Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Edward George
MSA SC 3520-17560

Biography:

Edward George enlisted as a fifer in the Seventh Company of the First Maryland Regiment, led by John Day Scott, on February 3, 1776. [1]

Drummers and fifers served an important role during the Revolutionary War as non-commissioned officers, and received the same pay as corporals. For the Continental Army, a majority of musical units consisted of one fifer and one drummer.

Music was important in regulating the lives of soldiers in the Continental Army, with fifes and drums commanding soldiers with standardized tunes and signals. These musicians helped maintain discipline and efficiency within the Continental Army by sounding the signals of the day, ordering the soldiers to march, and regulating the speed of soldiers' steps.

The Seventh Company began their military career by training in Annapolis for six months.  They then moved north, making it to Philadelphia by mid-July 1776 and to 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...troops [who] deserted from...Philadelphia and Elizabethtown, and a great many [were] sick in the hospital,” so the regiment was weakened before entering combat. [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, and Second Lieutenant Thomas Goldsmith who was fatally shot while attempting to save a soldier's life.

George may have left the company before his enlistment ended.  By late 1776, the Seventh Company had either a fifer or a drummer, but not both.  However, the strength reports grouped the musicians into one category, so it is unfortunately not clear if George was the one still with the company. However, he survived that enlistment and later joined the Third Maryland Regiment, first as a private, and then was promoted to drum major in August 1778. [4]

In the spring of 1780, George and the rest of the surviving Maryland veterans and new Maryland recruits were part of the American Army that was ordered to march south to defend the colonies after the southern army had been almost entirely captured by the British.  American troops had a continuous shortage of supplies, food, and clothing, and morale was extremely low.

On August 16, 1780,  American troops led by American General Horatio Gates, including the Maryland Line, met the British, at Camden, South Carolina.  American militia forces fled immediately at the start of the battle, causing the Maryland Line to become separated from their leader General Smallwood. General Gates also abandoned the American troops and fled while combat was still raging, and General Johann de Kalb was wounded eleven times and died a few days later.  Despite the chaos, the Marylanders stood ready for battle.  Their colonel, Otho Holland Williams, bravely took command and led the Marylanders into hand-to-hand combat with the British. Despite their valiant efforts, the American line crumbled and the army fled in disarray.  The American troops were crushed by the British. The Marylanders alone suffered 591 losses, 40 percent of their troops. Among those losses was Edward George who was taken prisoner. [5]

George was released from captivity, although it is unclear when. Unfortunately, there is no information about his life before or after the war. [6]

-Natalie Miller, Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution Research Fellow, 2017

Notes:

[1] Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, Archives of Maryland Online, vol 18, p. 17.

[2] William Sands to John and Ann Sands, 14 August 1776, Maryland State Archives, Special Collections, Dowsett Collection of Sands Family Papers [MSA SC 2095-1-18, 00/20/05/28].

[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," 1 September 1776, American Archives, 5th series, vol. 2, p. 107.

[4] Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 114.

[5] Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 114.

[6] According to Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 114, it appears that George was returned from captivity to the Maryland Line in 1785.  However, this is unlikely.  Most soldiers were returned by 1782, and the war ended in 1783. 

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