Forman's Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit that served for little more than two years 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Authorized on 11 January 1777, the unit was recruited from southern New Jersey and Maryland. Raised by Colonel David Forman in early 1777, it saw service with the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

in the

Philadelphia Campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British military campaign during the American Revolutionary War designed to gain control of Philadelphia, the Revolutionary-era capital where the Second Continental Congress convened, formed the ...

of 1777 and 1778. In April 1779 the regiment was absorbed by Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment.

History

Forman's Additional Continental Regiment came into being on 11 January 1777 for service with the

and was assigned to the Main Army.Wright (1989), 321 The unit was one of 16 so-called Additional Continental Regiments. David Forman, previously the

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of a Regiment of New Jersey State Troops (Levy), was appointed commander.

Samuel Griffin Samuel Griffin (April 20, 1746November 23, 1810) was an American lawyer, soldier and politician from Virginia. Following his service during the American Revolutionary War as a Continental Army officer, Griffin served as mayor of Williamsburg, ...

had begun organizing the regiment but refused the command when he found that he would not be promoted to the rank of General. When Forman took over, he continued Griffin's initial work. As usual with the Additional Regiments,

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

gave Forman wide authority to choose his own officers. The regiment's field officers were Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Henderson who served from 12 January 1777 to October 1777, and

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

William Harrison who served from 1 May 1777 to 1 July 1778.Heitman, 24 Forman's Additional Regiment was recruited in the spring of 1777 from men of southern New Jersey and Maryland. The majority of recruits and officers hailed from

Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north ...

, due to their affiliation with Forman in civilian life. The unit had a strength of four companies due to its limited success in offering payment bonuses and other incentives to join, something commonplace for all of the Continental Additional Regiments. Receiving captured British uniforms in April 1777 from ship's seized in Raritan Bay, NJ, Forman's men appeared more like their enemy than their own compatriots in the rest of the Continental Army. The Regiment participated in the brief campaign in Northern New Jersey in June 1777, serving as scouts along the Raritan Bay and North Jersey coastline and as a defense/workforce for the newly established Continental Salt Works in Monmouth County, NJ. The regiment's first action was at the

Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American ...

on 4 October 1777, serving in William Smallwood's 1,500-strong left flank column, which was composed mostly of Maryland and New Jersey militia. Forman, who held a brigadier general's commission in the militia, commanded all 600 New Jersey militia troops that were present. Among the New Jersey soldiers under Forman, more than one observer distinguished between the militia and "General Forman's Red Coats". This account by Major Asher Holmes of the 1st Regiment of the Monmouth County Militia reinforces the issuance of captured British uniforms earlier that year for Forman's Regiment. Likewise of note, Smallwood's Maryland militia included a portion of "enlisted men", who were assumed to be Continentals. The left flank column overran a few outposts, but finally were driven off by the

Queen's Rangers The Queen's Rangers, also known as the Queen's American Rangers, and later Simcoe's Rangers, were a Loyalists fighting in the American Revolution, Loyalist military unit of the American Revolutionary War that specialized in cavalry tactics, clo ...

and the grenadier and light companies of the

Brigade of Guards The Brigade of Guards was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1856 to 1968. It was commanded by the Major-General commanding the Household Division, Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for administ ...

by the end of the day's fighting. Forman's "Red Coats" and the other Maryland "enlisted men" appear to have performed well during their rear guard movements when they helped cover the withdrawal of the entire militia column. After the Battle of Germantown, Forman's Regiment returned to New Jersey with the NJ Militia Brigade under Forman's command. Forman's orders from Washington and New Jersey's Governor

William Livingston William Livingston (November 30, 1723July 25, 1790) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the first governor of New Jersey (1776–1790) during the American Revolutionary War. As a New Jersey representative in the Continental Congr ...

desired him to remain in NJ with the hopes of raising close to 2,000 militia volunteers for temporary Continental service before the end of the year. With nowhere to garrison the men of his regiment, Forman dispatched his troops back to his Salt Works in Monmouth County, NJ where they worked and protected the site from raiding British and Loyalist troops. Following the

Battle of Red Bank The Battle of Red Bank, also known as the Battle of Fort Mercer, was fought on October 22, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. A British and Hessian force was sent to take Fort Mercer on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River just s ...

on October 22, 1777, three-quarters of Forman's Regiment were sent as reinforcements to

Fort Mercer Fort Mercer was an earthen fort on the eastern shores of the Delaware River in New Jersey that was constructed by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The fort was built in 1777 by Polish engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko und ...

and in pursuit of the remaining British and German troops east of the Delaware River. Although too late to help the Continental garrison at

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 ...

, Forman's men remained in the Fort Mercer garrison until mid-November before they crossed the Delaware River and joined the Continental Army at White Marsh, Pennsylvania. Although taking no part in the

Battle of White Marsh The Battle of White Marsh or Battle of Edge Hill was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought December 5–8, 1777, in the area surrounding Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania. The battle, which took the for ...

the men of Forman's Regiment do appear on the Regimental Muster Rolls of the Continental Army when they move from White Marsh to the winter encampment at

Valley Forge Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. It was the t ...

. Forman's Additional Regiment remained at Valley Forge until it took part in the Monmouth Campaign in June 1778. The regiment is not listed in Brendan Morrissey's order of battle, due to the regiment's attachment to Colonel Israel Shreve's 2nd New Jersey Regiment in early April 1778. At this time Forman was under investigation by NJ's governor William Livingston over his rank and responsibilities in the state militia and his handling of the Continental Salt Works in

Manasquan, New Jersey Manasquan (, ) is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in southern Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,938, an increa ...

. Forman officially retired from the NJ State Militia and devoted his time strictly with the Continental Army for the coming campaign year after being unable to resolve differences with Livingston. Forman personally served on Charles Lee's staff during the battle on 28 June.Morrissey, 44 & 85 On 1 April 1779, the remaining soldiers joined Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment and Forman's Regiment ceased to exist. Another source states that the regiment was dissolved on 1 July 1778 and the men transferred to the New Jersey Line.

Service record

Notes

Bibliography

* * – [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 9, 28 March 1777 – 10 June 1777, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999, pp. 194–195.] * * * * * * *

External links

Bibliography of the Continental Army in Pennsylvania
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 Arm ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forman's Additional Continental Regiment Military units and formations of the Continental Army New Jersey regiments of the Continental Army Military units and formations established in 1777 Military units and formations disestablished in 1779