Finding the Maryland 400

In September of 1776, the Continental Congress decided to restructure the Continental Army, hoping to recruit a larger number of troops. To this end, Congress ordered the creation of 88 new regiments, with quotas set for each state based on their population, and extended enlistment terms to three years. Congress set a quota of eight regiments for Maryland. In late December of 1776, Congress ordered the enlistment of another 16 regiments. With officers already struggling to meet the enlistment quotas put in place by the first order of 88 regiments, competition for new recruits only intensified. [1]

Although Congress did not request additional regiments from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia recruited soldiers from Maryland for their own quotas. Tensions over recruitment remained strong between different Maryland regiments as well. Soldiers sometimes enlisted in multiple companies to receive multiple enlistment bonuses, which officers overlooked to meet their quotas. Today’s post will examine some specific examples of competition over the recruitment of former members of the Maryland 400 within a broader context. [2] Continue reading →

This week, I finished writing biographies for Maryland 400 soldiers. Over the course of my research on various soldiers, I have written about quite a few who fell sick during their service, including the soldier I am currently researching, Christopher Richmond, who was furloughed from May to October in 1778. Since I have encountered so many soldiers who were ill during their service, I decided to look into what kind of medical conditions and treatments faced the American troops during the war. Continue reading →

Today, we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The news of that event reached Annapolis a day or two later, where it was received by the thousand or so soldiers who were preparing to fight in defense of that declaration. Some of those soldiers, the men this project focuses on, marched north to defend New York less than a week later. Two of them, Alexander Ferguson and George Claypoole, wrote out their wills just before departing; click on their names to learn more.

As we celebrate the Fourth of July and take time to remember the American Revolution, stories about the Revolutionary War often appear in the news. Recently, we were able to contribute to this piece, about an enslaved African American Revolutionary War soldier from Maryland:

Twice Denied the Freedom He’d Fought For, Black Revolutionary War Hero From Maryland to be Honored at Last [Baltimore Sun]

You can read other Revolutionary War news stories from the past here:

• The Maryland 400 in the News.

You can also read some of our earlier posts about the weeks leading up to the Declaration of Independence here:

• The Summer of Independence Begins
• Maryland Declares Independence

Have a happy Fourth!

–Owen

Last week, I began researching Richard Besswick, a private in the First Maryland Regiment and a member of the Maryland 400. In the course of my search for information about his life, I came across the will of Nathan Besswick from 1778. I had a hunch that this could possibly be Richard’s father, so I went to the stacks and pulled the record to find out. Sure enough, Nathan Besswick mentioned a son named Richard who was about the same age as the Richard Besswick I was looking for. More interesting, however, was something I found at the end of the will. I almost didn’t read it, since I had already gathered all of the information that can typically be found in a will. Luckily, I did decide to read it, and what I found deepened Richard Besswick’s story significantly. Continue reading →

On Wednesday, June 19, Debra Naylor, a descendant of Maryland 400 veterans Alexander and Nicholas Nailor, and one of her co-authors Frank Robinson will be visiting the Maryland State Archives at noon to discuss their book The Naylors of Woodborough. This book is a collection of research of the local family’s 350-year history that now serves as the primary source for Naylor information in America. One of Debra Naylor’s ancestors is a soldier that I spent the better part of a year working on – Alexander Nailor. [1]
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Hello!

My name is James Schmitt and I am a recent graduate from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. I am interning with the Maryland State Archives throughout summer 2019. I will specifically be working on the Finding the Maryland 400 project as a Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution Research Fellow.

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Hello!

My name is Jillian Curran and I am an intern on the Maryland 400 Project for this summer. I am originally from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and am now a rising sophomore at Washington College, where I major in history. At school, I am involved with the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience. I have worked on both the Chesapeake Heartland Project, which researches the experiences of African-Americans on the Eastern Shore, and the World War II National Home Front Project, which collects oral histories of those who lived during the conflict. I hope to continue my historical studies and one day become a museum curator or professor.

For as long as I can remember, the past has always fascinated me.

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On March 7, the Maryland Senate unanimously passed a resolution honoring the First Maryland Regiment for its heroic and dedicated service during the Revolutionary War. Continue reading →

Although we formally celebrated the life of George Washington on President’s Day, which was on Monday, his actual birthday is today, February 22. Closer to home, today is also the birthday of Mordecai Gist, the distinguished soldier and Revolutionary leader who lead the Marylanders at the Battle of Brooklyn.

Mordecai Gist (1742/43-1792) Peter Egeli (b. 1934), after Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), 1975 MSA SC 1545-1066

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