25th Continental Regiment

The 25th Continental Regiment was a Massachusetts military unit formed at Cambridge on April 23, 1775, at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. It was initially raised as a Massachusetts militia regiment under Colonel Thomas Gardner and was also known as Gardner's Regiment. After Gardner was mortally wounded at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, command passed to Lieutenant Colonel William Bond, who subsequently became colonel; the regiment is therefore also known as Bond's Regiment. The unit became part of the Continental Army in June 1775, as the revolutionary authorities reorganized local militia formations into a continental force. Its early service centered on the military operations around Boston, where American forces besieged the British garrison. The regiment subsequently participated in the American invasion of Canada and in the fighting associated with the Lake Champlain campaign, including the Battle of Valcour Island. These operations placed the regiment within the wider effort to prevent British control of the Hudson–Lake Champlain corridor and to extend American military pressure northward. The regiment was assigned to the 3rd Massachusetts Brigade. It later fought in the Battles of Saratoga, reportedly operating on the extreme right of the American position near the river fortifications along the Hudson River. Its service formed part of the broader American campaign that opposed the British advance from Canada and helped secure a major Continental victory in the northern theater. The regiment was disbanded at Morristown, New Jersey, on January 1, 1777. Although the 25th Continental Regiment ceased to exist as a wartime formation, its institutional lineage is traced to the North Regiment established in 1636. That lineage is identified with the modern 182nd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. The subject is therefore a historical military organization rather than a commercial brand, consumer product, or operating company. It has no known commercial headquarters, product portfolio, public listing, or current independent operating activity.

The 25th Continental Regiment originated in the long militia tradition of Massachusetts. Its lineage is traced to the North Regiment, established in 1636, reflecting the continuity between colonial defensive organizations and the forces later mobilized for the American Revolution. The regiment itself was raised at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 23, 1775, shortly after the outbreak of armed conflict at Lexington and Concord. Thomas Gardner organized and commanded the regiment as colonel. The unit initially belonged to the Massachusetts militia system, but the strategic needs of the siege of Boston soon led to its incorporation into the Continental Army. In June 1775, the regiment entered Continental service. During this transition, it operated within the expanding American army assembled around Boston and became involved in the campaign against the British garrison there. Gardner was mortally wounded during the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775. Following his incapacitation and death, Lieutenant Colonel William Bond assumed command and was promoted to colonel. The change in leadership produced the alternate names Gardner's Regiment and Bond's Regiment, which are used in historical references to the same formation. The regiment's later service extended beyond Massachusetts. It took part in the American invasion of Canada, one of the earliest major Continental offensives, and then served in the Lake Champlain theater. Its participation in the Battle of Valcour Island placed it in the naval and military contest over the lake, a strategic route linking Canada with the Hudson Valley. Control of this corridor was important because a British advance south from Canada could divide the American colonies and threaten the revolutionary position in New York and New England. The 25th Continental Regiment was assigned to the 3rd Massachusetts Brigade. It also fought in the Battles of Saratoga on the American right flank, near river defenses and fortifications along the Hudson. These engagements were part of the northern campaign against the British army advancing from Canada. The source record associates the regiment with this phase of the war, although the surviving summary presents a compressed chronology between the Saratoga operations and the regiment's later dissolution. The regiment was disbanded at Morristown, New Jersey, on January 1, 1777. Its disbandment ended the active existence of the wartime unit, but not the broader lineage claimed for it. The regiment's historical succession is now associated with the 182nd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. This lineage gives the 25th Continental Regiment continuing significance in American military history despite its short period as a named Continental formation. As a historical military unit, the regiment did not function as a commercial brand. Its identity was expressed through command structure, brigade assignment, battlefield service, and inherited regimental lineage rather than through products, advertising, or commercial ownership.

1. 1777Disbanded at Morristown

   The regiment was disbanded at Morristown, New Jersey, on January 1, ending its existence as an active named formation.

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2. 1776Assigned to the 3rd Massachusetts Brigade

   The regiment served as part of the 3rd Massachusetts Brigade during its Continental Army service.

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3. 1775Regiment raised at Cambridge

   The 25th Continental Regiment was raised at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 23 under Colonel Thomas Gardner.

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4. 1775Gardner wounded at Bunker Hill

   Thomas Gardner was mortally wounded during the Battle of Bunker Hill, after which William Bond assumed command and later became colonel.

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5. 1775Joined the Continental Army

   The regiment entered Continental Army service in June as Massachusetts militia formations were integrated into the revolutionary army.

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6. 1775Service in Canada and at Valcour Island

   The unit participated in the American invasion of Canada and the Lake Champlain campaign, including the Battle of Valcour Island.

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7. 1636North Regiment established

   The regiment's stated institutional lineage begins with the North Regiment, a Massachusetts military organization formed in 1636.

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8. Lineage continued in the 182nd Infantry Regiment

   The historical lineage of the 25th Continental Regiment is identified with the modern 182nd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.

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Historical Massachusetts infantry regiment serving in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

1. 25th Continental Regiment
2. Bibliography of the Continental Army in Massachusetts