James Devaun
MSA SC 3520-17426
Biography:
James Devaun enlisted in Prince George’s county as a private in the Seventh Company of the First Maryland Regiment, led by John Day Scott, on March 11, 1776. [1]
The Seventh Company began their military career by training in Annapolis for six months. They then marched north, reaching Philadelphia by mid-July 1776 and New York by August 14. They positioned themselves about one mile outside of New York with orders to prepare for battle. According to William Sands, a sergeant in the Seventh Company, they “had lost a great many of [their] troops [which] deserted from...Philadelphia and Elizabethtown, and a great many [were] sick in the hospital,” so the regiment was weakened before entering the battle. [2]
The Seventh Company first met the British at the Battle of Brooklyn (Battle of Long Island) on August 27, 1776, where the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, fought to defend New York. American troops were severely outnumbered and surrounded when they were ordered to retreat. While the Seventh Company was withdrawing, they were again ambushed by British troops. About half of the First Maryland Regiment stayed behind to fight off the British long enough for the rest of the Americans to safely escape. Casualties were extreme, but so was the heroism that earned them the honorable name of the “Maryland 400.” Fortunately, the Seventh Company escaped without immense casualties, losing fewer than ten out of approximately 75 troops. Maryland losses totalled 256 men killed or captured, but without the Maryland 400, even more would have been lost. Despite their courageous actions, the battle was a defeat for the Americans. [3]
The Maryland Regiment helped secure America’s first victory at the Battle of Harlem Heights in September 1776 where they were praised for their “gallant behavior” and “splendid spirit and animation.” They fought again at the Battle of White Plains in October where, despite the Maryland troops’ immense improvement, there was no clear victory. Unfortunately, the First Maryland Regiment suffered greatly, including the loss of John Day Scott, the captain of the Seventh Company.
According to Devaun, he fought at the battles of Brooklyn, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, and Staten Island, all of which he survived. He reenlisted on December 10, 1776 when the First Maryland Regiment was reorganized and proceeded to serve for three more years. He served until December 27, 1779, when he was honorably discharged in Morristown, New Jersey. [4]
Some time after his discharge, Devaun moved to Licking County, Ohio, where he applied for his pension in 1818. His household at the time consisted of only himself and his wife Lydia, who was “very infirm by age and rheumatism.” It is unknown if they had any children. He was a farmer by this time but due to his own “age and infirmity” he was “reduced in circumstances” and forced to stop working. One of his illnesses was a "shock of palsy which rendered him entirely helpless." Devaun’s discharge papers had been lost by the time he was applying for pension, and he had no other physical evidence of his service. Nevertheless, Devaun received $8 per month starting on May 5, 1818. [5]
James Devaun passed away on June 4, 1828, presumably in Ohio. [6]
-Natalie Miller, Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution Research Fellow, 2017
Notes:
[1] Pension of James Devaun, National Archives and Records Administration, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, NARA M804, S 44132, from Fold3.com; Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 17.
[3] Mark Andrew Tacyn, "To the End: The First Maryland Regiment and the American Revolution," (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1999), 48-73; Extract of a letter from New-York: Account of the battle on Long-Island, 1 September 1776, American Archives Online, series 5, vol. 2, p. 107.
[5] Pension.
[6] Final Payment Record to James Devaun, National Archives and Records Administration, Index to Final Pension Payment Vouchers, compiled 1818 - 1864, NARA 2733385, from Fold3.com
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