1st American Regiment

The 1st American Regiment was a short-lived United States military formation created during the transition from the Revolutionary War to a peacetime national defense establishment. Also known as Jackson's Continental Regiment of 1783–1784, it was authorized by the Continental Congress on October 23, 1783, and organized at West Point, New York, on November 3. Because the field units of the Continental Army were disbanded in November 1783, Jackson's Regiment effectively became the remaining active force of the Continental Army and served as an interim regular army for the newly independent United States. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Henry Jackson of Massachusetts. Its principal component was an infantry organization of nine companies, largely staffed by veterans of the Massachusetts Line. It also incorporated Captain John Doughty's artillery company and personnel from the Corps of Invalids. The arrangement reflected Congress's attempt to preserve a limited military capability while avoiding the political and financial risks associated with maintaining a large standing army in the immediate postwar period. The regiment's most visible public duty came on November 25, 1783, when British forces evacuated New York City. Jackson commanded the approximately 800-man American column that entered the city under General George Washington and formally took possession on behalf of the United States. Afterward, the regiment remained primarily a garrison force at West Point and guarded military stores and magazines. A January 3, 1784, return reported 775 officers and men. The establishment included infantry officers and enlisted personnel, an artillery element, and a smaller Corps of Invalids component. The artillery company commanded by John Doughty had a particularly important institutional legacy. It had originated as a New York Provincial Artillery Company authorized in 1776 under Alexander Hamilton, later became part of the Continental artillery establishment, and was the one component of Jackson's Regiment retained after the regiment itself was dissolved. Congress ordered the general discharge of the regiment on June 2, 1784, while retaining limited detachments to guard stores at Fort Pitt, West Point, and other magazines. The next day, Congress authorized a separate First American Regiment of 1784–1791, a different organization associated with the lineage of the modern 3d United States Infantry, or The Old Guard. The two regiments should not be conflated. Jackson's Regiment was therefore a transitional postwar formation rather than the direct identity of the later First American Regiment. Although the regiment disappeared in 1784, Doughty's artillery company continued through successive reorganizations of the United States Army. Its later designations included Company F, 4th United States Regiment of Artillery; Battery D, 5th United States Field Artillery; and subsequent field-artillery and rocket-howitzer formations. The lineage is associated today with the Alexander Hamilton Battery. The parent regiment itself, however, is defunct and has no commercial products, corporate owner, or contemporary operating market.

The 1st American Regiment emerged from the Continental Congress's unresolved debate over the military needs of the United States after the Revolutionary War. The Treaty of Paris was ratified on September 3, 1783, but Congress had not adopted a permanent peacetime military establishment. A compromise was reached by provisionally retaining a single regiment rather than maintaining the full wartime army. Congress authorized the regiment on October 23, 1783, and placed it under Colonel Henry Jackson. It was organized at West Point on November 3, shortly before the remaining field units of the Continental Army were disbanded. The regiment consequently served as the practical successor to those formations and, for a brief period, represented nearly the entire regular military establishment of the United States. The organization consisted of a headquarters and nine infantry companies. Many of its soldiers were veterans of the Massachusetts Line. Captain John Doughty's artillery company was attached to the regiment, as were officers and soldiers of the Corps of Invalids. The latter had been created in 1777 to provide military duties for disabled Continental veterans, including guarding magazines and hospitals. Doughty's company had an older lineage. It was initially authorized by New York's provincial government on January 6, 1776, as the New York Provincial Artillery Company. Alexander Hamilton was its first commander. In 1777, under Captain John Doughty, it was assigned to Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment and was later designated the 2nd Company of the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment. The regiment served mainly in garrison at West Point. Its most prominent operation followed the British evacuation of New York City. On November 25, 1783, Jackson led the American column that entered the city under Washington's overall command and completed the formal transfer of control to the United States. A return submitted by Major General Henry Knox on January 3, 1784, listed 775 officers and men. The reported establishment included infantry personnel, an artillery contingent, and members of the Invalids. This force was sufficient for garrison and security duties but was not intended to recreate the wartime Continental Army. The experiment was brief. On June 2, 1784, Congress directed that officers and soldiers be discharged, apart from small detachments required to protect stores at Fort Pitt, West Point, and other magazines. No retained officer was to hold a rank above captain. On June 3, Congress authorized a new First American Regiment, organized for the 1784–1791 period. That later regiment was a separate institution and became associated with the lineage of the 3d United States Infantry. Doughty's artillery company was the principal surviving element of Jackson's Regiment. It continued in national service through multiple reorganizations, eventually receiving designations in the 4th United States Artillery and 5th Field Artillery. Its twentieth-century descendants served in World War I and World War II formations and later became associated with the Alexander Hamilton Battery. This continuing battery lineage should not be treated as proof that Jackson's Regiment itself remained active; the regiment was dissolved in 1784.

1. 1784Strength reported at 775

   A return submitted on January 3 recorded 775 officers and men across infantry, artillery, and Invalids components.

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2. 1784Regiment disbanded

   Congress ordered the discharge of the regiment on June 2, retaining only limited personnel to guard stores and magazines.

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3. 1784Separate First American Regiment authorized

   Congress authorized a different First American Regiment on June 3. That later unit must not be confused with Jackson's 1783–1784 regiment.

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4. 1783Regiment authorized and organized

   Congress authorized the 1st American Regiment on October 23, and the unit was organized at West Point on November 3 under Colonel Henry Jackson.

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5. 1783American occupation of New York City

   On November 25, Jackson commanded the American column that entered New York City after the British evacuation.

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6. 1777Company enters the Continental artillery establishment

   Under Captain John Doughty, the company was assigned to Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment and later became the 2nd Company of the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment.

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7. 1776Doughty's artillery company authorized

   The future surviving component of Jackson's Regiment was authorized by the New York Provincial Congress as the New York Provincial Artillery Company. Alexander Hamilton was its first commander.

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Not a commercial brand. Historically, it functioned as a provisional peacetime regular-army formation and the final active regiment of the Continental Army.

• 1784Disbandment and retention of limited guardsStrategy

  Congress sought to reduce the postwar military establishment while continuing to protect government stores and magazines.

  What changed. On June 2, Congress ordered the discharge of the regiment, except for small detachments at Fort Pitt, West Point, and other storage sites.

  Aftermath. Jackson's Regiment ceased to exist as a regiment, while Doughty's artillery company continued into the United States Army through later reorganizations.

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• 1783Provisional retention of a single regular regimentStrategy

  After the peace treaty, Congress had to balance the need for national military security against opposition to a large permanent army.

  What changed. Congress authorized one provisional regiment under Henry Jackson instead of adopting a full peacetime military establishment.

  Aftermath. The regiment became the remaining active force of the Continental Army but survived for only several months.

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1. 1st American Regiment (1783–1784)
2. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789