Jan 3, 2020, 6:50 PM
Continental Army 1775
George Washington
… Right Wing
… … 1st (Ward’s) Division (Major General Artemas Ward)
… … … (Six Regiments)
… … 3rd (Spencer’s) Brigade (Brigadier General Joseph Spencer).
… … … (Six Regiments)
… Left Wing
… … 2nd (Lee’s) Division (Major General Charles Lee)
… … … 5th (Sullivan’s) Brigade (Brigadier General John Sullivan).
… … … … Doolittle’s Regiment, or 18th Massachusetts Regiment. (Colonel Ephraim Doolittle.)
… … … … (Plus Six More Regiments for a total of seven)
… … … 6th (Greene’s) Brigade (Brigadier General Nathanael Greene)
… … … … (Eight Regiments)
… Reserve
… 3rd (Putnam’s) Division (Major General Israel Putnam)
… … 2nd (Heath’s) Brigade (Brigadier General William Heath)
… … 4th Brigade (vacant) (commanded by Putnam because Seth Pomeroy declined his commission)
There were 688 men in a colonial line regiment. This total consisted of 8 infantry units of 86 men. The colonial rifle regiment would have 680 men. This was 10 units of 68 riflemen.
6+6+7+8 = 27 * 680 men = in theory, 18,000 men
Over 230,000 soldiers served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, although no more than 48,000 at any one time. The largest number of troops gathered in a single place for battle was 13,000. The majority were from new england.
(Colonel Ephraim Doolittle is my 5th grandfather, or 4th great grandfather. He was a captain in the army under General Amherst in the French War of 1755, and served under him at the capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. The Revolutionary Regiment was disbanded at the end of the first year of battle (congress).)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Ephraim_and_Sarah_Doolittle_Farm )
I’m making a point here about numbers…..
You don’t need many.