Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Francis Green Baggott
MSA SC 3520-17789

Biography:

Francis Green Baggott enlisted as a private in the Maryland First Regiment’s First Company underneath the leadership of Captain John Hoskins Stone, on January 24, 1776. [1]

The First Company was primarily recruited from Charles County, Maryland, but trained in Annapolis until the summer of 1776. That July, Maryland’s First Regiment marched north to rendezvous with General George Washington outside of New York. There, the majority of the Maryland Line experienced the bitter taste of war for the first time. [2]  

The Battle of Brooklyn (or Battle of Long Island) erupted on August 27, 1776, and was the first major battle that followed the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The British troops, totaling nearly 15,000 men, and the British Royal Navy arrived with the intention of ending the war with this battle. Meanwhile, General Washington was determined to defend New York. Ultimately, between General Washington’s smaller army and the poor intelligence he referenced when preparing for the British invasion, the Battle of Brooklyn ended in a Continental retreat and a crippling loss. [3]

The Maryland 400 earned their heroic title during the peak of the conflict in Brooklyn. The First Maryland Regiment split into two separate wings, stretching in a continuous line from Gowanus Road to the Continental artillery stationed upon a ridge. Under the command of Major Mordecai Gist, the men fought off the first wave of advancing British troops. The British eventually retreated a few hundred feet, giving the impression that the Continental Army had successfully stopped the British invasion. Shortly after the first wave of British troops receded, the Marylanders were shocked as another larger group of British soldiers snuck up on their rear and threatened to surround them. Quickly, the Continental Army’s confidence culminated into fear, their line broke, and the companies retreated. [4]

During the retreat, the Marylanders found themselves unfortunately positioned in between enemy fire and the Gowanus Creek. About half of the Marylanders, including most of the First Company, attempted to cross the creek and reach their allies. The other half of Maryland’s First Regiment had no other option but to turn back and face the enemy, allowing their fellow countrymen to reach safety. That day, 256 of the First Marylanders that stood on Gowanus Road were killed or made prisoners. Following the Battle of Brooklyn, 77% of the First Company was accounted for. [5]

Baggott’s story ends here. His actions at the Battle of Brooklyn are unknown and his whereabouts after the battle are equally unclear. It is possible that Baggott survived the British barrage of the Maryland Line and continued his service until his enlistment ended in December 1776. If that’s the case, he likely fired his musket in the destructive losses at White Plains and Fort Washington in the fall of 1776. An equally possible fate is that Francis Green Baggott was part of the unfortunate 33% of the First Company that did not successfully cross the Gowanus Creek. His story may be lost in 1776, but his name is etched into the Maryland 400 legacy. [6]

-Elizabeth Cassibry, Research Intern

Notes:

[1] Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 6.

[2] Mark Andrew Tacyn, “‘To the End:’ The First Maryland Regiment and the American Revolution” (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1999), 21.

[3] Tacyn, 23-30.

[4] Tacyn, 30-60.

[5] Return of the Maryland troops, 27 September 1776, from Fold3.com

[6] John Dwight Kilbourne, “A Short History of the Maryland Line in the Continental Army,” (Baltimore, Maryland, 1992), 11-25.

Return to Francis Green Baggott's Introductory Page


 
 
 


This web site is presented for reference purposes under the doctrine of fair use. When this material is used, in whole or in part, proper citation and credit must be attributed to the Maryland State Archives. PLEASE NOTE: The site may contain material from other sources which may be under copyright. Rights assessment, and full originating source citation, is the responsibility of the user.


Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!



© Copyright Friday, 16-Aug-2019 10:00:53 EDT Maryland State Archives