New York Provincial Company of Artillery

New York Provincial Company of Artillery
Active	1776
Allegiance	Province of New York (later - State of New York)
Type	militia
Role	coastal artillery, field artillery
Part of	New York Militia
Engagements	Battle of Long Island, Battle of Harlem Heights, Battle of White Plains, Battle of Trenton
Commanders
Notable commanders	Alexander Hamilton

"Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804) in the Uniform of the New York Artillery" by Alonzo Chappel (1828–1887)

During the American Revolutionary War, the New York Provincial Company of Artillery was created by the New York Provincial Congress in 1776 to defend New York City from British attack.

History

The revolutionary government of the province commissioned Alexander Hamilton, then a student at King's College (now, Columbia University) and an officer in a militia unit of artillery called the Hearts of Oak, to create the new Provincial Company of Artillery.^[1] The new Company saw action in the Battle of White Plains and the Battle of Trenton, among others.^[2] It was while commanding this unit with distinction that Hamilton came to the attention of many high-ranking officers in the Continental Army, a number of them offering him positions on their staffs. Hamilton refused them all to become de facto Chief of Staff to General George Washington, the commander-in-chief, for much of the remainder of the war.

The New York Provincial Company of Artillery is considered the ancestor of the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, which therefore holds the distinction of being the oldest active unit in the U.S. Army.^[3]

References

1. ^ Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. Penguin Press, (2004) (ISBN 1-59420-009-2).
2. ^ McCullough, David. 1776. Simon & Schuster (May 24, 2005). ISBN 0743226712
3. ^ Organizational History. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. 1999. p. 29. http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/ohpam.html. : "9. What is the oldest unit in the Army? The oldest unit in the active Army is the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, which perpetuates the Alexander Hamilton Battery of the Revolutionary War." originally accessed 22 September 2008

External links

• Bibliography of the Continental Army in New York compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History