page_title: 4th Continental Artillery Regiment
section_title: Pennsylvania State Artillery
hierarchical_section_title: 4th Continental Artillery Regiment / History / Pennsylvania State Artillery
caption_attribution_description: Portrait of Thomas Forrest
context_page_description: The 4th Continental Artillery Regiment, also known as Proctor's Continental Artillery Regiment, was an American military unit during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment became part of the Continental Army on 10 June 1777 as Colonel Thomas Proctor's Continental Artillery Regiment. It was made up of eight artillery companies from eastern Pennsylvania. At the time of the regiment's formation, two companies were already in existence, one from as early as October 1775. One company served at Trenton in December 1776 where it performed well in action. In February 1777, Pennsylvania expanded its two-company battalion into an eight-company regiment. After officially joining the Continental Army, the regiment saw much fighting in the Philadelphia campaign in late 1777. Elements of Proctor's Regiment fought at Monmouth in June 1778 and joined the Sullivan Expedition in summer 1779.
  On 10 August 1779 the unit was renamed the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment. The regiment was reorganized with a 10-company establishment on 1 January 1781 with the addition of several companies. It was transferred to the Southern Department in February 1781 where it fought at Yorktown in October.
context_section_description: The 4th Continental Artillery Regiment had its origins in two Pennsylvania artillery units. The Pennsylvania State Artillery Company was authorized on 16 October 1775 and completed its organization at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by 27 November. Captain Thomas Proctor became the commander of a unit with an initial strength of 25 men. It was retained near Philadelphia to guard Fort Island and by December the company numbered 90 men.  Company strength swelled to 100 soldiers by May 1776. The men volunteered to serve in a body on USS Hornet when that vessel engaged HMS Roebuck in Delaware Bay. The British warship, under the command of Captain Andrew Snape Hamond had been patrolling the bay since 1775, interfering with ship traffic and gathering information from American Loyalists.
  A muster roll of Captain Proctor's company on 31 July 1776 shows one captain-lieutenant, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one lieutenant fireworker, one quartermaster sergeant, one clerk, three sergeants, three corporals, eight bombardiers, 24 gunners, 69 matrosses, one fifer, five drummers, and six other musicians. The Pennsylvania State Artillery Battalion was formed on 14 August 1776 with the addition of a second company. Proctor was promoted to major while John Martin Strobogh took command of the 1st Company and Thomas Forrest assumed command of the 2nd Company.
  The battalion was assigned to the main army on 23 September 1776. In October the state ordered its artillerists to be enlisted for the duration of the conflict. Captain Forrest's 2nd Company fought at the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776. His two officers and 50 artillerists manned two brass 6-pound cannon and two 5.5-inch howitzers. Forrest's gunners unlimbered their pieces on high ground alongside Captain Alexander Hamilton's two-gun company and Captain Sebastian Bauman's three-gun company. In a sleet storm, the American guns laid down a deadly barrage, driving the Hessian artillerists from their two cannons. The Hessian commander Johann Rall led two regiments to the north, but General George Washington blocked the move by shifting two regiments to meet the threat. Hearing that his cannons had been abandoned in the street, Rall marched his soldiers west to recover them. This move placed his troops in a crossfire between the American cannons to the north and American infantry to the west and south. After enduring the terrible fire without being able to reply with their wet muskets, the Hessians withdrew to the east and soon surrendered.
  On New Year's Day 1777, an American force skirmished with the British vanguard of Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis at Shipetaukin Creek, south of Princeton, New Jersey. Forrest's company, now with six guns, supported the infantry under Edward Hand, Nicholas Haussegger, and Charles Scott. After holding off the 1st Light Infantry and the Hessian jagers, the Americans only retreated when the British and Hessian grenadiers were committed to the action. The Battle of the Assunpink Creek was fought the next day. As the British advanced south toward Trenton, they encountered the same 1,000-man American force as the previous day. After their French commander, General Matthias Alexis Roche de Fermoy abandoned his troops and fled, Hand took over and conducted an able defense of Little and Big Shabbakunk Creeks before falling back to Stockton Hollow. Here Washington personally thanked the gunners for their efforts. Forrest posted his guns to dominate the road with Scott on his right and Hand on his left. There was brisk fighting before the Americans finally withdrew through Trenton at dusk and reformed south of Assunpink Creek. That evening, the British and Hessians attempted to storm the bridge and the lower ford but were stopped by concentrated musketry and cannon fire. That night, Washington marched around Cornwallis's camp and won the Battle of Princeton on 3 January.
caption: Thomas Forrest
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