Project sponsored by the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
Recent posts: Finding the Maryland 400
Help Support the Maryland 400!
In August 1776, a group of soldiers—the Maryland 400—helped hold back the British Army at the Battle of Brooklyn, allowing the rest of the Americans to escape the field. The Marylanders lost a quarter of their men that day, but their stand saved the Continental Army, allowing it to live and fight another day. For […]
Revolutionary Book Review: George the Drummer Boy
The first book I ever read about the American Revolution was a children’s book called George the Drummer Boy, by Nathaniel Benchley, with illustrations by Don Bolognese. It tells the story of a drummer in the British Army who is stationed in Boston in 1775. His unit is chosen to march out of Boston to […]
A New Podcast Tells the Story of the Maryland Line
We are excited to share that a new podcast about the Revolutionary War, and Maryland’s soldiers, has been launched by Mission History. The series tells the story of the events that brought two armies, including nearly 2,000 soldiers from Maryland, to Camden, South Carolina in August 1781. The battle fought at Camden was one of […]
A Beating in Baltimore: Communal Violence during the Revolution
Today’s post comes from Marshall Cooperman of St. John’s College in Annapolis, who was part of the Maryland State Archives’ intern class of 2023. Marshall’s project team worked on cataloging a large collection of Revolutionary-era correspondence, and he came across the letters that tell this story while doing that work America in 1776 was a […]
Author Archives: natalierosemiller
Women in the War: “The Sick Suffered Much for Want of Good Female Nurses”
The year is 1775, and the American Revolution is in its earliest days. The United States, a fledgling nation, is unprepared for the brutal realities of war. However, even in a well-established country, it’s impossible to predict the course of … Continue reading
Women in the War
We are excited to announce an upcoming blog mini-series entitled Women in the War! Women have held vital roles in wars throughout history, and the American Revolution is no exception. Because women were typically not allowed to fight, every job … Continue reading
Enlistment Bounties: Use and Abuse
When men enlisted to fight in the Revolutionary War, they left home with the expectation that they would be properly paid for their military service. However, that’s not what happened. Paychecks lagged severely behind schedule, with some men never receiving … Continue reading
“The child…was almost entirely destitute of maintenance and support”: A trust fund for Captain Edgerly’s son
Edward Edgerly served in the Maryland Line for five years, enlisting as a sergeant in February 1776. He fought at the Battle of Brooklyn that August, earning a place among the famed Maryland 400. In 1777, he received a commission … Continue reading
We Have Completed the Seventh Company!
We have some exciting news to announce: we have completed biographies of all the known soldiers of the Seventh Company!
Becoming “Amply Supplied with Very Good Shoes”
Winters for the Continental Army soldiers were brutal. Although fighting usually ceased and the troops took up winter quarters, there was no break from military life. In addition to freezing temperatures and food shortages, troops were plagued by inadequate uniforms, … Continue reading
A Hot Cup of Patriotism
As you sit down to enjoy your morning, afternoon, or evening cup of coffee (don’t worry, we won’t judge you if you’re in that last category), do you ever wonder how America became a coffee society? According to scholars, it … Continue reading
Death by Pig
While researching soldiers and their families from the Revolutionary War, it can be difficult to uncover reliable information. We have written about some of our methods before, and you can read one of those posts here. However, sometimes the best … Continue reading
Happy National Literacy Day! – Literacy Rates in Colonial America
In addition to the Revolutionary War, a literary revolution swept across the American Colonies and Europe in the 18th century. In celebration of National Literacy Day, today we will explore the literacy rates of Colonial America and how they affected … Continue reading
The Battle of Brooklyn in Five Objects: Number 5, The Old Line State Quarter
The last object in this five-day series is one that many readers have likely seen before: the Old Line State quarter. The Maryland Old Line State quarter was released in March 2000, and was the seventh coin issued under the … Continue reading
Finding the Maryland 400 