The 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment also known as Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment was authorized on 1 January 1777 as Colonel John Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment. As originally constituted, the regiment included 12 artillery companies from New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The bulk of the regiment served in the

Hudson Highlands The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in New York state lying primarily in Putnam County on its east bank and Orange County on its west. They continue somewhat to the south in Westchester County and Rockland County ...

, though some companies fought with

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's main army from 1777 to 1779. On 10 August 1779 the unit was renamed the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment. Two companies were transferred to the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment on 1 January 1781 to form a 10-company regiment. In August 1781 the regiment was reassigned to the main army in time to fight at the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

. The regiment returned to the Hudson Highlands in the summer of 1782. It was reduced to two companies in June 1783. The regiment was dissolved on 1 January 1784 except for one company which remained in the regular army.

History

Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment became part 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 ...

on 1 January 1777. During the spring of 1777, the regiment was formed around a core of three existing New York artillery companies under Captains Andrew Moodie, Sebastian Bauman, and

John Doughty John Doughty (July 25, 1754September 16, 1826) was an American military officer who briefly served as the senior officer of the United States Army in 1784. Holding the rank of major at the time, he bears the distinction of being the lowest ranke ...

. Moodie's company was originally authorized on 30 June 1775 as Captain John Lamb's company. It formed in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in July and August 1775. Part of the unit went on

Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec In September 1775, early in the American Revolutionary War, Colonel Benedict Arnold led a force of 1,100 Continental Army troops on an expedition from Cambridge in the Province of Massachusetts Bay to the gates of Quebec City. The expedition ...

where it was captured at the Battle of Quebec on 31 December 1775. The rump of the unit became Captain-lieutenant Isaiah Wool's Artillery Detachment and served first in the New York Department. On 20 January 1776 the unit was assigned to the Canadian Department. On 2 July 1776 it was reassigned to the Northern Department and it joined Lamb's Regiment on 1 January 1777.Wright, 337-338 Bauman's company was authorized on 28 October 1775 and recruited in New York. Organized in New York City from December 1775 to May 1776, it was assigned to Washington's main army on 13 April 1776. Bauman's company became part of Lamb's Regiment on 1 January 1777. Doughty's company was authorized on 6 January 1776 as the New York Provincial Company of Artillery. Assembled at New York City in the late winter of 1776, it joined

's main army on 17 June 1776. Doughty's company joined Lamb's Regiment on 17 March 1777. On 26 December 1776, Bauman commanded his 80-man company and three cannons at the

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American m ...

. Together with Captain

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

's New York battery and Thomas Forrest's Pennsylvania battery, Bauman's company unlimbered on high ground at the head of King and Queen Streets. The American artillery proceeded to overwhelm the Hessian gunners manning two cannons on King Street, and laid down an effective zone of fire. After Trenton, command of Hamilton's company passed to Doughty. Additional companies were authorized to make a total of 12 companies. Added to the three original companies were four new companies recruited from

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

and Fairfield Counties, Connecticut. Three new companies came from New York state and two new companies came from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 73rd-most populous county in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 856,55 ...

. The three original companies and the two Pennsylvania companies assembled at

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

. The three newly raised New York companies organized at

Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...

, while the four Connecticut companies organized at

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

and Peekskill.Wright, 337 Lamb went to Canada with

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and he is most famous for l ...

and was captured at Quebec. Though paroled a few days later, he wasn't formally exchanged until January 1777. He was promoted colonel of the artillery regiment on 1 January 1777. On 28 April 1777 he was wounded at Campo Hill during the Danbury Raid while trying to stop a bayonet attack with three cannons. In early 1778 Lamb became embroiled in a dispute over seniority, but remained in command of the regiment throughout the war. He was the artillery commander at

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 ...

in 1779 and 1780, including at the time when

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

attempted to betray the fort to the British. The evening after Arnold's treason, Washington ordered Lamb to assume command over the key strategic position of

King's Ferry, New York Verplanck is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the administrative divisions of New York#Town, town of Cortlandt, New York, Cortlandt, Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

because he did not fully trust another officer.Boatner, 595 On 12 June 1777, Lamb's artillery regiment was assigned to the Highlands Department. However, some units fought with the main army in the

Philadelphia Campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to draw ...

. The regiment's Captain James Lee fought at the

Siege of Fort Mifflin The siege of Fort Mifflin or siege of Mud Island Fort from September 26 to November 16, 1777 saw British land batteries commanded by Captain John Montresor and a British naval squadron under Vice Admiral Lord Richard Howe attempt to capture an ...

in November 1777. Like Lamb,

Eleazer Oswald Eleazer Oswald (baptized bp 2 February 1750/51 – 30 September 1795) was born at Falmouth, Cornwall, in England, but moved to British America as a young man. He became apprenticed to a printer, John Holt of Williamsburg, Virginia, and marri ...

was captured at Quebec and not exchanged until January 1777 when he was commissioned

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in Lamb's Regiment.Boatner, 820 Oswald served as Charles Lee's chief artillery officer at the

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, co ...

on 28 June 1778. Under his authority were Captain Thomas Wells of the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment, two guns, Captain David Cook of the 3rd Artillery, two guns, Captain Thomas Seward of the 3rd Artillery, two guns, Captain Thomas Randall of the 2nd Artillery, two guns, and four guns of the 3rd Artillery attached to Charles Scott's command. Though his actions at Monmouth were praised, Oswald resigned from the army soon after the battle because he was miffed at being passed over for promotion. On 10 August 1779 the four artillery regiments were numbered. Two boards of generals ruled that neither Lamb's Regiment nor John Crane's Continental Artillery Regiment could trace their lineage to Knox's

Continental Artillery Regiment The Continental Artillery Regiment, also known as Gridley's Continental Artillery Regiment or Knox's Continental Artillery Regiment, was the only large American unit of artillery in the early part of the American Revolutionary War. It was authoriz ...

. Therefore, Charles Harrison's Continental Artillery Regiment was named the 1st Continental Artillery Regiment. Lamb and Crane drew lots and Lamb's regiment became the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment while Crane's regiment was renamed the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment. Since it was the last regiment to enter the Continental Army, Thomas Proctor's Continental Artillery Regiment was designated the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment. Lamb was artillery commander at West Point in 1779 and 1780. The 2nd Artillery was reorganized into 10 companies on 1 January 1781. At this time, the companies of Captains Andrew Porter and Jonas Simonds transferred into the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment. The regiment was assigned to the main army on 28 August 1781. Lamb took his regiment south for the

Yorktown campaign The Yorktown campaign, also known as the Virginia campaign, was a series of military maneuvers and battles during the American Revolutionary War that culminated in the siege of Yorktown in October 1781. The result of the campaign was the surren ...

. At the

in the fall of 1781, the 2nd Artillery numbered 225 men.Boatner (1994), 1240 On 24 August 1782 the 2nd Artillery was reassigned to the Highlands Department. The regiment was reduced to two companies on 11 June 1783 and disbanded on 1 January 1784. However, Doughty's company remained in the United States army at West Point. The 1st Battalion of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment can trace its lineage to Doughty's company.

Service record

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:2nd Continental Artillery Regiment Military units and formations of the Continental Army