6th Pennsylvania Regiment - Establishment

Establishment

The regiment was authorized in December 1775 as the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion. The regiment participated in the unsuccessful defense of New York City and was captured in part at Fort Washington on November 16, 1776 along with its commander, Colonel Robert Magaw. On January 1, 1777, the survivors of the 5th Battalion, along with exchanged prisoners and new recruits, were reorganized into the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment. Most of the regiment's men were recruited from Berks and Chester counties, although many came from Philadelphia and as far away as Northumberland County.

During 1777, the regiment participated in the Philadelphia Campaign and fought at the Battles of Brandywine (September 11) and Germantown (October 4). At Brandywine, the women of the 6th Pennsylvania were cited for their bravery under fire while bringing water to the men. The regiment spent the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge and took part in the Battle of Monmouth (June 28) the following summer.

In 1779, the light infantry company of the 6th Pennsylvania was part of the Corps of Light Infantry commanded by "Mad" Anthony Wayne that stormed the British fortifications at Stony Point, NY (July 16). The regiment spent the rest of the year in garrison at West Point and probably wintered at Morristown. The next year, the regiment took part in a number of small engagements in New Jersey and again wintered at Morristown. On New Year's Day, 1781, members of the 6th Pennsylvania joined the mutiny of the Pennsylvania regiments then quartered at Morristown. After a settlement was reached, the regiment was furloughed at Trenton on January 17. Soldiers remaining in the regiment were reassigned to other units and eventually sent south to take part in the Yorktown Campaign. The regiment was officially disbanded in January, 1783, although in reality, no regiment had existed since 1781.

However, historian Mark Boatner asserts that on 26 May 1781 Wayne went south with 1,000 men and six guns of the 2nd, 5th, and 6th Pennsylvania and the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment. They joined Gilbert Motier, marquis de La Fayette in Virginia on 10 June. Colonel Richard Humpton led his troops at the Battle of Green Spring on 6 July, though on this occasion, Boatner refers to the unit as a battalion.