The Original Regiment

In the immediate aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress raised 27 regiments as a provincial army.  These units were adopted into the Continental Army in June 1775 and were generally referred to by the names of their colonels.  "Thomas's Regiment" was raised on April 23, 1775, under Colonel John Thomas outside of Boston. The commanding officer for much of its existence was Colonel John Bailey, and the unit became known as "Bailey's Regiment".  

It served in the Siege of Boston, and was designated the 23rd Continental Regiment in the 1776 organization of infantry units within the Continental Army.  The 2nd Massachusetts Regiment was formed from the remnants of several continental regiments during another reorganization of the army in 1777.

The Regiment served in Glover's Brigade at Princeton and was then  ordered to the Northern Department.  Upon assignment to the 4th Massachusetts Brigade, the Regiment retreated toward Saratoga after the American evacuation of Fort Ticonderoga in July of 1777.  

Following the Saratoga campaign, the Regiment marched south to join General Washington, served in the Philadelphia campaign, and wintered at Valley Forge. In 1778 it served at Monmouth, and later served at Yorktown.  The regiment was disbanded at West Point, New York, on November 3, 1783.

The Recreated Regiment

In 1974, the Town Fathers of Wakefield, MA granted permission to several Middlesex County history buffs to reconstitute the original Wakefield company of militia. Officially designated as the Reading 1st Parish Company of Militia, this group was authorized and empowered to represent the town of Wakefield at various Bicentennial activities in the years to come.

During the unit’s first battle re-enactment, five members of the company marched from Crown Point to Hubbardton and subsequently took part in the Battle of Hubbardton. The decision was made to portray a local Plymouth County unit of the Continental Line as opposed to a company of militia.  The unit chosen was the “2nd Massachusetts Regiment.” Being originally commanded by Colonel John Bailey, the unit name was renamed “Colonel Bailey’s 2nd Massachusetts Regiment,” with a uniform coat of brown faced red.

The Regiment completed its application to the Brigade of the American Revolution (BAR) in 1985.

By 1988, the unit was officially incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a non-profit, educational organization.  That year, the 2nd Mass also joined several other living history organizations in founding The Continental Line.