An Unsurpassed Soldiery: The Delaware Regiment During the American Revolution

Delaware Continental’s Statue at Legislative Hall

The Milford Museum American History Series continues with a program titled “An Unsurpassed Soldiery: The Delaware Regiment During the American Revolution” presented by Charles “Chuck” Fithian on Saturday, August 10, 1:00 p.m. at the Milford Public Library in Milford, Delaware.

During the American Revolution, the Delaware Regiment established a remarkable record for military discipline, efficiency, and dependability on the battlefield. The regiment’s characteristics and prowess in combat in many ways reflected developments within the Continental Army as that force became the professionalized military organization General Washington sought to create during the war. This presentation will offer some of the preliminary findings of a new study of this unit and will describe some of the distinctive features of the Delaware Regiment and its service during the War for American Independence.

Known as the “Fighting Blue Hens,” the Delaware Regiment was so named after one of the officers, Captain Jonathan Caldwell from Kent County, raised gamecocks that were extremely fierce. The regiment quickly gained its own reputation for fierceness, earning them the nickname. The regiment was developed when the United States Continental Army required the state to send a regiment and, despite only sending one, the tiny state sent their best. The numbers of the Delaware Regiment never reached over 800 men, the regiment fought bravely and with distinction, led by Colonel John Haslet of Milford.

Charles “Chuck” Fithian

Charles “Chuck” Fithian is a historical archaeologist who holds a master’s degree in history from Salisbury University, with a concentration in Colonial and Revolutionary America. From 1986 – 2014, Fithian served as the Curator of Archaeology for the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. He was responsible for the curation of the State of Delaware’s extensive 4+ million artifact archaeological collection. He also managed and directed the conservation, research, and curation of the hull and associated collection of the “DeBraak” , a Royal Navy sloop of war lost on the Delaware coast in 1798.

From 2013 – 2021, Fithian was a lecturer in Anthropology at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. For three years, 2021 – 2023, he served as the Staff Archaeologist with Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society. In 2024, he was inducted into the Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame. Currently, he is working on a social history of the Delaware Regiment during the American Revolution, and the documentation of Delaware’s military and logistical landscape during the same time period.

Sponsored by the Milford Museum, these monthly programs focus on a variety of topics concerning local, state, and national history. These presentations are held on the second Saturday of each month, at 1:00 p.m., in the Milford Public Library. The library is located at 11 S.E. Front Street in Milford, Delaware. For more information, please contact the Museum at (302) 424-1080, tom@milfordDEmuseum.org . These programs are offered through a generous grant from The Delaware Heritage Commission.