The Last Will and Testament of Edward Sinclair

As a sergeant in the Fifth Company during the Battle of Brooklyn, Edward Sinclair was among those men who heroically covered the retreat of the Continental Army, thus saving the American forces from destruction.[1] Continue reading

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Francis Reveley: Insults and Injury

Francis Reveley, the subject of our most recent biography, served the entirety of the Revolutionary war, beginning in 1776, when he enlisted as a sergeant in Nathaniel Ramsey’s Fifth Company. It was there that Reveley saw action at the Battle of Brooklyn, earning him a place of honor among the Maryland 400. In February of 1777, Reveley received a commission and reenlisted as a second lieutenant. By the conclusion of the war, Reveley had risen to the rank of captain. Continue reading

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John Brady: Sergeant Turned Fifer

On this day in 1776, the First Maryland Regiment began its trip to New York. Among the men leaving from Baltimore was John Brady, the subject of our most recent biography. Continue reading

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Persistence is Key: Petitions of John Gassaway

John Gassaway, of the prominent Gassaway family in Anne Arundel County, was a tenacious man whose persistence served him well both during and after the Revolutionary War. As soon as it became evident that the colonists were going to war with Britain for American independence, Gassaway applied for a commission, which he did not receive. Undeterred, Gassaway enlisted in Smallwood’s Regiment as a sergeant, and petitioned the Convention again for a commission in May of 1776. Continue reading

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Welcome to Finding the Maryland 400

Battleoflongisland
The stand of the Maryland 400 at the Battle of Brooklyn.
Detail, Alonzo Chappel, The Battle of Long Island, 1858, oil on canvas; M1986.29.1. Brooklyn Historical Society.

Welcome to Finding the Maryland 400, a website dedicated to Maryland’s first Revolutionary War soldiers, who saved the Continental Army in 1776.

This project is a partnership between the Maryland State Archives and the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, studying the First Maryland Regiment. At the Battle of Brooklyn (also called the Battle of Long Island), the heroic stand of the “Maryland 400” held back the British Army, allowing the rest of the Americans to escape total destruction, at the cost of many Maryland lives.

You can read biographies of all known Maryland 400 soldiers here.

You can learn more about the lives of these soldiers, their military service, and their communities by our featured blog posts or our list of all posts

You can help support Finding the Maryland 400.
Make a donation to the Friends of the Maryland State Archives,
and designate it for the Maryland 400!
Thank you for your support!

If you have questions or suggestions, please get in touch with us at msamaryland400@gmail.com.

Scroll down to read our latest posts!

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David Plunket: A Radical Rebel

As Second Lieutenant of the Fifth Maryland Regiment at the time of the Battle of Brooklyn, David Plunket fought bravely and resolutely amidst heavy cannon and mortar fire to hold off the British Army, while the body of the Continental Army retreated to safety, thus earning himself a place of honor as one of the Maryland 400. From early on Plunket championed American independence and republican ideology. His involvement in radical politics began in 1774, when he joined Mordecai Gist’s Baltimore Independent Cadets, foreshadowing his later involvement in the Whig Club in Baltimore. As a member of the Baltimore Independent Cadets it is likely that Plunket participated in the infamous burning of the Peggy Stewart, in which a ship carrying over 2,000 pounds of smuggled tea was burned in the Annapolis harbor.[1]

Continue reading

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The Fate of the Fifth Company

As mentioned in my last post, I am researching the lives of soldiers who fought in the Fifth Company at the Battle of Brooklyn. We have several accounts of the battle by members of the Fifth Company and other members of the Maryland Regiment. These accounts contain vivid descriptions of the retreat at the battle, which gives invaluable insight into the challenges faced by the heroic soldiers of the Maryland 400. Continue reading

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Taira’s Introduction

Hello Readers,

My name is Taira Sullivan and I am this summer’s intern for the Finding the Maryland 400 project. I am a senior History major at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. While I enjoy studying history in its entirety, I have always had a special interest in American history. As a Maryland native, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to explore Maryland’s role in the Revolutionary War through researching the lives of individuals who were part of the First Maryland Regiment. Continue reading

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Revolutionary Veterans VI: The Long and Eventful Life of William McMillan

Regular readers of Finding the Maryland 400 will already know about William McMillan. As a 20 year old sergeant at the Battle of Brooklyn, McMillan survived a battle where “My captain was killed, first lieutenant was killed, second lieutenant shot through the hand, two sergeants was killed; one in front of me… two corporals killed.” McMillan was taken prisoner, along with his brother Samuel. The two later escapes from a British prison in Nova Scotia and returned to fight for the rest of the war. Continue reading

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Revolutionary Veterans V: Thomas Stockett Brewer of Annapolis

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. Continue reading

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