Grayson ' s Additional Continental Regiment Grayson ' s Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit that served for two years and three months in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War . Like other Additional Regiments , Grayson ' s remained directly under George Washington ' s control , unlike state regiments . Authorized in January 1777 , the unit ' s nine companies were recruited from the colonies of Virginia , Maryland , and Delaware . Raised by Colonel William Grayson , the regiment participated in actions in Northern New Jersey in early 1777 , at Brandywine in September 1777 , at Germantown in October 1777 , and at Monmouth in June 1778 . In April 1779 the regiment was absorbed by Gist ' s Additional Continental Regiment and ceased to exist . History . Formation to Germantown . Grayson ' s Additional Continental Regiment was authorized on 10 January 1777 for service with the Continental Army and assigned to the main army . William Grayson , a former aide to George Washington was appointed colonel of the regiment . Grayson recruited his soldiers in northern Virginia and in adjacent Maryland where William Smallwood , his soon - to - be brother - in - law was very popular . The regiment assembled at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania in the spring of 1777 . Grayson ' s regiment was one of 16 planned Additional Continental Regiment s . Unlike the September 1776 state regiments , the Additional Regiments were put directly under Washington ' s control . On 27 December 1776 , the Second Continental Congress authorized these units , along with three artillery regiments , 3 , 000 light cavalry , and an engineer corps . Washington was convinced that capable officers were being held back by the states on political grounds . Activating the Additional Regiments was seen as a way to bring these competent men into leadership roles in the Continental Army . Three Additional Regiments were allotted to Virginia . On 22 May , the unit was assigned to the 4th Virginia Brigade under the leadership of Charles Scott . The 1st , 2nd , and 3rd Virginia Brigades were led by Peter Muhlenberg , George Weedon , and William Woodford , respectively . The other units in Scott ' s Brigade were the 4th , 8th , and 12th Virginia Regiment s and Patton ' s Additional Continental Regiment . Grayson ' s Regiment was present during the skirmishing in northern New Jersey in the late spring and early summer of 1777 . Scott ' s and William Woodford ' s brigades were part of Adam Stephen ' s division at the Battle of Brandywine on 11 September 1777 . On that day , Sir William Howe maneuvered one wing of his army to reach Osborn ' s Hill in the American right rear . After belatedly learning of Howe ' s march , George Washington ordered John Sullivan to take charge of his own division plus those of Lord Stirling and Stephen and stop the British . Near the Birmingham Friends Meetinghouse , Stephen ' s 1 , 500 men drew up on the right flank , Stirling ' s 1 , 500 soldiers defended the center , and Sullivan ' s troops filed into position on the left . The British outnumbered the Americans by approximately 8 , 000 to 4 , 000 men . Stephen ' s division and two cannons held a wooded hill in a place called Sandy Hollow . As Howe ' s attack gained momentum , the division stoutly held its position , pinning down the Hessian Jägers and the British 2nd Light Infantry Battalion . Sullivan ' s division collapsed first , exposing Stirling ' s left flank . After severe fighting , Stirling ' s men retreated leaving Stephen ' s flank in the air . The British then concentrated on Scott ' s brigade , which held Stephen ' s left flank . The Virginians ' line finally broke and the men retreated to the south . The British captured two cannons which were stubbornly defended by their crews . Still part of Stephen ' s division , Scott ' s brigade marched with Nathanael Greene ' s left wing at the Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777 . Washington planned for Greene ' s troops to attack the British right flank while Sullivan and Stirling thrust at the enemy left . Sullivan ' s and Anthony Wayne ' s divisions attacked first and drove in the British 2nd Light Infantry Battalion , together with some regiments that marched to their support . However , Greene ' s column was late arriving on the field and its deployment was marked by " monumental " confusion . The divisions of Greene and Stephen advanced so rapidly that Alexander McDougall ' s Connecticut Brigade lost track of them in the fog . One observer believed that the brigades of Scott and Muhlenberg ( Greene ' s division ) acted together . In fact , Stephen accused Scott of deliberately operating independently . Part of Woodford ' s brigade and its supporting artillery stopped to fire on 100 British troops at the Chew House . As part of Stephen ' s division advanced , it spotted one of Wayne ' s brigades in the fog and a friendly fire incident was the result . Wayne ' s men , who had carried all before them up to that point , panicked and took to their heels . Stephen was later convicted of unofficerlike behavior and drunkenness and dismissed from the army . Valley Forge to Charleston . At Valley Forge , Grayson ' s Regiment was listed as an element of Scott ' s brigade . The field officers were Colonel Grayson , Lieutenant Colonel Levin Powell , and Major John Thornton . On 28 June 1778 , the regiment fought at the Battle of Monmouth . Before the battle , Scott was named commander of a 1 , 440 - man task force consisting of detachments under Richard Butler , Joseph Cilley , Mordecai Gist , and Richard Parker . In Scott ' s absence , Grayson took charge of the 4th Virginia Brigade which became known as Grayson ' s Detachment . This force numbered 33 officers , 124 noncoms , 15 staff personnel , and 455 rank and file fit for duty . Besides Grayson ' s Regiment , the other units were a converged battle group of the 4th , 8th , and 12th Virginia Regiments under James Wood , Patton ' s Additional Continental Regiment , and Thomas Wells ' two - gun company of the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment . As part of Charles Lee ' s Advance Guard , Grayson ' s Detachment led the American column of march on the morning of the battle . After a skirmish , Philemon Dickinson ' s New Jersey militia was driven back by the Queen ' s Rangers . When Grayson ' s Detachment came on the scene , the Queen ' s Rangers retreated eastward . Dickinson advised Grayson not to advance any farther because it would a put narrow bridge behind his troops with British troops hovering nearby . However , Lee created an " ad hoc " command made up of Grayson ' s Detachment , Butler ' s detachment , Henry Jackson ' s detachment , and Eleazer Oswald ' s four cannons and sent the troops forward under Wayne . Seeing British troops around 9 : 30 AM , Wayne ordered Butler and Jackson to engage them while keeping back Grayson ' s men to guard a key road intersection . Wayne ' s men skirmished with their adversaries . Grayson suggested to Jackson that they attack the British right wing , but Jackson declined . Lee still believed that he faced a small rear guard . But , he soon observed that Sir Henry Clinton was bearing down on him with at least 6 , 000 troops . At this time , some American units began to withdraw without orders . Jackson had seen two of Oswald ' s guns pulling back and asked Lee ' s aide John Francis Mercer for new orders . Mercer told Jackson to hold his ground , but when he returned he found that Jackson was retreating . Mercer then ordered Grayson to pull back as well . Threatened by the advancing British columns , Butler also fell back , taking a detour to the north to get away . Finding 3 , 000 of his troops withdrawing , Lee ordered a general retreat . Oswald ' s massed 10 guns to cover the movement . As Washington rode forward , he was surprised to see Lee ' s division retreating toward him , led by Grayson ' s and Patton ' s Additional Regiments . The men were suffering badly from the intense heat of the day . Farther on , Washington and Lee patched together a line consisting of Jeremiah Olney ' s brigade , detachments under Walter Stewart , Nathaniel Ramsey , and Henry Livingston , Jr . , and Oswald ' s four guns . It is likely that Wood ' s Virginians ( though not Grayson ' s Regiment ) were part of this force . After a fierce action , the British broke through , but the holding action allowed enough time for Washington ' s main body to form a line of battle . Except for two New Jersey regiments and Cilley ' s and Parker ' s detachments , Lee ' s division was sent to the rear to reorganize . Grayson ' s Regiment transferred to the 3rd Virginia Brigade on 22 July 1778 , though it still formed part of the main army . On 15 November the remaining men of Thruston ' s Additional Continental Regiment were attached . The regiment ' s career came to an end on 22 April 1779 when it and Thruston ' s Regiment merged with Gist ' s Additional Continental Regiment and the new unit reorganized in eight - company strength . The consolidated unit was captured by the British army at the Siege of Charleston on 12 May 1780 . This disaster resulted in the capture of at least 2 , 650 Continentals plus militia . Service record . < br >