Capt. Samuel Cherry's Company,
Light Infantry,
2nd New Hampshire Regiment
OUR GROUP
Who We Are
Capt. Samuel Cherry's Light Infantry Company, 2nd NH regiment, is a progressive, authenticity-minded reenactment group. We portray the troops of the 2nd NH regiment, of the Continental Army (US Regular Army troops), many of whom served with distinction through every year of the American War for Independence (1775-1783).
What We Offer
As a reenactment group we attend living history events commemorating the American Revolution, with encampments, battle reenactments, and ceremonies at historic sites and Revolutionary War battlefields across the east coast.
2nd NH Regiment, 1775-1783
As a unit we follow the lineage of the company and men throughout the war--Cherry's LI Company, 1780-83; Carr's 4th Co., 1777-79; Wentworth's 4th Co., 1775-76--adapting uniforms, equipment, drill manuals, camp, and even rations to reflect what those men had for a particular campaign or battle.
Though small in number compared to other states, the men of the NH brigade, many of whom had enlisted for "the duration" of the war, played an auspicious role in some of the most trying and celebrated moments of the conflict: Seige of Boston, Bunker Hill, Quebec Expedition, Trois Rivieres, Defence of Fort Ticonderoga ('76), Trenton & Princeton, Morristown, Defence of Ft. Ticonderoga & Mt. Independence ('77), Hubbardton, Saratoga, Valley Forge, Monmouth & the NJ campaign, Sullivan's Campaign & Newtown, West Point, Lafayette's campaign, Yorktown, the NY campaign of 1782, and on till the end of the war.
Most reenactments are weekend-long public events with main camps and battle reenactments, often promoted by the Continental Line, LLC. and the Brigade of the American Revolution, of which we are members.
We also attend more immersive participant-only 'campaigner' events, where we live 'in the field' as the soldiers did on the march without the typical camps and amenities of a mainstream event.
Our standard unit impression is that of the 2nd NH Light Infantry Company on the Yorktown campaign of 1781.
But, whether at a late-war event (1780-83), or when portraying men of the regiment in the earlier years of the war, we practice the fundamentals of 'light infantry' (also known as 'partisan' or skirmishing) tactics, as is evidenced that these troops had experience with through the years.
In portraying a Light Infantry (LI) company, we emphasize the practice of the genuine light infantry tactics from the period.
These evolved over the course of the war but always centered around the LI serving as advanced skirmish troops.
Early on the "ranging" or "woods drill" type of irregular skirmish methods as developed in the French & Indian War were used, and as the war progressed a more regimented 'assault troop' form of tactics became a standard that lasted through the end of the century.
Light Infantry were the advance troops of the entire army. They screened the front and flanks of the main corps, at times operated independently beyond the front lines, and in combat they were the first to fight, deploying in extended, quick moving skirmish formations to press quickly on the flanks and rear of the enemy.
As a unit we also train on the various military manuals that were adopted as the war and the army progressed: the Norfolk Discipline, used by the NH militia until Aug. '75; the H.M. Manual of Excersice 1764, as used by the Continental Army from 1775-1777; the Von Stueben manual of arms for the US Army 1778-1783.
Along with the military drill, we adapt our unit impression (depending on the event) to reflect the uniforms, equipment, and regulations used by the NH line during a particular campaign. For those events, battles, or campaigns where the company or regiment were not present, we choose a suitable unit impression to fit the time and place including militia, Continental Army, and NH troops of the provisional LI battalions (LI drafted for one campaign).
Living History, as it's known, is an engaging, fun, and immersive way to experience the heritage and culture of the country during the time of the American Revolution. Through it we learn first-hand the history and stories of our nation's past, and the lives of the everyday men and women who forged it.