The 1st Massachusetts Regiment was an infantry unit of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

that fought during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It was first authorized on 23 April 1775 in the Massachusetts State Troops as Paterson's Regiment under Colonel John Paterson and was organized at

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. It consisted of eleven companies of volunteers from

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

, and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

counties in Massachusetts and the county of Litchfield in the colony of Connecticut. The regiment was adopted into the main

on 14 June 1775 and was assigned to

William Heath William Heath (March 2, 1737 – January 24, 1814) was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader from Massachusetts who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Life and career Heath m ...

's brigade on 22 July 1775. On 1 January 1776 the regiment (less two companies) was consolidated with Sayer's and Sullivan's companies of

Scammon's Regiment The Massachusetts Line was those units within the Continental Army that were assigned to Massachusetts at various times by the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War. These, together with similar contingents from the other twel ...

; re-organized to eight companies and redesignated as the 15th Continental Regiment of Heath's Brigade. The regiment would see action at the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

. When the army was reorganized at the end of 1775 the regiment was designated the 15th Continental Regiment, and in 1777 it was designated the 1st Massachusetts Regiment (but was also referred to as Vose's Regiment after its colonel,

Joseph Vose Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

1776 reorganization

The remnants of Paterson's Regiment (less Morse's and Watkin's companies) and Sayer's and Sullivan's companies of Scammon's Regiment were combined on 1 January 1776 to form eight companies designated as the 15th Continental Regiment, which was assigned to the brigade of William Heath. On 24 January 1776 the regiment was reassigned to an unnamed brigade in the main Continental Army. On 16 February 1776 this brigade was designated as Frye's Brigade and on 15 April 1776 the brigade was reassigned to the Canadian Department. The regiment was then reassigned to Reed's Brigade of the Northern Department on 20 July 1776. On 11 August 1776 this brigade was redesignated as Paterson's Brigade. On 26 November 1776 the regiment was reassigned to St. Clair's Brigade of the main Continental Army.

1777 reorganization

On 1 January 1777 the 15th Continental Regiment was joined by two companies of the 18th Continental Regiment and two companies of the 6th Continental Regiment and re-organized as eight companies, known as Vose's, or the 1st Massachusetts Regiment. The regiment was reassigned to the Northern Department on 9 February 1777. On 13 March 1777 the regiment was assigned to the Highlands Department (which guarded the area around

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

, and assigned to McDougall's Brigade on 12 June 1777 and three days later 15 June 1777 was assigned to 2nd Connecticut Brigade of the Highlands Department. On 10 July 1777 the regiment was reassigned to the 2nd Massachusetts Brigade. This brigade was reassigned to the Northern department on 24 July 1777. On 7 November 1777 the brigade was reassigned to the main

. On 22 July 1778 the regiment was reassigned to the Eastern Department and re-organized to nine companies on 1 April 1779 and on 7 July 1779 the brigade was reassigned to the Highland's Department and was redesignated as the 1st Massachusetts Regiment on 1 August 1779.

1779-1783

On 1 August 1779 the regiment was in the 2nd Massachusetts Brigade in the Highland Department. On 1 January 1781 the regiment was reassigned to the 1st Massachusetts Brigade in the Highland Department and was disbanded on 3 November 1783 at West Point, New York. Its lineage is carried on by the U.S. 104th Infantry Regiment.

References

External links

Bibliography of the Continental Army in Massachusetts
compiled by the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2013 1st Massachusetts Regiment