4. pp. 337-346.
- ^ Wright, Robert K. The Continental Army. Center of Military History, United States Army, 1983. p. 147
- ^ a b Flagg (1913) pp. 337-346.
- ^ Shelby, John E. The Revolution in Virginia, 1775-1783. University of Virginia Press, 1988. p. 135.
- ^ Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (National Archives Microfilm Publication M246). Roll Box Nos. 93 and 94.
External links[edit]
- The Muster Roll Project The Friends of the Valley Forge Park