Forman's Additional Continental Regiment came into being on 11 January 1777 for service with the Continental Army and was assigned to the Main Army.[1] The unit was one of 16 so-called Additional Continental Regiments.[2]David Forman, previously the colonel of a Regiment of New Jersey State Troops (Levy),[3] was appointed commander. Samuel Griffin 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 gave Forman wide authority to choose his own officers.[4] The regiment's field officers were Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Henderson who served from 12 January 1777 to October 1777, and Major William Harrison who served from 1 May 1777 to 1 July 1778.[5]
David Forman
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, 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.[1]
The regiment's first action was at the Battle of Germantown 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.[6] Forman, who held a brigadier general's commission in the militia, commanded all 600 New Jersey militia troops that were present.[7] Among the New Jersey soldiers under Forman, more than one observer distinguished between the militia and "General Forman's Red Coats".[8] 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 and the grenadier and light companies of the Brigade of Guards by the end of the day's fighting.[9] 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 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.[10] 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 on October 22, 1777, three-quarters of Forman's Regiment were sent as reinforcements to Fort Mercer and in pursuit of the remaining British and German troops east of the Delaware River.[11] Although too late to help the Continental garrison at Fort Mifflin, 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 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.
Forman's Additional Regiment remained at Valley Forge until it took part in the Monmouth Campaign in June 1778.[1] 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.[12] 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. 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.[13] On 1 April 1779, the remaining soldiers joined Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment and Forman's Regiment ceased to exist.[1] Another source states that the regiment was dissolved on 1 July 1778 and the men transferred to the New Jersey Line.[5]
McGuire, Thomas J. (2007). The Philadelphia Campaign, Volume II. Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books. ISBN978-0-8117-0206-5.
Morrissey, Brendan (2008). Monmouth Courthouse 1778: The last great battle in the North. Long Island City, N.Y.: Osprey Publishing. ISBN978-1-84176-772-7.
The 11th Pennsylvania Regiment or Old Eleventh was authorized on 16 September 1776 for service with the Continental Army. On 25 October, Richard Humpton was named colonel. In December 1776, the regiment was assigned to George Washington's main army and was present at Assunpink Creek and fought at Princeton in January 1777. During the spring, the unit assembled at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a strength of eight companies. The soldiers were recruited from Philadelphia and four nearby counties. On 22 May 1777, the regiment became part of the 2nd Pennsylvania Brigade. The 11th was in the thick of the action at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown in 1777. It was present at White Marsh and Monmouth. On 1 July 1778, the unit was consolidated with the 10th Pennsylvania Regiment, and the 11th Regiment ceased to exist. Humpton took command of the reorganized unit.
The 3rd Maryland Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. It served from 1776 to 1783, mostly in the Middle Atlantic Region of the conflict.
The 8th Virginia Regiment or German Regiment was an infantry unit that served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized in January 1776, the regiment was raised from men of several northwestern counties in the strength of 10 companies. Its first commander was Colonel Peter Muhlenberg, a clergyman and militia leader. The unit marched to defend Charleston, South Carolina in 1776, but saw no fighting. At the start of 1777, the 8th Virginia moved to join George Washington's main army. When Muhlenberg was promoted to general officer, Colonel Abraham Bowman took command of the unit.
The 2nd North Carolina Regiment was an American infantry unit that was raised for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 1776 the regiment helped defend Charleston, South Carolina. Ordered to join George Washington's main army in February 1777, the regiment subsequently fought at Brandywine and Germantown during the Philadelphia Campaign. After most other North Carolina regiments were sent home to recruit, the 1st and 2nd Regiments remained with the main army and fought at Monmouth in June 1778. The regiment was transferred to the Southern Department and was captured by the British army in May 1780 at the Siege of Charleston. Together with the 1st Regiment, the unit was rebuilt and fought capably at Eutaw Springs. The 2nd was furloughed in April 1783 and officially dissolved in November 1783.
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 form of a series of skirmish actions, was the last major engagement of 1777 between British and American forces.
The Battle of Staten Island was a failed raid by Continental Army troops under Major General John Sullivan against British forces on Staten Island on August 22, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. After British Lieutenant General William Howe sailed with most of his army from New York City in July, Sullivan recognized that the British position on Staten Island was vulnerable, and planned an attack. He carried it out in spite of commanding general George Washington's request that Sullivan reinforce the main army with his troops as soon as possible to support Washington's planned Colonial assault on British-held Philadelphia.
Jeremiah Olney 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 lieutenant colonel at the beginning of 1777. As second-in-command of the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment, he fought at Red Bank. After its commander was wounded early in the action, he led Varnum's brigade in bitter fighting at Monmouth in June 1778.
Edward Mathew began his military career in the British Army as a commissioned officer. By the time of the American Revolutionary War he had risen to the rank of colonel. Promoted to brigadier general, he was assigned to command the elite Brigade of Guards in the American campaign. In 1776 he led the Guards at Long Island, Kip's Bay, and Fort Washington where he spearheaded one of the assault forces. In the Philadelphia Campaign, he commanded his brigade at Brandywine, Germantown, White Marsh, and Monmouth. As a major general, he took part in the highly successful Chesapeake raid on Virginia ports in 1779. He led one of the columns in action at Battle of Springfield in 1780. He commanded in the West Indies in 1782 and became a full general in 1797. His beloved daughter Anna predeceased him in 1795. Mathew is likely to have been the model for a character in one of Jane Austen's novels.
The 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment also known as Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment was authorized on 1 January 1777 as Colonel John Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment. As originally constituted, the regiment included 12 artillery companies from New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The bulk of the regiment served in the Hudson Highlands, though some companies fought with George Washington's main army from 1777 to 1779.
Thomas Proctor or Thomas Procter commanded the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in County Longford, Ireland, emigrated to British America, married in 1767 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and joined the carpenter's guild in 1772. Receiving a commission as an artillery captain in October 1775, he proceeded to raise a company of Pennsylvania state artillery. After a second company was recruited, Proctor was promoted to major and both companies joined George Washington's army. Proctor led his gunners at Princeton in January 1777. The state authorities elevated Proctor to the rank of colonel and charged him to recruit an eight-company Pennsylvania State Artillery Regiment a month later.
Walter Stewart was an Irish-born American general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
David Forman was born in Monmouth County, New Jersey of parents Joseph Forman and Elizabeth Lee. His father was a wealthy shipowner and he was educated at Princeton. At the start of the American Revolutionary War he rallied to the patriot cause and was appointed lieutenant colonel of a New Jersey state regiment. When his commander assumed command of the brigade, he was promoted colonel of the regiment during the New York and New Jersey Campaign in 1776. At the time of the battles of Trenton and Princeton Forman's regiment waged a merciless war against the American Loyalists of Monmouth County. Then and later he became known as "Devil David" for his zeal in suppressing the local Tories. In January 1777, the Continental Congress authorized him to raise Forman's Additional Continental Regiment with the rank of colonel in the Continental Army.
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 Thomas Hartley was appointed its commander. The unit comprised eight companies from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. When permanent brigades were formed in May 1777, the regiment was transferred to the 1st Pennsylvania Brigade. Hartley's Regiment fought at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown in 1777. The unit helped defend the Pennsylvania frontier against indigenous raids in the Summer and early Fall of 1778. In January 1779, following a resolution of the Continental Congress the regiment, along with Patton's Additional Continental Regiment and part of Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment, were combined to form a complete battalion known as the "New" 11th Pennsylvania Regiment. The 11th participated in the Sullivan Expedition in the summer of that year. In January 1781 the 11th merged with the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment and ceased to exist.
Patton's Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit that existed for two years during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized on 11 January 1777, the unit was recruited from the colonies of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Raised by Colonel John Patton in early 1777, it saw service with the Continental Army during the Philadelphia Campaign. In January 1779 the regiment was absorbed by Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment, except for one company which joined the 1st Delaware Regiment.
Grayson's Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit that served for two years and three months in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Like other Additional Regiments, Grayson's remained directly under George Washington's control, unlike state regiments. Authorized in January 1777, the unit's nine companies were recruited from the colonies of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Raised by Colonel William Grayson, the regiment participated in actions in Northern New Jersey in early 1777, at Brandywine in September 1777, at Germantown in October 1777, and at Monmouth in June 1778. In April 1779 the regiment was absorbed by Gist's Additional Continental Regiment and ceased to exist.
Richard Parker was an American colonel who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Son of prominent Virginia jurist Richard Parker, Parker received an officer's commission in a Virginia regiment early in the conflict. He probably was present at Great Bridge and Norfolk. Promoted to major, he fought at Trenton in December 1776 and commanded the regiment at Second Trenton and Princeton in January 1777. At Brandywine in September 1777 he led a detachment of light infantry in delaying the British. The next month he fought at Germantown. Promoted to colonel at Valley Forge, he led a picked detachment at Monmouth in June 1778. In May 1779, George Washington ordered him back to Virginia to recruit a new regiment. After being sent south with a new unit of reinforcements for Charleston, South Carolina in late 1779, he died of wounds received at the Siege of Charleston in 1780.
Gist's Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit that served for four years in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized in January 1777, the unit was intended to be made up of four companies of light infantry and 500 Indian scouts. In practice, only three companies were recruited from the colonies of Virginia and Maryland. George Washington appointed noted frontiersman Nathaniel Gist as colonel in command. Two companies commanded by Captains John Gist and Joseph Smithand were attached to the 3rd Maryland Regiment while one company commanded by Captain Samuel Lapsley was attached to the 12th Virginia Regiment during the Philadelphia Campaign in summer and fall 1777, and at Monmouth in June 1778.
The "German Battalion" was an infantry formation of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized in May 1776 as an extra Continental regiment, the battalion recruited ethnic Germans from Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment, sometimes referred to as the 5th New Jersey Regiment, was an American infantry unit that served for four years in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The Continental Congress authorized sixteen "Additional" Continental Regiments in late 1776 and Colonel Oliver Spencer accepted command of this regiment with rank from January 15, 1777.
Oliver Spencer was a New Jersey officer during the American Revolutionary War and received a special commission to enlist and lead one of 16 Additional Continental Regiments. He was born in Connecticut and later moved to New Jersey, where he married Anna Ogden and became a tanner. He joined the revolutionary cause and engaged a British force in December 1776 as a major of New Jersey militia. On 15 January 1777 during the Forage War, his militiamen captured 70 German mercenaries. That month George Washington authorized him to recruit Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment. As colonel, he led this unit at Brandywine and Germantown in 1777 and Monmouth in 1778. His regiment participated in the Sullivan Expedition in 1779 and was disbanded at the beginning of 1781. The conflict having ruined his home and his tanning business, he moved to Ohio, where he served as a probate judge and militia commander. He was the nephew of General Joseph Spencer.
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