Congress's Own

Colonel Moses Hazen''s 2nd Canadian Regiment was one of the first "national" regiments in the American army. Created by the Continental Congress, it drew members from Canada, eleven states, and foreign forces. "Congress''s Own" was among the most culturally, ethnically, and regionally diverse of the Continental Army''s regiments-a distinction that makes it an apt reflection of the union that was struggling to create a nation.

The 2nd Canadian, like the larger army, represented and pushed the transition from a colonial, continental alliance to a national association. The problems the regiment raised and encountered underscored the complications of managing a confederation of states and troops.

In this enterprising study of an intriguing and at times "infernal" regiment, Holly A. Mayer marshals personal and official accounts-from the letters and journals of Continentals and congressmen to the pension applications of veterans and their widows-to reveal