Thomas Stockett Brewer also remained in his home state after the war. Brewer hailed from Anne Arundel County and likely lived in Annapolis before the war, where he was surrounded by patriotic sentiment. He likely worked as an apprentice or servant early in his life to learn the craft of shoemaking, but he came of age just in time to enter his community as it was filled with other craftsmen who could do the same work. Seeing these conditions, Brewer enlisted and fought in the Revolutionary War. A man with little means, he joined the army and fought in the Revolution from 1776 to 1780, when he was discharged.

Returning to his home, Brewer was able to purchase a small tract of land in the state capital and worked as a shoemaker. He eventually acquired the rights to a somewhat larger lot in Annapolis, and he likely spent the rest of his life there with his family. Like Leonard Watkins, Brewer was not especially successful after the war. However, neither was he a complete failure or burdened by severe debt.

Brewer illustrates what likely was the norm for the veterans remaining in Maryland. They did not have the success of the men who migrated from the state, but they also did not suffer the severe consequences that could result from the move. There was more opportunity for him upon his return home, but he still remained near the bottom of the social order throughout his life. He had more success than in his pre-war life, but he remained in the lower class.

Read Thomas Stockett Brewer’s full biography here.

Next: William McMillan