5th Continental Regiment

5th Continental Regiment

The 1st New Hampshire Regiment was an infantry unit that came into existence on 22 May 1775 at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. John Stark was the regiment's first commander. The unit fought at Chelsea Creek and Bunker Hill in 1775. On 1 January 1776, while engaged in the Siege of Boston, the unit was renamed the 5th Continental Regiment. In the spring it was sent to Canada where the New Hampshire soldiers fought at Trois-Rivières and later helped defend the area around Lake Champlain. Late in the year, the 5th Continental Regiment was transferred south to George Washington's main army where it fought at Trenton.

On 1 January 1777 the unit was renamed the 1st New Hampshire Regiment and it saw action at Princeton before being sent back to the Northern Department. The regiment fought at Saratoga in the fall of 1777. That winter it was transferred to Washington's army and fought at Monmouth in the summer of 1778. The troops participated in Sullivan's Expedition in the summer of 1779. The unit stayed with the main army until August 1781 when it was left to defend the Hudson Highlands. The regiment rejoined the main army in late 1782 and was renamed the New Hampshire Regiment in early 1783. After first being reduced to a battalion, the unit was disbanded on 1 January 1784.