Thomas Williams
MSA SC 3520-17709
Biography:
Thomas Williams enlisted as a private in the Sixth Company of the First Maryland Regiment, led by Captain Peter Adams, on February 24, 1776. [1]
The Sixth Company was recruited primarily from the Eastern Shore, but traveled to Annapolis in the spring of 1776 where they trained for a few months. They then moved north, making it to Philadelphia by mid-July 1776 and to New York by August 14. They positioned themselves, along with the rest of the First Maryland Regiment, about one mile outside of New York, with orders to prepare for battle.
The Marylanders met the British at the Battle of Brooklyn (sometimes called the Battle of Long Island) on August 27, 1776, where the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, fought to defend New York. The American troops were severely outnumbered and surrounded when they were ordered to retreat. Half the regiment was able to escape the battle, however the other half, including most of the Sixth Company, was trapped by the swampy Gowanus Creek. They turned back to face the British, holding their position long enough for the rest of the Marylanders to return to safety. This heroic stand earned them the honorable name of the “Maryland 400.” [2]
The First Maryland Regiment suffered major losses. The Sixth Company alone lost 84 percent, or 58 men. By the end of the battle, Maryland losses totalled 256 men killed or captured. Despite the heroic actions of the Maryland 400, the battle was a defeat for the Americans. Unlike many of his companions, Williams survived the battle and was not captured. He was one of just sixteen officers and men from the Sixth Company to come out of the battle unscathed. [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. [3]
Thomas Williams survived these battles and reenlisted as a private in the First Maryland Regiment on December 10, 1776, when the Maryland Line was reorganized. Many experienced veterans from 1776 were promoted, including Williams who became a corporal on August 1, 1777, shortly before the the bloody defeats at Brandywine and Germantown. A few months later, in February 1778, he was demoted, with no written explanation. His enlistment should have ended in December 1779, although no discharge date was recorded. It is possible that he served through the spring of 1780. A few months later, a man named Thomas Williams appeared on a list of “defectives” from the Maryland Line, indicating he may have had an injury or illness. Although with such a common name it is unclear if that is the same Thomas Williams from the Maryland 400, it could perhaps explain his abnormal service record. [4]
-Natalie Miller, Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution Research Fellow, 2018
Notes:
[2] 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.
[3] Return of the Maryland troops, 27 September 1776, from Fold3.com.
[4] Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 173, 414.Return to Thomas Williams' Introductory Page
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