The Delaware Regiment Holding the Line

Some 245 years ago today:

Battle of Long Island by Domenick D’Andrea, via the U.S. Army National Guard’s Heritage Collection

At the Battle of Long Island, the actions of the Delaware Regiment kept the American defeat from becoming a disaster. Fighting alongside the 1st Maryland Regiment, the soldiers from Delaware may well have prevented the capture of the majority of Washington’s army – an event that might have ended the colonial rebellion. Organized in January 1776 by Colonel John Haslet, the Delaware Regiment was noted as the best uniformed and equipped regiment of the Continental Army. Delaware’s blue jackets with red facings and white waistcoats and breeches would later become the uniform for all the Continental troops.

During the Battle of Long Island, the Delaware and Maryland troops were positioned on the right of Washington’s line. They defended the most direct route from the British landing site in south Brooklyn…