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 ...

, the New York Provincial Company of Artillery was created by 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 ...

in 1776 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 ...

from

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

attack.

History

Revolution

The

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

government of the province commissioned

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 ...

, then a student at King's College (now,

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

) and an officer in a

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

unit of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

called the Hearts of Oak, to create the new Provincial Company of Artillery. The new Company saw action in the

Battle of White Plains The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward f ...

and the Battle of Trenton, among others. It was while commanding this unit with distinction that Hamilton came to the attention of many high-ranking officers in 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 ...

, a number of them offering him positions on their staffs. Hamilton refused them all to become ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

to the commander-in-chief, 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 th ...

, for much of the remainder of the war. The New York Provincial Company of Artillery is considered the ancestor of the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, making it the oldest active unit in the U.S.

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

and the only one with credit for the Revolutionary War. It is also one of the few with credit for the War of 1812.: "9. What is the oldest unit in the Army? The oldest unit in the active Army is the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, which perpetuates the Alexander Hamilton Battery of the Revolutionary War." originally accessed 22 September 2008

Post Revolution

In November 1783 the Continental Army was reduced to one regiment. In June 1784 Congress decided to have only artillery company on active duty. The company commanded by Captain

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 ...

, which was the direct descendant of New York Provincial Company, was the one selected. The company was assigned to guard stores of arms and equipment 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 ...

and Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania. In August 1784 the Army expanded to one regiment, under the command of Colonel

Josiah Harmar Josiah Harmar (November 10, 1753August 20, 1813) was an officer in the United States Army during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. He was the senior officer in the Army for six years and seven months (August 1784 to Ma ...

, and one artillery battalion to which Captain Doughty's company was assigned. Along with the regiment, the company participated in the campaigns against the Miami tribe in the Northwest Territories (modern day

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

), in 1790 and 1791. The company served in the War of 1812 in Louisiana where in January 1815, under the command of Captain Charles Wollstonecraft, defended

Fort St. Philip Fort St. Philip is a historic masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about upriver from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, just opposite Fort Jackson on the other side of the river. It formerly served a ...

against the British Navy after the British Army had been defeated at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French ...

earlier that month. In the Army's reorganization of 1821, the company was designated as Company F of the 4th United States Artillery. It retained this designation until 1901. During the 19th Century, the company served in the Mexican War, American Civil War and in campaigns against Native Americans including Little Big Horn and Pine Ridge.

20th Century

In 1907 the company was re-designated as Battery D of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment. Following the entry of the United States into the First World War, in 1917 the 5th Field Artillery was assigned to the 1st Division (later re-designated as the 1st Infantry Division). The 5th Field Artillery has been a subordinate unit of the 1st Infantry Division for most of its history from 1917 to the present. The company deployed with the division to France in 1917 and served in France for the remainder of the war. It participated in the Lorraine, St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives in 1918. In World War II the 5th Field Artillery Regiment was reorganized as the 5th Field Artillery Battalion and assigned to the 1st Infantry Division in 1940. The company has been a subordinate unit of the 1st Infantry Division ever since. During the war, the company, along with the division, participated in the invasion of North Africa in 1942, the invasion of Sicily in 1943, the invasion of Normandy in 1944 and was in Germany with than country surrendered on 8 May 1945. The company participated in a total of 8 campaigns during the war. The company later served in Korea, Vietnam,

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

and

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

as an element of the 1st Infantry Division. 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Calvin Rogers when he earned the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

in 1968. Rogers retired from the Army in 1984 as a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. He is the highest ranking African-American to receive the Medal of Honor.

Lineage and honors

(The following information is sourced from the website of 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 ...

and is in the public domain.)

Pre-War of 1812

Constituted 6 January 1776 by the colony of New York as the New York Provincial Company of Artillery, commanded by Captain

. Organized 3 February-30 March 1776 at New York, New York. Transferred 17 March 1777 to the Continental Army as Captain

's Company, Colonel John Lamb's (New York) Continental Artillery Regiment. Redesignated 10 August 1779 as the 2d Company, 2d Continental Artillery Regiment. Reorganized and redesigned 1, January 1784 as Captain John Doughty's Company of Artillery. Reorganized and redesignated in July 1785 as the 1st Company (commanded by Major John Doughty), Artillery, First American Regiment. Reorganized 20 October, 1786 as the 1st Company (commanded by Captain James Bradford), Artillery, First American Regiment Reorganized and redesignated 3 October 1787 as the 1st Company (commanded by Captain James Bradford), Battalion of Artillery. Consolidated in 1792 with the 2d Company, Battalion of Artillery (see ANNEX 1), and consolidated unit reorganized and redesignated as Captain Mahlon Ford's Company of Artillery of the 1st Sublegion,

Legion of the United States The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the Continental Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne. It represented a political shift in the new United States, which had recently adopte ...

. Redesignated 9 May 1794 as Captain Mahlon Ford's Company, 1st Battalion, Corps of Artillerists and Engineers. Redesignated 27 April 1798 as Captain Mahlon Ford's Company, 4th Battalion, 1st Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers Consolidated in 1800 with Captain James Sterrett's Company, 1st Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers (see ANNEX 2), and consolidated unit designated as Captain James Sterrett's Company, 1st Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers. Redesignated in March 1801 as Captain John W. Livingston's Company, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers Redesignated 1 April 1802 as Captain John W. Livingston's Company, Regiment of Artillerists. Redesignated in May 1802 as Captain James Sterrett's Company, Regiment of Artillerists. Redesignated in 1806 as Captain Charles Wollstonecraft's Company, Regiment of Artillerists.

War of 1812

Redesignated 11 January 1812 as Captain Charles Wollstonecraft's Company, 1st Regiment of Artillery. Redesignated 12 May 1814 as Captain Charles Wollstonecraft's Company, Corps of Artillery. Consolidated 17 May 1815 with Captain Francis Newman's Company, Corps of Artillery (see ANNEX 3), and consolidated unit designated as Captain Charles Wollstonecraft's Company, Corps of Artillery, Southern Division. Redesignated in late 1815 as Captain George P. Peters' Company, Corps of Artillery, Southern Division. Redesignated 21 August 1816 as Company A, 3d Battalion, Corps of Artillery, Southern Division. Redesignated 1 June 1821 as Company F,

4th Regiment of Artillery The 4th Air Defense Artillery Troupe was constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 4th Regiment of Artillery and organized from new and existing units with headquarters at Pensacola, Florida. As a result of the division of the Artillery ...

Early 20th Century

Reorganized and redesignated 13 February 1901 as the 8th Battery, Field Artillery, Artillery Corps. Reorganized and redesignated 31 May 1907 as Battery D, 5th Field Artillery Regiment (5th Field Artillery assigned 8 June 1917 to the 1st Expeditionary Division (later redesignated as the 1st Division). Relieved in March 1921 from assignment to the 1st Division. Assigned 1 January 1930 to the 1st Division (later redesignated as the 1st Infantry Division). Inactivated 1 October 1933 at

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

. Re-activated 1 May 1939 at

Madison Barracks File:Madison Barracks.jpg File:Madison Barracks02.jpg File:Madison Barracks Stone Tower.jpg File:Madison Barracks Stone Tower 02.jpg Madison Barracks was a military installation established in 1813 or 1815 at Sackets Harbor that was built for occ ...

, New York.

World War II

Reorganized and redesignated 1 October 1940 as Battery D, 5th Field Artillery Battalion. Assigned to the 1st Infantry Division.

Post World War II

Reorganized and redesignated 15 February 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Field Artillery Battalion, 5th Artillery, an element of the 1st Infantry Division (organic elements constituted 8 February 1957 and activated 15 February 1957). Reorganized and redesignated 20 April 1960 as the 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion, 5th Artillery. (Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion, 5th Artillery, consolidated 26 August 1960 with Battery D, 5th Coast Artillery rganized in 1861 and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion, 5th Artillery). Redesignated 20 January 1964 as the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery. Reorganized and redesignated (less former Battery D, 5th Coast Artillery) 1 September 1971 as the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery (former Battery D, 5th Coast Artillery, concurrently redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery--hereafter separate lineage). Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment.

ANNEX 1

Constituted 3 June 1784 in the Regular Army as the 2d Company, Artillery,

First American Regiment The First American Regiment (also known as Harmar's Regiment, The United States Regiment, The Regiment of Infantry, 1st Sub-legion, 1st Regiment of Infantry and 1st Infantry Regiment) was the first peacetime regular army infantry unit authorize ...

. Organized August-September 1784 in Pennsylvania as the 2d Company (commanded by Captain Thomas Douglass), Artillery, First American Regiment. Redesignated 20 October 1785 as the 2d Company (commanded by Captain William Ferguson), Artillery, First American Regiment. Redesignated 3 October 1787 as the 2d Company (commanded by Captain William Ferguson), Battalion of Artillery. Redesignated 4 March 1791 as the 2d Company (commanded by Captain Mahlon Ford), Battalion of Artillery.

ANNEX 2

Constituted 20 October 1786 in the Regular Army as a company of artillery. Organized in 1786 in Massachusetts as Captain Joseph Savage's Company of Artillery. Redesignated 3 October 1787 as the 4th Company (commanded by Captain Joseph Savage), Battalion of Artillery. Reorganized and redesignated in 1792 as Captain John Pierce's Company of Artillery of the 2d Sublegion, Legion of the United States. Redesignated 9 May 1794 as Captain John Pierce's Company, 1st Battalion, Corps of Artillerists and Engineers. Redesignated in 1796 as Captain George Demler's Company, 1st Battalion, Corps of Artillerists and Engineers. Redesignated 27 April 1798 as Captain George Demler's Company, 1st Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers. Redesignated 19 March 1799 as Captain James Sterrett's Company, 1st Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers.

ANNEX 3

Constituted 27 April 1798 in the Regular Army as a company in the 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers. Organized in late 1798 at

Fort Wolcott Fort Wolcott was a fortification on the small Goat Island in Newport Harbor of Narragansett Bay less than 1 mile west of the city of Newport, Rhode Island. The attacks on and occurred near the fort. Fort Anne An earthen Fort Anne, built on Goat ...

, Rhode Island, as Captain Amos Stoddard's Company, 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers. Redesignated 1 April 1802 as Captain Amos Stoddard's Company, Regiment of Artillerists. Redesignated in 1810 as Captain Francis Newman's Company, Regiment of Artillerists. Redesignated 11 January 1812 as Captain Francis Newman's Company, 1st Regiment of Artillery. Redesignated 12 May 1814 as Captain Francis Newman's Company, Corps of Artillery.

1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment Honors

Campaign Participation Credit

Revolutionary War: *Long Island; *Trenton; *Princeton; *Brandywine; *Germantown; *Monmouth; *Yorktown; *New Jersey 1776; *New Jersey 1777; *New Jersey 1780; *New York 1776 War of 1812: *Louisiana 1814; *Louisiana 1815 Indian Wars: *Miami; *Creeks; *Seminoles; *Little Big Horn; *Pine Ridge Mexican War: *Vera Cruz; *Cerro Gordo; *Contreras; *Chapultepec Civil War: *Valley; *Manassas; *Antietam; *Chancellorsville; *Gettysburg; *Virginia 1861 War with Spain: *Santiago Philippine Insurrection: *Cavite; *Luzon 1899; *Samar 1900; *Samar 1901 World War I: *Montdidier-Noyon; *Aisne-Marne; *St. Mihiel; *Meuse-Argonne; *Lorraine 1917; *Lorraine 1918; *Picardy 1918 World War II: *Algeria-French Morocco; *Tunisia; *Sicily (with arrowhead); *Normandy (with arrowhead); *Northern France; *Rhineland; *Ardennes-Alsace; *Central Europe Vietnam: *Defense; *Counteroffensive; *Counteroffensive, Phase II; *Counteroffensive, Phase III; *Tet Counteroffensive; *Counteroffensive, Phase IV; *Counteroffensive, Phase V; *Counteroffensive, Phase VI; *Tet 69/Counteroffensive; *Summer-Fall 1969; *Winter-Spring 1970 Southwest Asia: *Defense of Saudi Arabia; *Liberation and Defense of Kuwait; *Cease-Fire War on Terrorism: Campaigns to be determined

Decorations

*Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered AL ANBAR PROVINCE *Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966-1967 *Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1967-1968 *French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War I, Streamer embroidered LORRAINE-PICARDY *French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War I, Streamer embroidered AISNE-MARNE and MEUSE-ARGONNE *French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Streamer embroidered KASSERINE *French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Streamer embroidered NORMANDY *French Médaille militaire, Fourragere *Belgian Fourragere 1940 *Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Mons *Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Eupen-Malmedy *Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965-1968 *Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969-1970 *Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965-1970 Battery D additionally entitled to:

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

(Army), Streamer embroidered IRAQ OCT 2006 - AUG 2007

References

External links

Bibliography of the Continental Army in New York
compiled by the

New York (state) militia United States militia in the American Revolution {{US-mil-hist-stub