The State Furnishes More than Her vania did so, but Maryland on the contrary made extra efforts to aid Washington in his difficulty by raising for him more troops and supplies, and her soldiers did him good service in his victories in New Jersey. In the year 1777 Washington wrote to Governor Johnson asking for still more troops, and the State raised five more regiments of infantry, making in all seven regiments out of fortythree that formed his entire army fit for service. This was more than twice as many regiments as Maryland should have furnished if all the thirteen colonies had shared alike. It must not be supposed, however, that all the people of Maryland were supporters of the new government. Many of them were, as they were called, Tories, and did all they could to aid Great Britain. Numbers of these Tories had gone to England at the beginning of the war, but many of them had remained in the State, especially in Worcester and Somerset Counties, where they were joined by Tories from other States. Several times they went so far as to break out openly against the American cause, but without success. Some of them supported the mother country because they thought she would be victorious in the end and that their property and position would be safer if they took this course; but others, among them Daniel Dulany, remained loyal to her because they believed she had right on her side from the moment the colonies had declared themselves independent. Tories in Maryland. About the time that Washington was asking and receiving more troops from Maryland, Sir William Howe embarked nearly his whole army at New York and put to sea. For some time it was not known where he had sailed, but at length his fleet passed by Annapolis on its way up the Chesapeake. His plan was to overawe Maryland and capture Philadelphia. This plan had been all written out by General Charles Lee, who had been taken prisoner by the British, and who, to save his own neck, now plotted against the American cause. This was not known till many years afterwards, and we shall find him again in command of an American army and betraying it. Lee declared, foolishly and falsely, that most of the people of Maryland and Pennsylvania were Tories, and would welcome the British army. The fleet made a pretense of attacking Baltimore and then sailed on to Elkton, within fifty-four miles of Philadelphia, the town in which Congress held its sessions. The people at once carried their stores and property out of reach, so that the enemy captured almost nothing. Howe marched toward Philadelphia, and took possession of that town after an engagement at the Brandywine in which the Americans were worsted. In the meanwhile the fleet sailed to the Delaware River to aid the Army. All along the river the American soldiers fled or refused to do duty, until Washington sent some Maryland artillery, under Colonel Samuel Smith, of Baltimore, to hold Fort Mifflin, on Mud Island. The British commander was determined to get his fleet up the river, as he was having a hard time to find food for his soldiers in Philadelphia. Fort Mifflin was attacked from the river banks and from the ships until the fort was in ruins and many of the garrison killed or wounded. But Colonel Smith and his men held out until all of the works were beaten down and most of the The Defense of company of artillery killed, when they set fire to the ruins of the fort and left the island. In 1778 Howe was succeeded by Sir Henry Clinton, who evacuated Philadelphia to gather all his forces together in New York. Washington marched rapidly after him and sent an advance corps, under Charles Lee, who had been exchanged and was again with the American army, to cut off Clinton's rear. Lee overtook Clinton near Monmouth Court House. Everything was in his favor, but instead of fighting he treacherously ordered a retreat. This caused the army to fall into confusion, and within a few minutes the enemy would have been upon them. Lafayette, who commanded under Lee, at once sent a messenger to Washington, who was with the main army a few miles away. Washington hastened to the field, and as he rode up cried, "My God, General Lee, what are you about?" Then he hurried to the front and asked for some one to keep the British back. Nathaniel Ramsay, of Baltimore, at once offered himself. "If you can stop the British ten minutes till I form, you will save my army!" said Washington to him. Colonel Ramsay kept them back for half an hour, and again the army was saved by the Maryland soldiers. Maryland Troops Keep the Enemy in Check. Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778. We cannot tell the whole story of Maryland in the Revolutionary War, because that would almost be to tell the story of the war itself, but must pass on to some of the later battles in which the Maryland troops won distinction. Sir Henry Clinton thought he had not a strong enough army to attack Washington's camp at West Point, and so after fortifying New York he set sail The Maryland Line Sent to South Carolina. for Charleston, in December, 1779. General Lincoln was in command of the American forces in Charleston, and Washington at once sent all the Virginia and North Carolina troops to aid him in the defense of that city. A short time afterwards he sent also the Maryland Line, together with a Delaware regiment, under the command of de Kalb, and Otho H. Williams of the Sixth Maryland Regiment. They arrived too late to help Lincoln, who surrendered Charleston after a brave defense, but they remained in South Carolina under General Gates, who succeeded Lincoln in the command. Sir Henry Clinton thought that as Charleston had fallen there was almost nothing left to be done, and therefore sailed back to New York, leaving part of his army, under Lord Cornwallis, with orders to conquer all the country from Charleston to Chesapeake Bay. Starvation and Sickness. DE KALB. Baron de Kalb was compelled to halt his troops because he could get almost nothing for them to eat, but in spite of this General Gates when he arrived put the army on the march to Camden. Both de Kalb and Williams advised him against this, but he would not listen to them. The soldiers ate green peaches instead of bread, and it is said even thickened their soup with hair powder, so that in The Battle of Camden, August 16, 1780. a few days two-thirds of them were ill of dysentery. They found a little cornmeal, however, and continued the march until they came within a few miles of Camden. Gates and Cornwallis each determined to surprise the other's camp, and they did surprise each other, indeed, when the two armies met half-way between the encampments in the middle of the night. There was a hot skirmish and then both armies waited for morning. Next day the battle was fought. In the American forces the Second Maryland Brigade, commanded by General Gist, and the Delaware Battalion were on the right under de Kalb, with the First Maryland Brigade, under General Smallwood, a short distance behind them. General Gates had foolishly sent off four hundred of the best Maryland regulars on a long march to the south. The Virginians were on the left, with the North Carolina troops in their rear. Colonel Williams began the battle by advancing with about fifty men. The British also advanced, firing and shouting, which so frightened the Virginia militia that they threw down their guns and fled without firing a shot. The North Carolina militia then ran away behind the Virginians, and this left only the Marylanders, about eight hundred men, and the Delaware Battalion to oppose three times as many of the enemy. The wisest plan would have been to retreat, but de Kalb waited in vain at his post for orders from General Gates, who was no longer there to give orders; either he had fled, or, as some say, had been carried away in the rush of the panic-stricken soldiers. The Maryland Line stood firm, and, cheered on by their officers, de Kalb, Howard |