The New York Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "New York Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to New York at various times by the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was particularly important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state. Not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota, however. On December 27, 1776, the Continental Congress gave

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

temporary control over certain military decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These "dictatorial powers" included the authority to raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large. Early in 1777, Washington offered command of one of these additional regiments to William Malcolm of New York, who accepted. Malcolm had formerly commanded a New York militia unit. Half of Malcolm's Regiment was drawn from New York and half from Pennsylvania. Still other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a state quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service.

Nicholson's Regiment frame, A label from a bottle of Nicholsons' Brown Ale Nicholson's was a small brewery operating from 1840 to 1960 in Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire. History The brewery was founded in 1840 by William Nicholson (1820–1916), son ...

, raised in 1776 for the defense of Canada, was an example of such an "extra" regiment.

New York Line, 1775

The New York Line was created in consequence of the capture of

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain, in northern New York, in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian-born French mi ...

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...

on May 10, 1775. The

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

resolved on May 25, 1775, to permit the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

to maintain as many as 3,000 troops at Continental expense. Under this authority, New York raised four

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s, each of some 750 men, which were designated the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th New York Regiments. The enlistments in this first establishment ended on December 31, 1775. After the first enlistments of the four regiments ended, the remaining men were to be formed into two regiments, but Colonel Ritzema informed the

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

that the remaining men could not be usefully formed into even one regiment.Fernow, pg. 74

New York Line, 1776

The Continental Congress authorized the second establishment of the four regiments on January 19, 1776.

New York Line, 1777

The Continental Congress authorized the third establishment of the Continental Army on September 16, 1776. The troops raised under this Congressional resolution were to serve for the duration of the war. The number of regiments was reduced from five to two on January 1, 1781.

New York Brigade

The New York Brigade was first established from the New York regiments on July 22, 1778 to defend the New York frontier.

Footnotes

Sources

* Fernow, Berthold, ''New York in the Revolution'', 1887. * Wright, Robert K. ''The Continental Army''. Washington, D.C.:

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 ...

, 1983. Availabl
online

External links

compiled by the

{{Continental Army New York (state) regiments of the Continental Army