The Pennsylvania Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Pennsylvania Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Pennsylvania 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 o ...

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

Thomas Hartley Thomas Hartley (September 7, 1748December 21, 1800) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from York, Pennsylvania. Early life and education Hartley was born in Colebrookdale Township in the Province of Pennsylvania. At 18 years of a ...

of Pennsylvania, who accepted. Hartley had formerly been lieutenant colonel of the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion.

Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit of the Continental Army that served for two years during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment was authorized in January 1777 and Colonel Thomas Hartley was appointed ...

was allotted to the Pennsylvania Line on March 27, 1778. On January 13, 1779, it absorbed Patton's Regiment and was designated the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment. The latter was called the "New Eleventh Pennsylvania Regiment" as the original 11th Pennsylvania Regiment had been consolidated with the 10th Pennsylvania Regiment on July 1, 1778. Washington also offered command to John Patton of Pennsylvania, who accepted leadership of Patton's Additional Continental Regiment. In 1776, Patton had commanded a battalion of the Pennsylvania State Rifle Regiment. Half of

Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment was one of the sixteen Additional Continental regiments authorized by the Second Continental Congress for the Continental Army. The regiment's colonel was William Malcolm, a wealthy New York City merchan ...

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. Nelson's and Doyle's Independent Rifle Companies were examples of such "extra" units.

Pennsylvania Line, 1776

*1st Pennsylvania Battalion *2d Pennsylvania Battalion *3d Pennsylvania Battalion *4th Pennsylvania Battalion *5th Pennsylvania Battalion *6th Pennsylvania Battalion

Pennsylvania Line, 1777

1st Pennsylvania Regiment The 1st Pennsylvania Regiment - originally mustered as the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles; also known as the 1st Continental Line and 1st Continental Regiment, was raised under the command of Colonel William Thompson for service in the Continental Ar ...

2nd Pennsylvania Regiment The 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment, formed with lauded veterans from the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion, was raised in December 1776. The 1st Pennsylvania Battalion was raised in October 1775, under the command of Colonel John Bull for service with the ...

* 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment *

4th Pennsylvania Regiment The 4th Pennsylvania Regiment, first known as the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion, was raised on December 9, 1775, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for service with the Continental Army. The regiment was assigned to Thomas Mifflin's brigade in the m ...

5th Pennsylvania Regiment The 5th Pennsylvania Regiment, first known as the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion, was raised December 9, 1775, at Chester, Pennsylvania, for service with the Continental Army. The regiment would see action at Brandywine, Paoli, Germantown, Monmouth ...

6th Pennsylvania Regiment The 6th Pennsylvania Regiment, first known as the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion, was a unit of the United States of America (U.S.) Army, raised December 9, 1775, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for service with the Continental Army. The regiment w ...

* 7th Pennsylvania Regiment *

8th Pennsylvania Regiment The 8th Pennsylvania Regiment or Mackay's Battalion was an American infantry unit that became part of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized for frontier defense in July 1776, the eight-company unit was originally ...

9th Pennsylvania Regiment The 9th Pennsylvania Regiment was authorized 16 September 1776 and was assigned to the main Continental Army on 27 December 1776. It was organized during the spring of 1777 to consist of eight companies of volunteers from Westmoreland, Lanca ...

10th Pennsylvania Regiment The 10th Pennsylvania Regiment was an American infantry unit that served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Raised in September 1776 in the strength of eight companies, it was assigned to George Washington's main ar ...

* 11th Pennsylvania Regiment *

12th Pennsylvania Regiment The 12th Pennsylvania Regiment also known as Northampton and Northumberland Defense Battalion was an American infantry unit that fought during the American Revolutionary War as part of the Continental Army. The regiment was raised 23 August 177 ...

13th Pennsylvania Regiment The 13th Pennsylvania Regiment, also known as The Pennsylvania State Rifle Regiment and Miles's Regiment, was raised March 6, 1776, as a state militia regiment and later for service with the Continental Army. The regiment would see action duri ...

14th Pennsylvania Regiment 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 and preceding 15. In relation to the word "four" ( 4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a stella octangula number ...

External links

Pennsylvania Archives
* Wright, Robert K. Jr. ''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 Ar ...

, 1983. Availabl
online

compiled by the

{{Continental Army Pennsylvania regiments of the Continental Army