Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Valentine Lynn
MSA SC 3520-16781

Biography:

Valentine Lynn enlisted as a private in the Ninth Company of the First Maryland Regiment, led by Captain George Stricker on January 22nd, 1776. The company was later taken over by Benjamin Ford after Stricker's promotion. [1]

The company was a light infantry company, which functioned as mobile skirmishers or scouts, and so the soldiers carried rifles instead of muskets. Rifles provided greater range and accuracy than muskets, but also had their own disadvantages. Rifles were not equipped with a bayonet and were very slow to load compared to the musket. Considering the tactics of the time, which stressed rapid volleys and made use of bayonet charges, the rifle, while it had its place, was inferior to the musket in traditional situations. When used in a way that highlighted its advantages, such as skirmishing light infantry supported by muskets, the rifle was highly useful and highly deadly. [2]

On August 27, 1776, the first full-scale engagement between American and British forces began at the Battle of Brooklyn (sometimes referred to as the Battle of Long Island). The Ninth Company likely was positioned near the front on the right wing of the Maryland line along with the other companies armed with muskets. This positioning was not ideal as the rifles were inferior at volleying.

The battle ended in an American loss and a great loss for the Ninth Company, with less than 50 percent escaping death or captivity. Private Lynn was not one of those men, as he was taken prisoner by the British. After his release he received 8 pounds 11 shillings and 8 pence as compensation for his imprisonment, which lasted from August to December. [3]

After he was released from British captivity, Lynn rejoined the army and fought with the Maryland line through 1779, likely leaving the army at the end of the year. [4]

After leaving the army Lynn returned to Maryland. On September 21, 1795, Valentine Lynn married Elizabeth Johnson in Prince George’s County. A little more than one year later Lynn sought after financial relief from the Maryland House of Delegates. After some deliberation because he left the state, he was awarded sixty-eight pounds, thirteen shillings and one penny. The fact he received the money implies he did not leave the state permanently, but that cannot be known for sure, as there are no further records of him after that time. [5]

Nick Couto, 2016

[1] Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 19.

[2] Harold L. Peterson, The Book of the Continental Soldier (Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1968) 38-44.

[3] Maryland State Papers, Revolutionary Papers, Pay Role of Prisoners taken on Long Island from 27th August to the 10th Dec. 1776, MdHR 19970-19-01 [MSA S997-19-1 01/07/03/15]; Pension of Michael Hahn and Widow's Pension of Nancy Hahn. The National Archives. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files. NARA M804, R 5109. 13. From Fold3.com; Mark Andrew Tacyn. “’To the End:’ The First Maryland Regiment and the American Revolution” (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1999), 56.

[4] Most of the soldiers of 1776 who signed up for a three year enlistment in early 1777 went home at the end of 1779 instead of reenlisting for another three years. In addition, Valentine Lynn does not appear on An Account Of All Certificates Received From John White, Ajt. Comsr., By Officers And Soldiers Of The Maryland Line, providing evidence toward him leaving the army before August 1780, likely at the end of 1779.

[5] Marriage license of Valentine Lynn and Elizabeth Johnson, Prince George’s County Court, Marriage Licenses, p. 74, MdHR 6191-1 [MSA C1260-1 1/21/9/5]; Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly, 1796, Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 105, p. 8, 18, 74, 78, 108.   

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