About

Welcome to the West Jersey Artillery

The West Jersey Artillery is an exciting and dynamic company that brings back to life those patriotic men from New Jersey who fought so long ago to help create the United States. It is with great pride that each of our men today is able to stand in the shoes of the soldiers who serviced the cannons under the command of George Washington.

The company recreates an actual New Jersey state artillery regiment that fought during the American War of Independence from 1776 till 1781. It was re-established in 2011 by a group of experienced Revolutionary War living history enthusiasts who desired to reactivate the original West Jersey Artillery to do historical presentations.

After several years of meticulous research, the result is the fielding of an exact working model of a light 3 lb bronze cannon, with a fully trained company of 15 adult men that can service every position on the field piece. The men are clothed in exact reproductions of the same uniforms worn by the original regiment, and carry the same equipment used by those patriots of so long ago. The company also has a small distaff of several women who portray the camp followers of the time.

Today, the West Jersey Artillery is primarily centered in New Jersey and the eastern Pennsylvania area. The company is chartered in the state of New Jersey as an educational 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and is fully insured. The company adheres to the most stringent safety guidelines in firing areproduction black powder cannon, as established by the national Continental Line organization.

At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the American army had few trained artillerymen. Under the direction of Henry Knox, a portly self-taught 25-year-old officer, the Continental artillery became an effective fighting force. Knox stressed intense training and practice and turned the Continental Artillery into an elite branch of the army. After the battle of Monmouth in 1778, a British officer stated that “no artillery is better served than the American.”

It is in that spirit that we men of the West Jersey Artillery proudly service their cannon known as Thundering Barbara.