13th Continental Regiment

The 13th Continental Regiment was an American Revolutionary War infantry regiment raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 23, 1775. It was initially organized as a Massachusetts militia formation under Joseph Read and was also known as Read's Regiment. The unit formed part of the military forces assembled around Boston after the outbreak of fighting at Lexington and Concord and subsequently entered Continental service in June 1775. During its existence, the regiment operated under several designations reflecting the changing administrative structure of the revolutionary forces. It was associated with the 3rd Regiment of the Provincial Army from April through July 1775, the 22nd Regiment of the Army of the United Colonies from July through December 1775, and the 13th Regiment of the Continental Army beginning in January 1776. These renamings were part of the broader transition from locally organized militia and provincial forces to a unified Continental Army. The regiment's wartime service included participation in the Siege of Boston, the New York Campaign, and the Battle of Trenton. Its service therefore covered both the early containment of British forces in Boston and later operations in the middle colonies. The regiment was disbanded at Morristown, New Jersey, on January 1, 1777, as part of the army's reorganization after the 1776 campaign and the winter operations in New Jersey. The unit is a historical military formation rather than a commercial brand. It had no known commercial products, corporate ownership, public listing, or continuing operating markets. Its historical importance lies in its role in the early Continental Army and in the institutional evolution of Massachusetts and colonial American forces during the opening years of the Revolutionary War.

The 13th Continental Regiment emerged from the military mobilization in Massachusetts that followed the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775. It was raised at Cambridge on April 23, 1775, as a Massachusetts militia regiment and placed under the command of Joseph Read. Because revolutionary military institutions were being created and reorganized during the conflict, the unit appeared under several successive administrative names. In its earliest form, the regiment was connected with the 3rd Regiment of the Provincial Army, a designation used from April to July 1775. In July, the developing revolutionary government reorganized its forces as the Army of the United Colonies, under which the regiment was identified as the 22nd Regiment through December 1775. The unit joined the Continental Army in June 1775, linking its local Massachusetts origins to the broader military organization established by the Second Continental Congress. The regiment's first major theater was the Siege of Boston. Revolutionary forces surrounded the British garrison and sought to restrict its movement and supply until the British evacuation in March 1776. The regiment subsequently served in the New York Campaign, a major series of operations in 1776 in which Continental forces attempted to defend New York against the British Army and its allies. The campaign resulted in severe American setbacks and the retreat of the Continental Army through New York and New Jersey. From January 19, 1776, the regiment was identified as the 13th Regiment of the Continental Army. It continued to serve during the difficult closing months of 1776, when General George Washington's army was under pressure in New Jersey. The regiment is recorded as having taken part in the Battle of Trenton, the December 26, 1776, American attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton. That operation helped restore American morale and contributed to the continuation of the revolutionary army after the losses of the New York Campaign. The 13th Continental Regiment was disbanded at Morristown, New Jersey, on January 1, 1777. Its dissolution occurred during a period of major Continental Army reorganization, when units were consolidated, redesignated, or replaced as the army adjusted its structure for the 1777 campaign. The regiment consequently existed for less than two years, but its service connected the initial Massachusetts mobilization around Boston with the Continental Army's campaigns in New York and New Jersey.

1. 1777Disbandment at Morristown

   The regiment was disbanded at Morristown, New Jersey, on January 1.

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2. 1776Designation as the 13th Regiment

   Beginning January 19, the unit was designated the 13th Regiment of the Continental Army.

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3. 1776Service in the New York Campaign

   The regiment served in the Continental Army's New York Campaign during the 1776 fighting.

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4. 1776Battle of Trenton

   The regiment took part in the Continental victory at Trenton in December.

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5. 1775Regiment raised at Cambridge

   The unit was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 23, 1775, as a Massachusetts militia regiment under Joseph Read.

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6. 1775Entry into Continental service

   The regiment joined the Continental Army in June, moving from a local Massachusetts formation into the revolutionary army's broader structure.

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7. 1775Administrative redesignations

   The unit was associated with the 3rd Regiment of the Provincial Army from April to July and the 22nd Regiment of the Army of the United Colonies from July through December.

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Historical American Revolutionary War military regiment; not a commercial brand.

1. 13th Continental Regiment
2. Bibliography of the Continental Army in Massachusetts