Project sponsored by the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
Recent posts: Finding the Maryland 400
Exciting Project News!
I am very happy to share the news that we have recently completed the last of our biographies. They are all now complete!
The Maryland Line and The Creation of the Society of the Cincinnati
As the Revolutionary War drew to a close, Continental Army officers and their French allies wanted an effective way to preserve the values they had fought for and the intense camaraderie that they had developed throughout the war. Major General Henry Knox proposed an organization which would do exactly that in May of 1783: the […]
What’s In a Name: Military Ranks
Military terminology can be confusing. Finding the Maryland 400 has previously worked on a glossary of military units to help readers better understand the differences between companies, regiments, and battalions. Today’s post will cover a glossary of important military ranks, describing each position’s duties as explained mainly by Baron Friedrich von Steuben. Steuben, inspector general […]
Revisiting the Capture and Escape of the McMillan Brothers
Samuel and William McMillan, two brothers who enlisted in the First Maryland Regiment, fought in the Battle of Brooklyn, where Hessian soldiers captured them and decimated their company. Taken to Halifax, the two brothers were part of a group that made a daring escape, desperate to return familiar territory. Although Finding the Maryland 400 has previously discussed their […]
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Tag Archives: Army Life
Polearms in the Continental Army
Today, we have another post by one of our Washington College partners. Simon Belcher gives us an education about some of the bladed weapons that were used by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. During the Battle of Brooklyn, … Continue reading
What’s In a Name: Companies, Regiments, and Battalions
Revolutionary War military terminology can be pretty confusing. Starting today, we are publishing periodic posts to help explain what some of these words mean, moving towards a full glossary of eighteenth-century military terms.
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
Crime and Punishment in the Continental Army
From the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the American military justice system was governed by the articles of war, adopted on June 30, 1775. They were extremely similar to those used by the British enemy, and although both relied heavily … Continue reading
The Significance of December 10, 1776
If you’ve read a few biographies of the men of the Maryland 400, you may have noticed that many of the troops reenlisted on December 10, 1776. This is not a coincidence, but is the outcome of the reorganization of … Continue reading
Sickened Marylanders and the Philadelphia Bettering House
On April 13, 1777, John Adams described the spread of disease in Philadelphia and the fate of the sick soldiers in that city in a letter to his wife, Abigail Smith. In his letter, he mentioned a local institution, called the … Continue reading
“Games of Exercise” During the American Revolution
With the Olympics in full swing, this is a good time to talk about the athletic pastimes of American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Active campaigning took a relatively small part of the year during the American Revolution, and as … Continue reading
“Anxious of showing my zeal for the love of my Country, I entered myself as a Cadet…”
When Maryland put together its regiment as directed by the Continental Congress in 1776, it needed officers to command the troops. The regiment had nine companies, as well as seven independent companies. Each company had a captain and three lieutenants, … Continue reading
Evaluating the Maryland Officers
In late 1776, Maryland expanded its military contribution to the Continental Army from one regiment to seven. This required a great deal of planning, as each new regiment required about 50 new officers, and so many promotions required much deliberation. … Continue reading
“Our officers…cared but little, if anything at all, about us.”
Our posts exploring officers’ duties have drawn from heavily from the work of Inspector General Continental Army, Fredrich Wilhelm von Steuben. His treatise on the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States lays out … Continue reading
Finding the Maryland 400 