The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-02-19

IODgIcSSuldH cummings 'NiN3"S'
Tribute to Maryland Heroes-Compared tc
the Old Guard-Relied Upon by Washing
ton and Greene at Critical Moments-Tht
First State to Fill the Quota in the Army Of
Independence and Among the First Militia
Troops to Charge with Bayonets against the
British Regulars.
Mr.. Amos Cummings, the well-knowl
newspaper man and Congressman trem New
York, gives Il graphic description of the
heroism of Maryland soldiers in the rev
dictionary war in the report Of the con
gressional committee on library, to which
was referred the bill to aid in the erection
of monument to the memory of General
William SmallwoOd and the soldiers OF the
MARYLAND Line The report. which; in
addition to being a vivid word picture OF
deeds of Marylanders, has decided value
as an historical document, and it would be
we'll to have it read in the public schools
of the State as means of showing the
pupils the part Maryland men played in the
struggle for the country independence.
Mr.. Cummings report is as follows
THE Old Guard occupied no higher sta :
ton in the French army than that held by
the MARYLAND Line in the continental army
As Napoleon and Ney relied upon the Old
Guard in critical moments, 50 did Wash
ington and Greene rely upon the Maryland
Line when the independence of the Amer
lean colonies was at stake No one has as
vet written history of the Maryland Line,
4 review of its achievements Is well worth
recording.
lin December, l774. the Maryland
convention resolved that if the crown tried
to carry out by force the measures against
Massachusetts, Maryland would assist her
to the last extremity. As an earnest of
their sincerity, they ordered that all the
males in the colony from sixteen to fifty
years of age be organized into companies,
armed equipped, drilled and read, for in
slant service.
MARYLAND QUICK RESPONSE.
The battle of Lexington was fought on
the 18th of April, 1775. On the 24th of
that month young and old enrolled with
the greatest enthusiasm in Maryland and
were armed and equipped. Forty COM
panies of mounted men were raised While
the city of New York was still cold and
undecided, Maryland troops were on their
way to Boston Colonel Smallwood conf
manded / Az men of these troops. In
addition, two companies of artillery and
one of marines were raised.
Congress, in June, l775, called upon
Maryland for two companies of rihemen.
They were promptly furnished In July
1916, Maryland sent ,, 400 additional men
to serve until December. All the State
troops were also placed at the disposal of
Congress. Smallwood' command was
marshaled into the national service They
went to New York and were incorporated
into Lord Stirling's brigade. Their first
battle was on Long Island 1t was dis
astrous one for the patriots. -Four hun
dred of the Maryland Line, as Smallwood' $
troops were then called, covered themselves
with glory by repeated charges upon an
overwhelming force of the enemy They
practically destroyed themselves to save
the continental army. Washington was
enabled to withdraw his troops to New
York under cover of fog and escape the
trap that had been set for him by General
Clinton.
BAYONET CHARGES.
''These four hundred men of the line.
under Major Gist, made five bayonet
charges against CORVALLIS brigade Upon
the sixth charge the brigade recoiled and
began to give way ill confusion The
Marylanders were outnumbered more than
ten to one. Assaulted by fresh troops
(HessiaDs) and by British brigade in the
rear, portion of them, with Lord Stirling
at their head, surrendered Three COM
panies cut their way through the British
ranks, maintaining their order until they
reached the edge of a creek, which the sur
vivors were compelled to swim. The loss
in killed and wounded of these 400 Mary
landers was 256 officers and men, From
sunrise until the last gun they had been
holly engaged. While the rest of the army
had been routed, or had fed, they main
tanned the battle unaided against two bri-
gades of the enemy. This was on the 9th
of August, 1916.
''On the 29th what was left of the line
were again on duty at Fort Putnam, within
250 yards of the enemy's line 1t was on
this night that General Washington crossed
the river. Colonel Smallwood's regiment
in the following month covered Washing
ton $ withdrawal into the lines below Fort
Washington. This was done by the ex-
press command of Washington himself after
two brigades of militia had fled from the
field. This was ON the 18th of Septem-
Der. On the next day the Marylanders
attacked the enemy with the bayonet, drove
them from their position, and were in full
pursuit when the commander-in-chiefo or
dered their recall.
At the battle of White Plains the
Maryland battalion, under Smallwood. was
again engaged There they met brigade
OF Hessians, under Rawle. A lone and
severe contest ensued. Smallwood' reei
ment sustained itself under the fire of x
British cannon, and finally fell back. inch
by inch, under orders The line suffered
severely, Smallwood himself being among
the wounded. Its loss at White Plains
was over 100 men. 1t had fought three
battles in three months, and was the first
Of the revolutionary troops to use the bayo.
net against British regulars
BROKE THE HEssIANs.
In the defense Of Fort Washington
Colonel Rawlins, of Maryland, with resi-