Tag Archives: Maryland

The political climate of Baltimore in 1776

Baltimore Town was more than a diverse and pre-industrial port town that sat on the Patapsco River. It had numerous sentiments, ranging from the pro-revolutionary, some of which were militant in their beliefs, to support for the British Crown. This article continues the series … Continue reading

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A “dull place” on the Patapsco: Baltimore and the Marr Brothers

In May 1776, the Revolution had been raging for almost a year with skirmishes between the British imperial army and the rag-tag revolutionaries. William Marr, probably with his brothers Nicholas and James, enlisted in the Continental Army in Capt. Nathaniel Ramsey’s … Continue reading

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Col. Barton Lucas: more than a military man

In the past, we have written about Col. Barton Lucas, captain of the Third Company. Previous posts have focused on records kept by Lucas’s clerk about the clothing worn by members of the Maryland 400 and mentioned in passing that he was sick and … Continue reading

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Battle of Brooklyn Roll of Honor

On August 27, 1776, after a week of anticipation, and hours of marching, the Continental Army fought the British at the Battle of Brooklyn, the first large-scale battle of the Revolutionary War. All told, the Americans lost about 300 killed, … Continue reading

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Men who “could stand cutting”: The Old Maryland Line

The famed Maryland 400 were not the only Revolutionary War soldiers hailed as heroes. Indeed, throughout the war, the Maryland Line (as the state’s contribution to the Continental Army was called) developed a reputation for skill and bravery. They were … Continue reading

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Maryland’s African American Troops

Earlier, we introduced the topic of Black Revolutionary War soldiers, but left unanswered the question of whether any fought as part of the Maryland 400. While a number of African Americans fought as part of the Maryland Line later in … Continue reading

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African Americans in the Revolutionary War

In October, Congress gave preliminary approval to a monument on the National Mall to African American Revolutionary War soldiers. While much work remains to be done before a monument is actually constructed, this was an important step for the project, … Continue reading

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Demographics in the First Maryland Regiment

A former member of the Fifth Company who fought at the Battle of Brooklyn, John Burgess was described as a slender, 42-year-old man, with light brown hair, a “swarthy” complexion, and a height of five feet eleven inches, who was … Continue reading

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The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the Eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. So wrote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in … Continue reading

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Introducing the Interactive Map

Geography physically connects us to the past in a way that can dust the cobwebs off of history and make it more accessible to the modern world.  This interactive map shows where Smallwood’s men came from and the places where … Continue reading

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