Epic Revolution, Part 10c: The 1st Maryland Regiment is Complete

"The melee between the 1st Maryland and the 2nd Guards Battalion was the climatic moment of the battle. Two of the best, perhaps the finest, veteran battalions in the British and Continental armies were locked in a brief, bloody, hand-to-hand combat." Long, Obstinate, and Bloody, The Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Lawerence E. Babits & Joshua B. Howard, 2009, pg. 155.

HUZZAH! The 1st Maryland is complete and I have my painting technique down for the Epic Revolution figures. Paint them so the unit looks good at gaming distance. Before I give a brief, very brief history of the 1st Maryland, let me just show you how I did the bases:

For my basing material I use various grades of model railroad ballast which is less expensive than basing material sold for toy soldiers. I then use white glue and put some drops on the base - I'm not overly concerned about the space between the strips of figures as I will water it down to spread it.

Some globs of white glue put in various spots on the base.

I use an old brush and dip it in water to spread the glue around the entire base. Some of the glue is already translucent in this picture.

I then dip the base in the "ballast (sand)" and shake off the excess.

I genuinely buy whichever green static grass is less expensive at the time.

As a general rule of thumb, I let the sand dry approximately 24 hours before adding the static grass. I use a similar technique with static grass though I make the blobs smaller and don't spread it out over the entire base. After watering down the globs I dip it in the static grass.

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.

There is no Infantry Regiment in the Continental Army that has as much experience, continuity and fortitude as the 1st Maryland. Their major engagements were Long Island, Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford Court House and the Siege of Yorktown. The Maryland Regiment had joined the Continental Army barely two weeks before the Battle of Long Island. Unlike most of Washington's Army, the Maryland contingent had been well drilled at home and were so well equipped – they even had bayonets, a rarity for the Army.

Command stand. The 1st Maryland carried various standards throughout the was and there were at least two at Cowpens and an unknown number at Guilford as many companies had flags. Trying to research American flags during this period is tough; I just chose a flag that I thought looked cool with the unit.

As Washington's Army retreated at Long Island, the 1st Maryland, part of Lord Stirling's Brigade, was given the task of buying Washington's Army time to escape. Stirling led these men (who would come to be known as "The Maryland 400") against Cornwallis' 2,000 British soldiers 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. Only Major Mordecai 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". 

After the disaster at Camden the Delaware Regiment was reorganized into two companies and assigned to the 1st Maryland. The meticulously kept up with wearing yellow tape on their tricorns. 

The 1st Maryland was rebuilt, and officers and men continued to serve together as promotions, transfers and amalgamation of other Maryland units, continued the traditions, discipline and fighting spirit of the unit. As one British Guards officer stated after Guilford Courthouse, "we saw the bayonets and new (sic) that it was the Maryland Brigade . . . we advanced 100 feet and fired but were repulsed by their bayonets." (National Archives, Kew, England)

I'm not going write about the other battles as I will be focusing on the Southern Campaign - but get ready for more information about marching, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, Eutaw Springs, etc.

Lieutenant Colonel John Eager Howard of Baltimore prepares to lead the 1st Maryland into battle.