Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

John Shaw
MSA SC 3520-17863

Biography:

John Shaw entered the ranks as a private in Maryland’s First Regiment underneath the leadership of Captain John Hoskins Stone on January 27th, 1776. [1]

The First Company primarily recruited its soldiers from Charles County. The men traveled to Annapolis to train their troops until the summer of 1776. That July, the regiment marched north to rendezvous with the Continental Army outside of New York. There, the Maryland Line experienced the bitter taste of war for the first time. [2]

The Battle of Brooklyn (or the 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 single battle. Meanwhile, General George Washington was determined to defend New York. Ultimately, between Washington’s inferior army and the poor intelligence he referenced, 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 at Brooklyn. The First Maryland Regiment split into two separate wings, stretching in a continuous line from the Gowanus Road to the Continental artillery stationed upon a ridge. Under the command of Major Mordecai Gist, the Marylanders 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 attack. After the first wave of British troops receded, the Marylanders were in a state of disarray as another larger group of British soldiers snuck up on their rear and threatened to surround them. Quickly, the Continental Army’s confidence turned to fear, their line broke, and the companies retreated. [4]

During the retreat, the Marylanders found themselves unfortunately positioned between enemy fire and the Gowanus Creek. About half of the Marylanders, counting the First Company, attempted to cross the creek and reach their allies. The other half of the Maryland 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 who stood on the Gowanus Road were killed or made prisoners. Fortunately, the majority of the men in Stone’s company made it to the Gowanus Creek and successfully swam across. After the retreat, 77 percent of the First Company was accounted for, including John Shaw. [5]

During the fall of 1776, Shaw and the rest of the Marylanders fought a series of battles in New York: Harlem Heights (September), White Plains (October), and Fort Washington (November). While the Americans had some tactical successes at these engagements, by November they had been pushed out of New York entirely, though they secured key revitalizing victories at Trenton and Princeton late that winter.

Shaw's enlistment expired at the end of 1776, and he reenlisted for another three years. During that time, the Marylanders saw a great deal of combat. They fought in the disastrous raid on Staten Island in August 1777, and the major battles of the Philadelphia Campaign, Brandywine (September 1777) and Germantown (October 1777), both significant defeats. The Maryland troops also fought at the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. The next year, 1779, saw little major combat as the war slowed to a stalemate. Shaw may have been sent back to Maryland to recruit new soldiers during this period. In February 1780, Shaw's enlistment came to an end, and he left the army. [6]

There is little information about Shaw after he returned to civilian life. However, in 1818 he applied for a Revolutionary War veteran's pension from the Federal Government. At the time, he lived in Delaware County, Ohio, having apparently moved west in search of a better economic climate. He was awarded eight dollars per month, which he received until the end of 1819. A change in the pension law in 1820 meant the veterans were required to submit evidence of financial hardship in order to qualify for a pension, and Shaw apparently never did so. Nothing else is known about his life. [7]

Elizabeth Cassibry, Washington College Explore America Research Intern, 2018

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] Tacyn, 30-60; Return of the Maryland troops, 27 September 1776, from Fold3.com.

[6] Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 160; Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, NARA M881, from Fold3.com; Pension of John Shaw, National Archives and Records Administration, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, NARA M804, S 40401, from Fold3.com.

[7] Shaw pension; U.S. Federal Census, 1820, Oxford Township, Delaware County, Ohio.

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