Thompson's Rifle Battalion
Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The first battalion in the colonies authorized by Congress, June 1775. Totaling nine companies, it was initially led by Col. William Thompson of Carlisle. Later the organization became the First Pennsylvania Continental Regiment.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
When Congress moved to build a Continental force in June 1775, it authorized its very first battalion — nine companies of riflemen raised here in the Pennsylvania backcountry under Col. William Thompson of Carlisle. These frontier marksmen marched to join the siege of Boston, and the unit later became the First Pennsylvania Continental Regiment. Their muster placed Carlisle at the founding of the American army.
Why it matters
As the first battalion authorized by Congress, Thompson's riflemen stand at the very origin of the United States Army and the fight for independence.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Appalachian Trail Museum13.0 mi away
- Ye Olde Sulphur Spa Historical Society13.4 mi away
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Related people
- · William Thompson
Related events
- · American Revolution
- · Siege of Boston
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Molly Pitcher
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
Mary Hays McCauley, remembered in legend as "Molly Pitcher," became one of the Revolution's most enduring heroines for her courage at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, where women carried water to overheated soldiers and, by tradition, she took a place at the cannon. She is buried in the Old Graveyard just east of here, among many of Carlisle's distinguished early citizens.
Major Andre
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
During the Revolution, Carlisle held British prisoners of war far from the fighting on the coast. For a short time in 1776, Major John Andre and Lieutenant Despard were detained in a tavern on this site. Andre was later exchanged, returned to service, and after his involvement in Benedict Arnold's treason was captured again and executed as a spy.
Blaine House
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
This site held the home of General Ephraim Blaine, who as Commissary General kept the Continental Army fed through some of the Revolution's hardest campaigns — a thankless logistical task on which victory quietly depended. Years later, in October 1794, Blaine hosted President George Washington for a week here while Washington gathered a militia army at Carlisle to march against the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. It is a rare double witness to the war for independence and the young republic's first great test of federal authority.
Gen. William Irvine
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
General William Irvine came to Carlisle as an early physician before public life and war swept him up: he served in Pennsylvania's Provincial Convention, took up arms as a Revolutionary officer, and commanded the strategic western post at Fort Pitt. The house he occupied stood on this site before 1800. His path from frontier doctor to frontier general captures the versatility demanded of Revolutionary-era leaders.