1st Maryland Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 1st Maryland Regiment (Smallwood's Regiment) originated with the authorization of a Maryland Battalion of the Maryland State Troops on 14 January 1776. It was organized in the spring at Baltimore, Maryland (three companies) and Annapolis, Maryland
(six companies) under the command of Colonel William Smallwood
consisting of eight companies and one light infantry company from the northern and western counties of the colony of Maryland
.
. On 12 August 1776 it was assigned to Stirling's Brigade and five days later (17 August 1776) adopted into the main Continental Army. On 31 August the Maryland Battalion was re-assigned from Stirling's Brigade to McDougall's Brigade. On 19 September 1776 the Maryland Independent Companies were assigned to the Maryland Battalion. This element was relieved from McDougall's Brigade on 10 November 1776. From 10 December 1776 to January 1777 the element was assigned to Mercer's Brigade. In January 1777 this element was re-organized to eight companies and was re-designated as the 1st Maryland Regiment and assigned to the 1st Maryland Brigade on 22 May 1777 of the main continental Army. On 12 May 1779 the regiment was re-organized to nine companies. On 5 April 1780 the 1st Maryland Brigade was re-assigned to the Southern Department. On 1 January 1781 it was re-assigned to the Maryland Brigade of the Southern Department
. The regiment would see action during the New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton
, Battle of Princeton
, Battle of Brandywine
, Battle of Germantown
, Battle of Monmouth
, Battle of Camden
and the Battle of Guilford Court House
. The regiment was furloughed 27 July 1783 at Baltimore and disbanded on 15 November 1783.
The Maryland Battalion distinguished itself at the Battle of Long Island
by single-handedly covering the retreat of the American forces against numerically superior British and Hessian forces. Thereafter, General George Washington
relied heavily upon the Marylanders as one of the few reliable fighting units in the early Continental Army
. For this reason, Maryland is sometimes known as "The Old Line State." The lineage of this unit is perpetuated by the 175th Infantry Regiment, Maryland Army National Guard
.
. Unlike most of Washington's Army, the Maryland contingent had been well drilled at home and were so well equipped – they even had bayonet
s, a rarity for the Army – that the Regiment was known at home as the Dandy Fifth, and to the rest of the Army as "macaronis", the then current word for dandies. When the British under Cornwallis
surprised the Americans by circling around their rear, Lord Stirling ordered all forces, other than the Marylanders, who were outside the fortified position on Brooklyn Heights to retreat there. Then Stirling led the 400 Maryland men against Cornwallis' 2,000 who were massed around the Old Stone House, a thick-walled fieldstone
and brick fortification near today's Fifth Avenue and 3rd Street that had been built in 1699 to withstand Indian
raids.
In fierce fighting, the Marylanders charged the British forces six times to give their comrades time to make their way to safety with the rest of Washington's army in the Heights. Twice they managed to drive the British from the house, but as more British reinforcements arrived and the Marylanders casualties mounted, they finally had to give up the assault and try to get to safety themselves. Only Major Gist and nine others managed to reach the American lines. Of the others, 256 lay dead in front of the Old Stone House and more than 100 were wounded/and or captured. The bravery of the Maryland Regiment earned them the name "immortals". The dead were buried in a farm field. The gravesite is located on what is now Third Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets. Until the widening of Third Avenue in 1910, the site was marked by a tablet that read: "Burial place of ye 256 Maryland soldiers who fell in ye combat at ye Cortelyou House on ye 27th day of August 1776."
Over time, the farm became the site of a Red Devil
paint factory, and the burial grounds became part of a factory courtyard open to the sky because of a deed restriction relating to the grave. More time passed. The paint factory gave way to an auto repair shop and the courtyard was roofed over. Today the heroes whom Washington himself lamented lie under the floor of the building that had housed the auto repair shop. They lie in their unmarked grave miles from a Stanford White
monument to their sacrifice in the form of a marble shaft topped with a sphere that stands at the foot of Lookout Hill in Prospect Park
. It was erected in 1895 as a gift of the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
. The Old Stone House survived the battle and in later years became the first clubhouse of the baseball team that came to be known as the Brooklyn Dodgers
. It was destroyed in the 1890s, and rebuilt in the 1930s.
Source: The Battle of Brooklyn 1776 by John J. Gallagher (Sarpedon Publishers , 1995)
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
(six companies) under the command of Colonel William Smallwood
William Smallwood
William Smallwood was an American planter, soldier and politician from Charles County, Maryland. He served in the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of major general...
consisting of eight companies and one light infantry company from the northern and western counties of the colony of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
History
On 6 July 1776 the Maryland Battalion was assigned to the main Continental ArmyContinental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
. On 12 August 1776 it was assigned to Stirling's Brigade and five days later (17 August 1776) adopted into the main Continental Army. On 31 August the Maryland Battalion was re-assigned from Stirling's Brigade to McDougall's Brigade. On 19 September 1776 the Maryland Independent Companies were assigned to the Maryland Battalion. This element was relieved from McDougall's Brigade on 10 November 1776. From 10 December 1776 to January 1777 the element was assigned to Mercer's Brigade. In January 1777 this element was re-organized to eight companies and was re-designated as the 1st Maryland Regiment and assigned to the 1st Maryland Brigade on 22 May 1777 of the main continental Army. On 12 May 1779 the regiment was re-organized to nine companies. On 5 April 1780 the 1st Maryland Brigade was re-assigned to the Southern Department. On 1 January 1781 it was re-assigned to the Maryland Brigade of the Southern Department
Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
The Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War was the central area of operations in North America in the second half of the American Revolutionary War. During the first three years of the conflict, the primary military encounters had been in the north, focused on campaigns around the...
. The regiment would see action during the New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the...
, Battle of Princeton
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
, Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, Battle of Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
, Battle of Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
, Battle of Camden
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War...
and the Battle of Guilford Court House
Battle of Guilford Court House
The Battle of Guilford Court House was a battle fought on March 15, 1781 in Greensboro, the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War...
. The regiment was furloughed 27 July 1783 at Baltimore and disbanded on 15 November 1783.
The Maryland Battalion distinguished itself at the Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
by single-handedly covering the retreat of the American forces against numerically superior British and Hessian forces. Thereafter, General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
relied heavily upon the Marylanders as one of the few reliable fighting units in the early Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
. For this reason, Maryland is sometimes known as "The Old Line State." The lineage of this unit is perpetuated by the 175th Infantry Regiment, Maryland Army National Guard
Maryland Army National Guard
The Maryland Army National Guard is the Army component of the organized militia of the State of Maryland. It is headquartered at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore and has units at armories and other facilities across the state....
.
Battle of Brooklyn
The Maryland Regiment had joined the Continental Army barely two weeks before the Battle of BrooklynBattle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
. Unlike most of Washington's Army, the Maryland contingent had been well drilled at home and were so well equipped – they even had bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s, a rarity for the Army – that the Regiment was known at home as the Dandy Fifth, and to the rest of the Army as "macaronis", the then current word for dandies. When the British under Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
surprised the Americans by circling around their rear, Lord Stirling ordered all forces, other than the Marylanders, who were outside the fortified position on Brooklyn Heights to retreat there. Then Stirling led the 400 Maryland men against Cornwallis' 2,000 who were massed around the Old Stone House, a thick-walled fieldstone
Fieldstone
Fieldstone is a building construction material. Strictly speaking, it is stone collected from the surface of fields where it occurs naturally...
and brick fortification near today's Fifth Avenue and 3rd Street that had been built in 1699 to withstand Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
raids.
In fierce fighting, the Marylanders charged the British forces six times to give their comrades time to make their way to safety with the rest of Washington's army in the Heights. Twice they managed to drive the British from the house, but as more British reinforcements arrived and the Marylanders casualties mounted, they finally had to give up the assault and try to get to safety themselves. Only Major Gist and nine others managed to reach the American lines. Of the others, 256 lay dead in front of the Old Stone House and more than 100 were wounded/and or captured. The bravery of the Maryland Regiment earned them the name "immortals". The dead were buried in a farm field. The gravesite is located on what is now Third Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets. Until the widening of Third Avenue in 1910, the site was marked by a tablet that read: "Burial place of ye 256 Maryland soldiers who fell in ye combat at ye Cortelyou House on ye 27th day of August 1776."
Over time, the farm became the site of a Red Devil
Red Devil, Inc.
Red Devil is a manufacturer of caulking, glazing, sealants and related surface preparation tools for glaziers, painters and masons. They are a privately-owned family business with manufacturing facilities in Pryor, Oklahoma. The company is currently headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-History:The...
paint factory, and the burial grounds became part of a factory courtyard open to the sky because of a deed restriction relating to the grave. More time passed. The paint factory gave way to an auto repair shop and the courtyard was roofed over. Today the heroes whom Washington himself lamented lie under the floor of the building that had housed the auto repair shop. They lie in their unmarked grave miles from a Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
monument to their sacrifice in the form of a marble shaft topped with a sphere that stands at the foot of Lookout Hill in Prospect Park
Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...
. It was erected in 1895 as a gift of the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
. The Old Stone House survived the battle and in later years became the first clubhouse of the baseball team that came to be known as the Brooklyn Dodgers
History of the Brooklyn Dodgers
-Early Brooklyn baseball:Brooklyn was home to numerous baseball clubs in the mid-1850s. Eight of 16 participants in the first convention were from Brooklyn, including the Atlantic, Eckford, and Excelsior clubs that combined to dominate play for most of the 1860s...
. It was destroyed in the 1890s, and rebuilt in the 1930s.
Source: The Battle of Brooklyn 1776 by John J. Gallagher (Sarpedon Publishers , 1995)
External links
- Bibliography of the Continental Army in Maryland compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History