The 2nd Rhode Island Regiment (also known as Hitchcock's Regiment and the 11th Continental Infantry) was authorized on 6 May 1775 under Colonel Daniel Hitchcock in the

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Army of Observation and was organized on 8 May 1775 as eight companies of volunteers from

Providence County Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state cap ...

of the colony of

. As part of a brigade organized under

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

, the unit participated in the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular town ...

during the remainder of 1775. Some elements accompanied

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 exped ...

late in the year. The unit was renamed the 11th Continental Regiment on the first day 1776. In its new designation, the regiment fought in the

New York and New Jersey campaign The New York and New Jersey campaign in 1776 and the winter months of 1777 was a series of American Revolutionary War battles for control of the Port of New York and the state of New Jersey, fought between British forces under General Sir Willi ...

starting in August 1776. After retreating across New Jersey, the unit was renamed the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment and fought at

Assunpink Creek Assunpink Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in western New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garde ...

and

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

in early January. Hitchcock died soon after and the 2nd Regiment was ordered away to defend the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

valley. In September 1777 the regiment, now under Colonel

Israel Angell Israel Angell (August 24, 1740 - May 4, 1832) was a Continental Army officer of the American Revolutionary War. Early life and education He was born to Oliver and Naomi (Smith) Angell in Providence, Rhode Island.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who ...

, was recalled to the main army for 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 dra ...

. With the

1st Rhode Island Regiment The 1st Rhode Island Regiment (also known as Varnum's Regiment, the 9th Continental Regiment, the Black Regiment, the Rhode Island Regiment, and Olney's Battalion) was a regiment in the Continental Army raised in Rhode Island during the Americ ...

, it won a victory at Red Bank in October 1777. Portions of the unit defended

Fort Mifflin Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island (or Deep Water Island) on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia International A ...

where the 2nd Regiment's Major Simeon Thayer assumed command of the fort near the end of the siege. In 1778 the regiment fought at the battles of

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

and

. In June of the following year it was in the thick of action at Springfield in New Jersey. On 1 January 1781, the regiment was consolidated with the 1st Regiment and the new unit was renamed the Rhode Island Regiment. For the unit's subsequent history, see the

Regiment history

Hitchcock's Regiment (1775)

Shortly after the

Battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, ...

, the General Assembly of Rhode Island decided to raise a brigade of three regiments to join the Army of Observation during the

. The three regiments were organized in May 1775. The regiment from Providence County was placed under the command of Colonel Daniel Hitchcock, for whom it was named as the Continental Army did not have numerical designations of units at that time. (The other two regiments were then known as Varnum's Regiment (raised in Kent and Kings Counties) and

Church's Regiment Church's Regiment (a.k.a. 3rd Rhode Island Regiment) was a unit of the Continental Army raised in Rhode Island which served from May 3, 1775 to December 31, 1775 in the American Revolutionary War. Organization In May 1775 the Rhode Island General ...

(raised in Newport and Bristol Counties). Shortly after the regiments were organized, they marched north to Boston under the command of Brigadier General

. The Regiment would see action at

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for neighborhood services coordination. The city states that Roxbury se ...

during 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 ...

in June. The regiment was expanded to ten companies on 28 June 1775. It was adopted into 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 ...

when General

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 ...

arrived in Cambridge and took command on 3 July 1775. It was assigned to

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Greene, Iowa, a city *Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene *Greene (town), New York ** Greene (village), New York, in the town ...

's Brigade on 22 July 1775.

11th Continental Infantry (1776)

The regiment was re-organized as the 11th Continental Infantry on 1 January 1776. Following the British evacuation of Boston in March, the regiment, along with the bulk of the Continental Army, was redeployed to defend

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 ...

. The British landed in force on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

in September 1776 and defeated the inexperienced Continentals at the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yor ...

. The last engagements of the 11th Continental Infantry were the Battles of Trenton and

in early January 1777.

2nd Rhode Island Regiment (1777–1781)

The regiment was re-organized as the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment after the death of Colonel Hitchcock on 13 January 1777. Colonel

was placed in command of the regiment. In late 1777 it fought at the

Battle of Red Bank The Battle of Red Bank was a battle fought on October 22, 1777 during the American Revolutionary War in which a British and Hessian force was sent to take Fort Mercer on the left bank (or New Jersey side) of the Delaware River just south of Phi ...

and Major Simeon Thayer of the 2nd led the defenders during the latter part of 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 ...

. The 2nd Rhode Island spent the winter of 1778 at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the ...

. In 1778 the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment distinguished itself at the Battles of

and the

. From late 1778 to December 1780 the regiment was assigned to Starks's Brigade in the Main Army based in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Battle of Springfield The Battle of Springfield was fought during the American Revolutionary War on June 23, 1780, in Union County, New Jersey. After the Battle of Connecticut Farms, on June 7, 1780, had foiled Lieutenant General Wilhelm, Baron von Knyphausen’s ...

in June 1780, where the regiment lost six killed, 31 wounded and three missing out of a strength of 160. The regiment also fought in several other skirmishes and minor engagements before being consolidated with the 1st Rhode Island Regiment in 1781.

Consolidation (1781)

In February 1781, the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment was combined with the remnants of the

to form the Rhode Island Regiment (1781–1783). The Rhode Island Regiment served until British evacuated New York and was finally disbanded on 25 December 1783.

Service record

Significant campaigns and battles

(1775–1776) *

(1776) *

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's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton the previous night, ...

(1777) *

Battle of Princeton The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the comm ...

(1777) *

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Battle of Red Bank The Battle of Red Bank was a battle fought on October 22, 1777 during the American Revolutionary War in which a British and Hessian force was sent to take Fort Mercer on the left bank (or New Jersey side) of the Delaware River just south of Phi ...

(1777) *

(1777–1778) *

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 ...

(1778) *

Battle of Rhode Island The Battle of Rhode Island (also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill) took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and Militia forces under the command of Major General John Sullivan had been besieging the British forces in Newport, Rhode Isl ...

(1778) *

(1780)

Senior Officers

Colonels

* Daniel Hitchcock; 3 May 1775 – 13 January 1777 (died) *

; 13 January 1777 – 31 December 1780 (retired)

Lieutenant Colonels

Ezekiel Cornell Ezekiel Cornell (1732/33 – April 25, 1800) was a Revolutionary War general who represented Rhode Island in the U.S. Continental Congress from 1780 to 1782. Early life Ezekiel Cornell was born in on March 27, 1732/33 in either Dartmout ...

; 3 May 1775 – October 1776 (discharged, promoted to brigadier general in the Rhode State Troops) *

; October 1776 – 13 January 1777 (promoted) *

Jeremiah Olney Jeremiah Olney (1749 – 10 November 1812) was born into an old family from Rhode Island. He formed a company of infantry from that state at the start of the American Revolutionary War. After serving as captain in 1776, he was promoted to lieu ...

; 13 January 1777 – 31 December 1781 (transferred to the Rhode Island Regiment as Lieutenant Colonel Commandant)

Majors

; 3 May 1775 – October 1776 (promoted) *Christopher Smith; October 1776 – 31 December 1777 * Simeon Thayer; 1 January 1777 – 31 December 1780 (retired and promoted to brigadier general in the Rhode Island Militia) Note – The dates shown are the dates of rank. In many cases promotions were late and the date of rank was retroactively conferred.

Notes

References

*Archambault, Alan H. "The Second Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Line 1775–1777." Military Collector and Historian, 28 (Fall 1976), p. 133. *Archambault, Alan H. and Marko Zlatich. "Rhode Island Regiment, 1781–1783." Military Collector and Historian, 36 (Summer 1984), p. 77. *Boyle, Joseph Lee ''"Death Seem'd to Stare": The New Hampshire And Rhode Island Regiments at Valley Forge'' Clearfield Co, 1995 *Brown, Anne S. K. "Rhode Island Uniforms in the Revolution." Military Collector and Historian, 10 (Spring 1958), pp. 1–10. *Gardiner, Asa B. The Rhode Island Line in the Continental Army and Its Society of Cincinnati. Providence: Providence Press Co., 1878. *Hitchcock, Dan. "So Few the Brave (The Second Rhode Island 1777–1781)." Military Collector and Historian, 30 (Spring 1978), pp. 18–22. *Lovell, Louise Lewis and Eben Putnam. ''Israel Angell, colonel of the 2nd Rhode Island regiment''. New York: The Knickerbocker press (G.P. Putnam's sons), 1921. * *Walker, Anthony. So Few The Brave (Rhode Island Continentals 1775-1783). Newport: Seafield Press, 1981. *

External links

2nd Rhode Island Regiment Interview (video)
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 Ar ...

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