William Parr
MSA SC 3520-17131
Biography:
Enlisting as a member of the Fourth Company, First Maryland Regiment in January, 1776, William Parr fought in Revolutionary War for a number of years, and was a member of the legendary "Maryland 400." [1]
Formed in early 1776, the First Maryland Regiment was the state's first contribution to the Continental Army. The men left Maryland in July, 1776, traveling to New York, which the British were targeting for capture. On August 27, 1776, in the Battle of Brooklyn (sometimes called the Battle of Long Island), the first large-scale battle of the war, the British routed the Americans, inflicting major casualties, and began to push them out of New York. The battle nearly saw the complete destruction of the Continental Army, and only a desperate stand by a small group of Maryland troops allowed the rest of the Americans to escape. These men, now known as the "Maryland 400," included Parr. They held the British at bay for long enough, taking enormous casualties. [2]
Parr survived the battle, probably as one of only a dozen from his company who was not killed or taken prisoner, and fought on through the rest of 1776, as the Americans suffered a series of defeats and the British gained control of New York. In December, Parr even reenlisted, and remained with the army for the next few years. He participated in the rejuvenating victories over the British at Trenton and Princeton during the winter of 1776-1777, the unsuccessful defense of the American capital at Philadelphia in 1777, and lived through the horrible conditions of winter camp at Valley Forge in 1777-1778. [3]
On September 16, 1779, Parr was reported as a deserter, and dropped off the historical record. Desertion had many causes during the American Revolution, ranging from cowardice to financial distress at home to administrative errors. Some people listed as deserting were simply sick, and sought care away from camp. It is unknown what occurred in the case of William Parr, a member of the Maryland 400. [4]
Owen Lourie, 2015
Notes:
[2] For more on the experience of the Marylanders at the Battle of Brooklyn, see "In Their Own Words," on the Maryland State Archives research blog, Finding the Maryland 400. Mark Andrew Tacyn “’To the End:’ The First Maryland Regiment and the American Revolution” (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1999), 48-73.
[3] Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 149; Account of money paid sundry soldiers by Gen. Smallwood, paid to William Parr 22 December 1776, Maryland State Papers, Revolutionary Papers, box 6, no. 7-3, MdHR 19970-6-7/3 [MSA S997-6, 1/7/3/11].
[4] Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 149.
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