"Continental Organization" Topic

Congress established 26 Continental Regiments, numbered 1st Regiment, 2nd Regiment etc. But a short time later the Continental Regiments are referred to by state, 1st Virginia Continentals, 3rd New York Continentals etc.

Questions:

When did this reorganization take place?

What became of the 26 original Continental Regiments?

Where they incorporated into the new organization or did the first 26 continue as they where with no state affiliation?

Don't pay any attention to that. That's Congress being Congress.
Washington had the Continental army reorganized three times at Boston alone.

The "Continental" regiments of 1776 were largely raised from New England troops serving around Boston. Troops raised elsewhere in 1775 or 1776 for Continental service or troops raised in other colonies in 1775 or 1776 for local service that were accepted into Continental service were largely known by their colonial number and colony. This is why you have Maryland, Delaware and Virginia regiments serving with Washington's army in 1776 along with Continental regiments.

There were some exceptions to this. For example the First Continental of 1776 was made up of troops raised in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia who were serving in Boston, while another rifle regiment raised for Continental service in 1776 was officially called the Maryland-Virginia Rifle Regiment and is more generally known as Rawling's Rifle Regiment after its commander.

The enlistments of the 1776 Continental regiments as well as some of those known by state names generally expired at the end of 1776. The cadres of those units were supposedly used to build new regiments which were known by the names of the states they were raised in. For example the First Continental of 1776 was used to build the First Pennsylvania regiment of 1777. Just to add to the fun though, starting in 1777 you had additional units raised for Continental service outside the state system, including the so called "Additional Regiments" plus cavalry and artillery forces.

If you haven't already, you may want to read Robert Wright's study, published by the US Army Center of Military History:

PDF link

Rick

Winston,

I realize that Washington reorganize the Continentals often. But the state reference stuck with them for the rest of the war. At least as far as I can tell.

Rick,

I had a stack books around me all weekend and you just reminded me that I have this book on my book shelf. Thanks for the reminder. I will look it over when this evening.

Rick, thanks for letting us have a look at "The Continental Army." This is a book that I'd like to have on my shelf too!

Jeff

The numbering of the Continental regiments is like the Schleswig Holstein Question.
Only three people ever understood it.
One professor went mad thinking about it.
Another is dead.
A third used to know but he forgot.

One has to get the lineage of regiments as they change names…not to have the same twice!