New York Provincial Company of Artillery
A Revolutionary War-era New York artillery company whose lineage is carried by the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The New York Provincial Company of Artillery was a military unit established by New York's revolutionary government in 1776 to help defend New York City during the American Revolutionary War. It was organized at New York City between February and March 1776 and is especially associated with Alexander Hamilton, who was commissioned to create and command the company after serving in the Hearts of Oak, a collegiate militia artillery unit. The company fought in the Revolutionary War, including the Battles of White Plains and Trenton, and its performance helped bring Hamilton to the attention of senior Continental Army officers. He declined offers to serve on their staffs before becoming an influential aide to General George Washington. The unit's historical importance extends beyond its brief provincial existence. In March 1777 it entered Continental service as Captain John Doughty's Company in Colonel John Lamb's New York Continental Artillery Regiment. It subsequently passed through numerous reorganizations and designations as the early United States Army developed a permanent artillery establishment. After the Continental Army was reduced following the Revolution, Doughty's company was selected in 1784 for continued active service. It guarded military stores at West Point, New York, and Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania, and later participated in campaigns against Native American forces in the Northwest Territory in 1790 and 1791. The lineage continued through the War of 1812. In January 1815, under Captain Charles Wollstonecraft, the company defended Fort St. Philip in Louisiana against a British naval attack after the British defeat at New Orleans. In 1821 it became Company F, 4th United States Artillery, a designation it retained until the Army's 1901 reorganization. During the nineteenth century, the lineage's successors served in the Mexican War, the American Civil War, the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, and the Philippine Insurrection. In the twentieth century, the organization was redesignated as the 8th Battery, Field Artillery, in 1901 and as Battery D, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, in 1907. The 5th Field Artillery was assigned to the 1st Division in 1917, later known as the 1st Infantry Division, and deployed to France during World War I. Its credited operations included the Lorraine, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne offensives. During World War II, the regiment became the 5th Field Artillery Battalion and supported the 1st Infantry Division in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes-Alsace region, and Central Europe. The lineage continued through service in Korea, Vietnam, Southwest Asia, and Iraq. In 1968, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Calvin Rogers, commander of 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery, received the Medal of Honor and later retired as a major general. He remains the highest-ranking African American recipient of the Medal of Honor. The lineage is generally treated as an ancestor of the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, one of the oldest active units in the United States Regular Army and the only such unit credited with Revolutionary War service. Because the original provincial company no longer operates under its eighteenth-century name, its current status is historical and lineage-based rather than that of an independent contemporary organization.
History
The New York Provincial Company of Artillery was constituted by New York's revolutionary government on 6 January 1776 and organized in New York City from February through March. Alexander Hamilton, then a student at King's College and an artillery militiaman in the Hearts of Oak, was commissioned to create the company. It served in the defense of New York and fought in Revolutionary War operations including White Plains and Trenton. On 17 March 1777 it transferred to the Continental Army as Captain John Doughty's Company in John Lamb's New York Continental Artillery Regiment. It was redesignated as the 2nd Company, 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment, in 1779. Following the war, the company remained part of the small regular military establishment. In 1784 it became Captain John Doughty's Company of Artillery and was selected for active duty when Congress reduced the Army to a single artillery company. Its duties included guarding stores at West Point and Fort Pitt. It was subsequently reorganized within the First American Regiment and the Battalion of Artillery, and in the early 1790s participated in campaigns against the Miami in the Northwest Territory. A sequence of consolidations and redesignations placed it in the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers and later in the Regiment of Artillerists. The company entered the War of 1812 as Captain Charles Wollstonecraft's Company. In January 1815 it defended Fort St. Philip in Louisiana against British naval forces. After further consolidation and redesignation, it became Company F, 4th United States Artillery, on 1 June 1821. Its descendants served in the Mexican War, the Civil War, campaigns against Native American forces, the Spanish-American War, and the Philippine Insurrection. These engagements generated a long campaign record later carried by the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment. Army reorganization changed the designation to the 8th Battery, Field Artillery, in 1901 and Battery D, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, in 1907. The 5th Field Artillery joined the 1st Division in 1917 and fought in France during World War I, including the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives. In 1940 the regiment became the 5th Field Artillery Battalion. During World War II it supported the 1st Infantry Division from the North African landings through Sicily, Normandy, France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes-Alsace campaign, and Central Europe. After World War II, the lineage was repeatedly reorganized. It became Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Field Artillery Battalion, 5th Artillery, in 1957; the 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion, 5th Artillery, in 1960; the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery, in 1964; the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, in 1971; and the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, in 2005. The unit served in Vietnam, Southwest Asia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Its decorations include multiple Meritorious Unit Commendations, a Valorous Unit Award for Anbar Province, French and Belgian honors, and Republic of Vietnam awards. The original company is therefore preserved through an active Army lineage rather than as a separately existing provincial organization.
- 2005
Current battalion designation adopted
[1]The lineage was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment.
- 1940
Reorganized as a field artillery battalion
[1]The regiment was reorganized as the 5th Field Artillery Battalion and remained associated with the 1st Infantry Division.
- 1917
Assigned to the 1st Division
[1]The 5th Field Artillery was assigned to the 1st Division and deployed to France during World War I.
- 1907
Redesignated Battery D, 5th Field Artillery
[1]The unit became Battery D of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment.
- 1821
Designated Company F, 4th United States Artillery
[1]The lineage received the Company F, 4th United States Artillery designation during the Army reorganization.
- 1815
Defense of Fort St. Philip
[1]The company defended Fort St. Philip in Louisiana against a British naval attack.
- 1777
Transferred to Continental service
[1]The company entered the Continental Army as Captain John Doughty's Company in John Lamb's New York Continental Artillery Regiment.
- 1776
Provincial artillery company constituted
[1]New York's revolutionary government constituted the company on 6 January and organized it in New York City during February and March.
Products and positioning
A historic military lineage rather than a commercial brand; its significance rests on continuity of service, Revolutionary War heritage, artillery operations, and the honors carried by its modern United States Army successor.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006Iraq War
Iraq
The successor battalion served in Iraq from October 2006 through August 2007.
Outcome. The relevant Battery D lineage received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for Iraq service, while the battalion received a Valorous Unit Award for Anbar Province.
- 1990Southwest Asia
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
The successor unit received campaign credit for the defense of Saudi Arabia, the liberation and defense of Kuwait, and the cease-fire period.
Outcome. The lineage retained Southwest Asia campaign credit.
- 1965Vietnam War
Vietnam
The successor battalion served through multiple Vietnam campaigns, including the Tet and later counteroffensives.
Outcome. The unit received Meritorious Unit Commendations and Republic of Vietnam decorations.
- 1942World War II
North Africa · Sicily · France · Belgium · and Germany
The 5th Field Artillery Battalion supported the 1st Infantry Division from the North African invasion through Sicily, Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes-Alsace campaign, and Central Europe.
Outcome. The unit received multiple French and Belgian distinctions and campaign credits.
- 1918World War I in France
France
As part of the 1st Division, the 5th Field Artillery participated in the Lorraine, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne operations.
Outcome. The unit received French Croix de Guerre recognition for World War I service.
- 1815War of 1812
Louisiana
The company defended Fort St. Philip against British naval forces after the British defeat at New Orleans.
Outcome. The fort's defense contributed to the unit's War of 1812 campaign credit.
- 1776American Revolutionary War
North American colonies
The company participated in the New York and New Jersey operations, including the Battles of White Plains and Trenton. Its lineage later received credit for a broad set of Revolutionary War campaigns.
Outcome. The company became part of the Continental Army and continued into the postwar regular Army.
Brand decisions
2005
Adoption of the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment designationGeneration changeBackground
Post-Cold War Army force restructuring continued to alter the organization and naming of artillery units.
Action taken
The unit was redesignated from the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery to the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment.
Aftermath
The modern designation became the principal active bearer of the historic lineage.
1777
Integration into the Continental ArmyStrategyBackground
The revolutionary war effort required provincial military formations to be incorporated into a unified Continental force.
Action taken
The company was transferred to Continental service as Captain John Doughty's Company in a New York Continental artillery regiment.
Aftermath
This transfer began the continuous Army lineage later associated with the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment.
Sources1 sources
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