Hello all,
We recently came across some very interesting maps that show the events of the Battle of Long Island in good detail. As some of you may have noticed, one of these maps is now the background for the blog site, replacing John Ogilby’s 1671 map of Maryland and the surrounding regions. To see the new map in full, click on the image below. Continue reading
Only disease could pose a greater danger to the cause of American Independence than that of desertion. No army in the 18th century, not even well trained professional ones, could escape the inevitability that many of the soldiers would leave without being authorized to do so. Consider one of the most celebrated armies of that century– the Prussian Army during the Reign of Frederick the Great. In the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) Frederick successfully stalemated the war despite being attacked by 3 other great powers, each bigger and richer than Prussia. His tactical brilliance would have meant little if he did not possess an extremely well-disciplined and modern fighting force. However even a force such as this was not immune to desertion: In 1758 16,052 soldiers deserted from the Prussian contingent made up of about 150,000.1 Continue reading
On July 6, 1776 the Convention of Maryland ordered Colonel William Smallwood to march his 6 Companies stationed in Annapolis and the 3 Companies in Baltimore to Philadelphia. Joining them would be three of the Independent Companies, specifically those under the command of Captains Edward Veazey, John Allen Thomas, and James Hindman. 237 Years ago today, Smallwood’s Battalion departed for New York by way of Philadelphia. Soon after leaving, Thomas’ and Hindman’s companies were ordered to halt and return to Annapolis in order to fend off potential attacks from Lord Dunmore on the Chesapeake.1 The Nine Companies of Smallwood’s Battalion and Veazey’s Company continued north, reaching Philadelphia on July 16th, where they continued by boat to New Jersey. Thomas’ and Hindman’s company departed at the end of July after the threat from Lord Dunmore passed, catching up with Smallwood on or around August 9th. Continue reading
Yesterday we celebrated America’s independence. James Marle was one of the men who fought to earn it in the Revolutionary War.
If the age given in his pension application is accurate, Marle was born in or around 1762. This would mean he was fourteen at the time of the Revolution, but he originally enlisted into the Continental Army as “a fifer, or to learn how to play the fife,” a position commonly held by a younger person. However, “being well grown (for a boy of his age) he was soon made to carry a musket, and served all the time as a private soldier, not as a musician.” Thus converted into a soldier, Continue reading
Gassaway Watkins, one of the men of the Maryland 400, wrote down a brief account of his service before he died. Unfortunately, only part of the document still exists, as evident by its abrupt end. However, the sketch is long enough to include an interesting anecdote from his later service. The following story occurs soon after the Battle of Cowpens in February 1781.
“I left camp with orders from General Greene and was with the retreating militia, two miles from the battle ground. At twelve o’clock that night, I stopped at a house on the road, cold, wet, and hungry, but got nothing to eat. There were at least one hundred persons in the house.
“My dress was noticed by an old man of the country, who asked to speak in private with me. He told me there were enemies as well as friends in the house and offered his services to me. I started in a few moments after, and told him what I wanted. He was faithful. We rode all night and got to the foard[sic], about ten o’clock next morning. The trees came tumbling one after the other down the Yadkin. The old man said it was impossible to cross.
“I was satisfied there was nothing to stop the enemy and wish of my general to bring his troops to a point near action, so I immediately pulled off my coat and boots, put the despatches [sic] in the crown of my hat, tied it on my head, took leave of my friend, who , with tears in his eyes, wished me well, and with difficulty crossed the river. My guide and friend expressed his joy by throwing up his hat and I returned it with gratitude, About seven o’clock I got to headquarters and was received by Generals Greene and Morgan.”
Found in :
Warfield, J. D. The Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland. (Baltimore: Kohn & Pollock, 1905), 413-414.
To read Gassaway Watkins’ complete biography click here.
-Daniel
As I was working on the biography for William McMillan yesterday I found an interesting letter included in his pension. At first I was not sure how helpful it would be, but after reading his description of the time he spent recovering from being thrown off of his horse, “twas a long time before I got well. I was not able hardly to do anything–I begun to think about my Revolution services,” I knew it would be worth looking at. Continue reading
The following PDF file contains a scan of the pay abstract described in an earlier blog post. Continue reading
Today I finished compiling some information on two of the soldiers in the Maryland 400 and Continue reading
While the first few days of work consisted mainly of us learning about the battle and creating a framework to organize what we find, the last several days have seen Daniel and myself doing more research on the men of the Maryland 400. So far we have not had much luck locating any documents that give a full listing of the men in each company, but some extra digging has made what we have found more useful. Continue reading
…the Maryland 400 made a desperate last stand that held back the British and helped save the American army. The Battle of Brooklyn, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle of the Revolutionary War, and a terrible defeat for the Americans.The British overwhelmed the Continental Army commanded by George Washington. As the […]
Finding the Maryland 400, the book chronicling Maryland’s Revolutionary War soldiers, is now for sale! The price is $40 (plus $9 shipping & handling). It can be purchased online here: The book is also available in person at the Maryland State Archives. Finding the Maryland 400 tells the stories of the soldiers who fought heroically […]
This is the final episode of the Maryland 400 podcast, exploring Maryland and the American Revolution, from journalism professor Tom Moore of CUNY York College. The series concludes by discussing the meaning of the Maryland 400. Who were these soldiers, and what did they do? What can be learned about them? It features Assistant State […]
This is episode two of the Maryland 400 podcast, exploring Maryland and the American Revolution, from journalism professor Tom Moore of CUNY York College. This week’s episode focuses on Maryland’s Black soldiers, who are often overlooked but were a critical part of the Continental Army. Maryland enlisted Black soldiers as early as the summer of […]
Finding the Maryland 400 