The 7th Massachusetts Regiment was an infantry regiment 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 ...
. It was constituted on 16 September 1776, and was originally known as Alden's Regiment after its first colonel,
Ichabod Alden
Ichabod Alden (August 11, 1739 – November 11, 1778) was an American Revolutionary War officer and commanding officer during the Cherry Valley Massacre.
Early life and family
The great-grandson of the Mayflower pilgrim John Alden, Ichabod Ald ...
. It was organized as seven companies of volunteers from across
, and Mayhew's company from the
25th Continental Regiment during the later months of 1776. The regiment was assigned to the Northern Department on 9 February 1777. It was reassigned to the Highland's Department on 13 March 1777. On 12 June 1777 it was assigned to 2nd Massachusetts Brigade and three days later, 15 June 1777, it was reassigned to the 1st Massachusetts Brigade. The brigade was reassigned to the Northern Department on 1 July 1777 and the regiment was relieved from the brigade on 31 March 1778. The regiment re-organized to nine companies on 25 September 1778 and reassigned to the Northern Department on 14 June 1779. The regiment was reassigned to the New Hampshire Brigade of the main army on 23 August 1779. On 14 November 1779, the regiment was reassigned to the 3d Massachusetts Brigade in the Highland Department. On 1 January 1781, the regiment was reassigned to the 1st Massachusetts Brigade. The regiment was furloughed on 12 June 1783 at
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, New York and disbanded on 15 November 1783.
The regiment saw action at the
Battles of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...
, the
Cherry Valley massacre
The Cherry Valley massacre was an attack by British and Iroquois forces on a fort and the town of Cherry Valley in central New York on November 11, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It has been described as one of the most horrific ...
(in which Colonel Alden was killed and Lt. Col.
William Stacy
William Stacy (February 15, 1734 – August 1802) was an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country. Published histories describe Colonel William Stacy's involvement in a variet ...
was captured), and the
Sullivan Expedition
The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Genocide) was a United States military campaign during the American Revolutionary War, lasting from June to October 1779 ...
.
References
*
*
External links
Bibliography of the Continental Army in Massachusettscompiled 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 ...
7th Massachusetts Regiment
The 7th Massachusetts Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Continental Army. It was constituted on 16 September 1776, and was originally known as Alden's Regiment after its first colonel, Ichabod Alden. It was organized as seven companies ...
{{Massachusetts-stub