The "Maryland Line" was a formation within the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

, formed and authorized by the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

, meeting in the "Old Pennsylvania State House" (later known as "

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Fa ...

") in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in June 1775.

Background

Col.

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, delegate and formerly of the

Virginia Regiment The Virginia Regiment was formed in 1754 by Virginia's Royal Governor Robert Dinwiddie, as a provincial corps. The regiment served in the French and Indian War, with members participating in actions at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity in 1754, ...

of the colonial militia, served as commander-in-chief of the colonial forces and he assumed command at

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

outside of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, of the various units from several of the American colonies which surrounded Boston, laying siege to the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in June 1775. Washington's previous military experience had been during the late

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

(1754–1763), (known in Europe as the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

). Not all Continental infantry regiments raised in a state were part of a state quota. On December 27, 1776, the

gave commanding General George Washington temporary control over certain military decisions that the Congress ordinarily regarded as its own prerogative. These "dictatorial powers" included the authority to recruit and raise sixteen additional Continental infantry regiments at large. Forman's, Gist's, Grayson's, and Hartley's Regiments were partially drawn from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Other Continental infantry regiments and smaller units, also unrelated to a state quota, were raised as needed for special or temporary service. MordecaiGist

History

Under the assumption that paid soldiers furnished with rations and suits of clothes would be better soldiers, on 18 January 1776, the Maryland Provincial Convention established the Maryland Line as a regiment of uniformed regulars. According to Maryland State Archivist Ryan Polk, what distinguished the Maryland troops from other colonial levies was the time they spent drilling before joining the ranks of the

. This resulted in a disciplined, cohesive unit. The term "Maryland Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Maryland at various times by the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve colonies, formed the "Continental Line". The concept was particularly important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state. General William Smallwood SC-000580

The "Maryland Line" was assigned a quota of eight regiments in 1777, which was reduced to five in 1781. The regiments of the line were: *

1st Maryland Regiment 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, M ...

, disbanded in 1783 * 2nd Maryland Regiment, disbanded in 1783 * 3rd Maryland Regiment, disbanded in 1783 * 4th Maryland Regiment, disbanded in 1783 * 5th Maryland Regiment, disbanded in 1783 *

6th Maryland Regiment The 6th Maryland Regiment, active from 27 March 1776—January 1, 1783, is most notable for its involvement during the American Revolutionary war of the same years. An infantry type regiment consisting of 728 soldiers, the 6th Maryland was compose ...

, disbanded in 1781 *

7th Maryland Regiment The 7th Maryland Regiment was authorized on 16 September 1776, for service with the Continental Army and was assigned on 27 December 1776. The regiment was composed of eight companies of wiktionary:volunteer, volunteers organized from Frederic ...

, disbanded in 1781 *

German Battalion The "German Battalion" (also known as the "German Regiment" or 8th Maryland) was an infantry formation of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized in May 1776 as an extra Continental regiment, the battaltion rec ...

(counted as half a regiment against the quota), disbanded in 1781 *

Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment The Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment, most commonly known as Rawlings' Regiment in period documents, was organized in June 1776 as a specialized light infantry unit of riflemen in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. T ...

(counted as half a regiment against the quota), disbanded in 1781 *

2nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset County The Second Independent Maryland Company - Somerset County was an infantry company formed on the orders of the Maryland Convention for the protection of the province during the American Revolutionary War. History On January 1, 1776, the Maryla ...

absorbed into the 2nd Maryland Regiment in 1781 According to popular tradition, Washington expressed his high esteem for the Maryland Line after their heroic stand at the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

.Polk, Ryan. "The Origin of the 'the Old Line State'", Maryland State Archives, 2005
/ref> Because of the long service of the high quality regiments, General Washington referred to the Maryland units as his "Old Line", giving the State of Maryland one of its nicknames as "The Old Line State".

Action seen

* The Maryland Line protected the evacuation of Washington's troops across the East River to Manhattan at the

. On August 27, 1776 members of the 1st Maryland Regiment under the command of Major

Mordecai Gist Mordecai Gist (1743–1792) was a member of a prominent Maryland family who became a brigadier general in command of the Maryland Line in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Life Gist was born in Baltimore, Maryland (on ...

, repeatedly charged a numerically superior British force, allowing General Washington to successfully evacuate the bulk of his troops to Manhattan. Of the approximately 270 men of the so-called

Maryland 400 The Maryland 400 were members of the 1st Maryland Regiment who repeatedly charged a numerically superior British force during the Battle of Long Island during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, sustaining heavy casualties, but al ...

, fewer than a dozen made it back to the American lines. * Two months later at the

Battle of White Plains The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward f ...

William Smallwood William Smallwood (1732February 14, 1792) 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. He was serving as the fourth Governor ...

's 1st Maryland Regiment, along with regiments from New York and Delaware, reinforced Chatterton's Hill, covering the retreat of other troops across the

Bronx River The Bronx River (), approximately long, flows through southeast New York in the United States and drains an area of . It is named after colonial settler Jonas Bronck. Besides the Hutchinson River, the Bronx River is the only fresh water river i ...

. * In the

Battle of Camden The Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780), also known as the Battle of Camden Court House, was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General ...

, (South Carolina), August 16, 1780,

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battles ...

, a former British officer, placed Mordecai Gist's 2nd Maryland on the right flank, in traditional British deployment, the place of honor. The 1st Maryland Regiment under

was held in reserve. * One hundred eighty Marylanders saw action at the January 17, 1781

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colo ...

.Babits, Lawrence E. (1998). A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Notes

Sources

Polk, Ryan. "Holding the Line: The Origin of 'the Old Line State'"
Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, 2005 * Wright, Robert K. - ''"The Continental Army"'', Washington, D.C.:

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

, 1983. Available on internet website
online
* Steuart, Rieman. ''A History of the Maryland Line in the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783.''

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

of Maryland. 1969

External links

* ''"Bibliography of the Continental Army in Maryland"'', Washington, D.C.: compiled by the

. Available on internet website:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maryland regiments of the Continental Army Maryland regiments of the Continental Army