Moses Rawlings (1740–1809) served in 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 ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, most notably at the

Battle of Fort Washington The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in New York on November 16, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. It was a British victory that gained the surrender of the remnant of the garrison of ...

. He attained the rank of lieutenant colonel before leaving the military in 1779. He later served as the State Commissioner for Prisoners in Maryland.

American Revolutionary War

Rawlings was appointed as first lieutenant in Capt.

Michael Cresap Captain Michael Cresap (April 17, 1742 – October 18, 1775) was a noted frontiersman born in Maryland, in what is now the United States. Biography Cresap was the son of the pioneer Colonel Thomas Cresap (17021790). He spent part of his adult yea ...

's Independent Rifle Company from Frederick County, Maryland. Shortly afterward Cresap died, and Rawlings replaced him as company commander. On June 17, 1776, the company was joined to the newly formed

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 ...

and Rawlings was named second-in-command and promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. When the regimental commander, Col. Hugh Stephenson, died in August 1776, Rawlings took command of the regiment. The unit consisted of approximately 250 riflemen, and was often referred to as "Rawlings' Regiment". During the

, the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment was positioned about a half mile north of Fort Washington on Manhattan Island. From November 2 to November 14, 1776, they defended against German Hessian mercenaries, but on November 16 they were finally pushed back to Fort Washington, which surrendered a short time after. Rawlings was taken prisoner, but escaped.

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

had also requested that Rawlings be released as part of a prisoner exchange. Throughout the remainder of his military career, Rawlings often wrote to Washington concerning pay for his soldiers and recruits, as he had difficulty paying his soldiers. Washington's response often included requests that Rawlings use his own money to pay his soldiers until more money could be obtained from Congress. At the conclusion of the war, Rawlings was admitted as an original member of The

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.

Post-War

Rawlings was a delegate to the Maryland State Convention of 1788, to vote whether Maryland should ratify the proposed

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

. In 1779, Rawlings became the State Commissioner of Prisoners out of Frederick Town, Maryland.

Family

Rawlings was married to Elizabeth McMahon. He also had a son named Moses Rawlings.Revolutionary Patriots of Ann Arundel County, Maryland, pp. 161

Notes

References

*Dandridge, Danske (1911).
American Prisoners of the Revolution
', Charlottesville: The Michie Company, Printers. *Heitman, Francis B. (1914).
Historical register of officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution, April, 1775, to December, 1783.
' Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Co., pp. 459 *Pedan, Henry C. (2006).
Revolutionary Patriots of Anne Arundel County, Maryland
', Heritage Books.
Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension StatementsGeorge Washington to Joshua Loring (January 14, 1777)
Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 3e.
George Washington to Moses Rawlings (March 7, 1779)
Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 3b.
George Washington to William Palfrey (October 17, 1779)
Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 3b.
George Washington to Moses Rawlings (December 12, 1781)
Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 4. *Metcalf, Bryce (1938). ''Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the

, 1783-1938: With the Institution, Rules of Admission, and Lists of the Officers of the General and State Societies'' Strasburg, VA: Shenandoah Publishing House, Inc.

External links

The Society of the Cincinnati

The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlings, Moses 1740 births 1809 deaths American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain Continental Army officers from Maryland