Project sponsored by the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
Recent posts: Finding the Maryland 400
250 Years Ago in Brooklyn, New York…
…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 Book For Sale
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 […]
Maryland 400 Podcast, Episode Three: The Meaning of the Maryland 400
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 […]
Maryland 400 Podcast, Episode 2: Maryland’s Black Patriots
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 […]
Tag Archives: officers
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.
Col. Gaither: Seven years on Georgia’s frontier
A new biography expands on previous writing on this blog about Henry Chew Gaither, a Revolutionary War captain of the First and Fourth Maryland Regiments. On the eve of the Battle of Brooklyn, he served as a witness for Daniel … 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
Lamenting the Death of Major Archibald Anderson
Archibald Anderson began his military career as first lieutenant in 1776 and fought with the First Maryland Regiment at the Battle of Brooklyn. A capable and brave officer, Anderson rose quickly through the ranks, receiving a promotion to captain in … Continue reading
Second Lieutenant Thomas Goldsmith and the Battle of White Plains
Thomas Goldsmith’s military career began on January 3, 1776 when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Captain John Day Scott’s Seventh Company of the First Maryland Regiment.[1] As Frederick Wilhelm von Steuben detailed in his publication, “Regulations for … Continue reading
The role of a first lieutenant during the Revolutionary War
At the start of the American Revolution, the Continental Army did not have a concrete understanding of soldiers’ roles within a regiment and how to properly prepare for war. As a result, in 1779 Frederick Wilhelm von Steuben, Inspector General … Continue reading
The Trial of Lieutenant Steward
On September 23, 1776, Lieutenant John Steward of Maryland stood before a court martial on the Heights of Harlem. He had slapped a sergeant from Connecticut for cowardly behavior and then argued with, some would say threatened, a colonel who … Continue reading
Finding the Maryland 400 