John Masterson
MSA SC 3520-18126
Biography:
John Masterson enlisted as a private in the Fourth Independent Company under Captain James Hindman in January 1776. [1]
Originally stationed in Talbot County, Masterson and his company received orders to march to New York to reinforce the Continental Army for the Battle of Brooklyn (also known as the Battle of Long Island), the first full-scale engagement of the war.
On August 27, 1776, American forces were surrounded by the British troops, and attempted to retreat through the nearby Gowanus Creek under heavy fire, taking severe losses. To hold the British at bay, the remaining Marylanders who hadn't crossed Gowanus Creek mounted a series of charges. The Maryland troops delayed the British long enough for the rest of the Continental Army to escape, and their bravery earned them the title of the “Maryland 400,” despite the loss of 256 men who were killed or captured. [2]
Masterson and the Fourth Independent Company saw little combat at the battle, and were largely spared. After being accused of non-participation, Hindman came to the defense of his company and blamed their orders for preventing them from taking a more active role: "I have had the vanity to think the company I have had the honor to command have behaved themselves as well as in the service, notwithstanding the dark insinuations that have been thrown out to their prejudice." [3]
The Fourth Independent Company later fought at the Battle of White Plains, a continuation of the retreat from New York and an American loss.
In early 1777, Masterson reenlisted for a three-year service term as part of the Second Maryland Regiment in the company of Captain Archibald Anderson, the former first lieutenant of the Fourth Independent Company. [4] Congress had required Maryland to raise eight new regiments as part of the force of 88 regiments of the Continental establishment. In order to meet this, the Fourth Independent combined with the other independent companies to form the Second Maryland Regiment commanded by Colonel Thomas Price. [5]
During 1777-1778, the British and American troops vied for control over the American capital at Philadelphia. As part of the American campaign with the Second Maryland Regiment, Masterson fought in and survived the battles of Brandywine (September 1777) and Germantown (October 1777), both American losses, and the limited victory at the Battle of Monmouth (June 1778). [6]
Masterson saw little to no action in 1779, as the American and British forces were locked in a stalemate. Before he next saw combat with his regiment, Masterson was discharged in January 1780. [7]
Masterson’s fate after his discharge is not known, and nothing else is known about his life.
Cassy Sottile, Explore America Research Intern, 2019
Notes:
[1] Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, Archives of Maryland Online, vol 18, p. 25.
[2] Return of the Maryland troops, 13 September 1776, Revolutionary War Rolls, NARA M246, folder 35, p. 85, from Fold3.com.
[3]
Journal and Correspondence of the Maryland Council of Safety, July 7: December 31, 1776, Archives of Maryland Online, vol 12, p. 346.
[4] Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, NARA M881. From Fold3.com.
[5] Mark Andrew Tacyn, "To the End: The First Maryland Regiment and the American Revolution" (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1999), p. 104.
[6] John Dwight Kilbourne, A Short History of the Maryland Line in the Continental Army, (Baltimore, The Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland, 1992), p. 17-26.
[7]
Archives of Maryland Online, vol 18, p. 138.
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