1st American Regiment (1783-1784)
| 1st American Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1783–1784 |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Type | Infantry, Artillery |
| Size | 775 |
| Part of | Continental Army |
| Nickname(s) | Jackson's Continental Regiment |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Henry Jackson |
1st American Regiment, also known as Jackson's Continental Regiment of 1783-1784, was the last unit in the Continental Army, retained after the close of the American Revolutionary War. This regiment, under the command of Colonel Henry Jackson of Massachusetts, was not the same unit as Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment of 1777, which had become the 16th Massachusetts Regiment in 1780 and had been disbanded in 1781. Equally, this regiment should not be confused with the First American Regiment of 1784-1791, which was originally commanded by Colonel Josiah Harmar, has remained in service to the present, and is now the 3d United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).
However, when Jackson's Regiment was disbanded in 1784 one company remained in service and was assigned to Harmar's Regiment. The remaining company, under Captain John Doughty, had been raised by Alexander Hamilton in 1776 and had ended the war as the 2d Company, 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment. Through various reorganizations the company has continued in the United States Army to the present day.
The ratification of the Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783, presented the Continental Congress with the question of providing the newly independent United States with a peacetime Regular Army. Congress considered several plans for a permanent peace establishment, but failed to adopt any of them.
A compromise was found when the Congress finally settled on the expedient of provisionally organizing a single regiment to remain in service. Command of the new regiment was given to Colonel Henry Jackson.
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Wikipedia