4th Pennsylvania Regiment

The 4th Pennsylvania Regiment was an infantry unit raised in Philadelphia on December 9, 1775, for service with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. It was initially known as the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion and was later designated the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment. Unlike a commercial brand, the regiment was a temporary military organization created to provide Pennsylvania troops for the revolutionary war effort. The regiment formed part of the Continental Army's main force and was assigned to Thomas Mifflin's brigade on June 26, 1776. Its service coincided with the Army's difficult campaigns in the Middle Colonies, where American forces confronted British and German troops in a series of major engagements. Elements of the regiment were captured when Fort Washington in New York fell on November 16, 1776, reflecting the severe losses suffered by the Continental Army during the New York campaign. The unit subsequently participated in several important operations. Its recorded engagements included the Battle of Brandywine, the Battle of Paoli, the Battle of Germantown, and the Battle of Monmouth. It also served during the Sullivan Expedition, the 1779 campaign against Haudenosaunee communities and British-allied forces in the western regions of New York. These operations placed the regiment within the broader Continental Army effort to defend Pennsylvania and New York, contest British control, and disrupt the military capacity of the Crown's Indigenous allies. The regiment's active service ended as the Continental Army was reduced after major fighting had ceased. It was furloughed at Trenton, New Jersey, on January 17, 1781, and was ultimately disbanded on January 1, 1783. Its historical significance lies in its participation in the Continental Army's central campaigns rather than in any continuing institutional or commercial identity. The regiment is therefore best understood as a historical military unit, not as a consumer, corporate, or automotive brand.

The 4th Pennsylvania Regiment originated in Pennsylvania's wartime mobilization for the Continental Army. It was raised at Philadelphia on December 9, 1775, and was first organized under the name 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion. The unit was created during the early phase of the American Revolutionary War, when the revolutionary governments and the Continental Congress sought to transform locally raised companies and battalions into a coordinated army capable of confronting British forces. The regiment became part of the Continental Army's main army and on June 26, 1776, was assigned to Thomas Mifflin's brigade. This placed it within the principal American force operating in the Middle Colonies. The period was marked by intense campaigning, rapid movements, shortages, and large-scale engagements. During the fall of 1776, the Continental Army suffered major reverses in and around New York. On November 16, 1776, Fort Washington was captured by the British, and part of the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment was taken prisoner in the surrender. The loss demonstrated the vulnerability of American units defending exposed fortified positions during the New York campaign. The regiment continued to serve in the campaigns that followed. It fought at Brandywine, the major September 1777 battle in Pennsylvania; at Paoli; and at Germantown. These engagements formed part of the British campaign to seize Philadelphia and the American effort to contest that operation. The regiment also participated in the Battle of Monmouth, fought in New Jersey in 1778 after the British evacuation of Philadelphia. Monmouth was one of the principal engagements of the Middle Colonies campaign and showed the Continental Army operating in a more sustained and organized manner after its winter at Valley Forge. The regiment's service also extended to the Sullivan Expedition. In 1779, Continental forces under Major General John Sullivan conducted a campaign through parts of present-day New York against Haudenosaunee communities allied with the British. The expedition sought to destroy settlements and agricultural resources used to support the British war effort and to reduce the threat of attacks against American frontier communities. The 4th Pennsylvania Regiment's participation connected its history not only with conventional battles but also with the Continental Army's wider campaigns against British-aligned Indigenous forces. By 1781, the Continental Army was reducing or reorganizing units as the war entered its final phase. The 4th Pennsylvania Regiment was furloughed at Trenton, New Jersey, on January 17, 1781. Furloughing removed the regiment from active organized service without immediately constituting a final formal dissolution. The unit was later disbanded on January 1, 1783, after the main military struggle had ended. No continuing corporate successor, commercial owner, or modern operating organization is identified in the supplied historical material.

1. 1783Disbandment

   The regiment was formally disbanded on January 1, 1783.

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2. 1781Furlough at Trenton

   The regiment was furloughed at Trenton, New Jersey, on January 17.

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3. 1779Sullivan Expedition

   The regiment served in the Sullivan Expedition against Haudenosaunee communities and British-allied forces in New York.

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4. 1778Battle of Monmouth

   The regiment participated in the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.

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5. 1777Participation in the Pennsylvania campaign

   The regiment fought in the engagements at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown.

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6. 1776Assignment to Thomas Mifflin's brigade

   On June 26, the regiment was assigned to Thomas Mifflin's brigade in the Continental Army's main army.

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7. 1776Losses at Fort Washington

   Part of the regiment was captured when Fort Washington fell on November 16 during the New York campaign.

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8. 1775Formation as the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion

   The unit was raised in Philadelphia on December 9, 1775, for service with the Continental Army and was initially known as the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion.

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A historical Continental Army infantry regiment; not a commercial brand.

• 1779Sullivan Expedition

  New York

  The regiment took part in the Continental campaign against Haudenosaunee communities and British-allied forces in New York.

  Outcome. The expedition targeted settlements and resources associated with the British-allied war effort.

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• 1778Monmouth campaign

  New Jersey

  The regiment participated in the Battle of Monmouth after the British evacuation of Philadelphia.

  Outcome. The unit continued its service with the Continental Army in the Middle Colonies.

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• 1777Pennsylvania campaign

  Pennsylvania

  The regiment fought at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown during the campaigns surrounding the British advance on Philadelphia.

  Outcome. The regiment remained in Continental service through the principal Pennsylvania engagements.

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• 1776New York campaign

  New York

  The regiment served in the Continental Army's main force during the campaign in New York. Part of the unit was captured at Fort Washington on November 16, 1776.

  Outcome. The fall of Fort Washington resulted in the capture of part of the regiment.

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1. 4th Pennsylvania Regiment
2. Bibliography of the Continental Army in Pennsylvania