Flying Camp

A Flying Camp was a military formation employed by the Continental Army in the second half of 1776, during the American Revolutionary War.

After the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776, General George Washington met with members of the Continental Congress to determine future military strategy. Faced with defending a huge amount of territory from potential British operations, Washington recommended forming a "flying camp", which in the military terminology of the day referred to a mobile, strategic reserve of troops. Congress agreed and on June 3, 1776, passed a resolution "that a flying camp be immediately established in the middle colonies and that it consist of 10,000 men ...."

The men recruited for the Flying Camp were to be militiamen from three colonies: 6000 from Pennsylvania, 3400 from Maryland, and 600 from Delaware. They were to serve until December 1, 1776, unless discharged sooner by Congress, and to be paid and fed in the same manner as regular soldiers of the Continental Army.

Congress appropriated $38,500 (in Spanish Dollars at 7s 6d [shillings and pence] per paper Continental dollar) for the Regiments’ support. The pay rate per month was dictated by Congress: Colonel 450s, Lt. Colonel 400s, Major 350s, Captains 300s, Lieutenants 200s, Ensigns 160s, Sergeants 90s, Corporals 60s, and Privates 50s. Mounted dragoons, artillerymen, and militia serving outside their state received a 2s 6d bonus.

Brigadier-General Hugh Mercer of Virginia was commissioned as its commandant. Samuel Patterson (a miller from Christiana Bridge, Delaware) was appointed its battalion colonel. The town of Christiana Bridge is located on Old Kings Road, which was one of the first major inland routes in the colonies between Baltimore, MD in the South, and Philadelphia, PA, in the North. The Flying camp was to be composed of troops from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware for the immediate defense of New Jersey while the Main Army focused on the defense of New York. No such numbers were ever realized for this purpose, the total being under 6,000, but Maryland and tiny Delaware seemingly managed to fulfill their quotas. Delaware was assigned to provide 600 men from among those it had already recruited for one year, and the unit was to be "engaged to the first day of December next [1776]." Pennsylvania sent some 2,000 men, many of whom were quickly drafted into other service by Washington in New York. (Volo and Volo)

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