Arming Up: The 4th Pennsylvania Battalion Prepares for War

Posted on March 18, 2026

Arming Up: The 4th Pennsylvania Battalion Prepares for War

Pennsylvania was a hive of activity in the spring of 1776. As the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and planned for the future of the colonies, the Pennsylvania government worked to raise and outfit new battalions of the Continental Army. One of the most pressing needs of these new units was for firearms.  

In the early days of the war, many colonies asked soldiers to bring their own firearms from home. Relying on soldiers to supply arms of uncertain quality wasn’t an effective long-term strategy, and the responsibility to supply arms soon shifted to the colonies and later the Continental Army. On November 10, 1775, Pennsylvania’s Committee of Safety resolved “that each of the Captains of the Continental Battalion now raising, be directed to look out for a sufficient number of good Substantial Firelocks and Bayonets for the use of the Men in their Respective Companies”. Officers would be repaid by the colony for the money they spent. 

Pennsylvania’s county governments were also responsible for firearm supply. The Committee of Safety ordered each county to provide “a proper number of good, new Firelocks, with Bayonets fitted to them; Cartridge Boxes, with twenty three Rounds of Cartridge in every Box, and Knapsacks”. Each county was required to supply between 100 and 1500 of these items, depending on their population. Blacksmiths and gunsmiths all over the colony worked to produce new weapons and refurbish old ones for service. 

On March 18, 1776—250 years ago today—some of those firearms reached Quartermaster John Harper of the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion. In this receipt, Harper accepts weapons from Chester County’s Major Caleb Davis. Chester County was the home of many officers and men of the 4th Pennsylvania, including Harper and regimental commander Anthony Wayne. Davis, a member of the colony’s Provincial Congress, provided Harper with 40 muskets and 40 bayonets “of the County’s Arms”. Those arms and others saw men of the 4th Pennsylvania through service at Long Island, Canada, and Ticonderoga. 

 Learn more about this receipt (object ID 1994.62.8) on the Ticonderoga Online Collections database: https://fortticonderoga.catalogaccess.com/archives/29891