James Mitchell
MSA SC 3520-17433
Biography:
James Mitchell enlisted into the Continental Army’s First Maryland Regiment on January 29, 1776. At the time of the Battle of Brooklyn (otherwise known as the Battle of Long Island) on August 27, 1776, Mitchell was a private within Captain Patrick Sim’s Second Company. Although the battle was a defeat for the Americans, the valiant defense by Mitchell and the other soldiers of the “Maryland 400” held off the British long enough to allow much of the trapped American army to escape. Mitchell was one of the lucky soldiers who survived that day, his company losing fewer than ten men. [1]
After the Battle of White Plains, the Battle of Trenton, and the Battle of Princeton, Mitchell reenlisted into the Fifth Company of the First Maryland Regiment under Captain Levin Winder. After the reestablishment of a restructured First Maryland Regiment, these Marylanders went on to participate in every main battle fought by the Continental Army until 1780, including the battles of Staten Island, Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. In these battles, the new recruits to Maryland’s forces were provided with a hardened core of experienced soldiers like Mitchell who were able to provide them with stability, strength, and the experience of prior confrontations. This helped with the campaign of 1777, where the First Maryland Regiment acted as a crucial aspect of Washington’s offensive force.
Despite having a brief period of illness in September 1778, Mitchell continued fighting alongside his fellow Marylanders for another two years until mid-1780. In the months leading up to the Battle of Camden, the American troops were suffering from mass shortages of food, clothing, and supplies. The southern army had suffered many losses at the hands of the British, and Marylanders were sent south to help form a solid defensive line. On August 16, 1780, the American troops clashed with the British at Camden, South Carolina. Almost immediately troops began to flee, leaving the Marylanders to attempt to hold the British back amongst the chaos. Much like the Battle of Brooklyn, the battle was a loss for the Continental Army despite the brave actions of the Maryland troops. One third of the Marylanders who were present were killed or captured. Mitchell was listed as missing during the chaos. His sudden disappearance could mean many things, such as separation from his company, capture by the enemy, or death during the battle. [2]
There were multiple people in Maryland with the same name, leaving no further definitive record of Mitchell.
-Taylor Blades, 2017Notes:
[1] Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 7, 136; Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, NARA M881, from Fold3.com.
[2] Mark Andrew Tacyn “’To the End:’ The First Maryland Regiment and the American Revolution” (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1999), 216-225.
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