Thomas Camper
MSA SC 3520-18134
Biography:
On January 26, 1776, Thomas Camper enlisted as a private in the Fourth Independent Company of Maryland troops.[1] For the first few months of his service, Camper remained close to home. The Fourth Independent was stationed at Oxford in Talbot county, where Camper was from.[2] In July of 1776, however, the Fourth Independent was one of many companies sent to join the Continental Army in New York in preparation for a major British attack. On August 27, 1776, this attack, later known as the Battle of Brooklyn, arrived.
The battle was a disaster for the Continental Army. It was quickly outflanked in the course of the battle and soldiers were forced to retreat by swimming through Gowanus Creek under relentless enemy fire. The entire Continental Army and George Washington himself faced imminent destruction as a result. They were spared, however, by the bravery of a group of soldiers who came to be known as the Maryland 400. In the midst of the frantic retreat, the Maryland 400 launched a daring counterattack and held off the British long enough for Washington and his army to escape annihilation. Two hundred and fifty-six Maryland soldiers were either killed or captured in the process.
Camper survived the ordeal at Brooklyn and risked his life for his country again at the battles of White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton. Despite witnessing four gruesome battles and experiencing the hardships of an ill-supplied army, Camper decided to re-enlist on March 3, 1777.[3] The independent companies of Maryland then combined to form the Second Maryland Regiment. In September of that year, Camper fought at the Battle of Brandywine. Just a month later, he saw action again at the Battle of Germantown. The Battle of Monmouth the following summer, however, would be the last time Camper saw active duty for a few months.
In the fall of 1778, Camper fell ill.[4] He battled his illness for the entire winter of 1778-1779 in Middlebrook, New Jersey. It was not until February 24, 1779 that Camper was able to return to his normal duties. When he did, he decided to reenlist in the army yet again.[5] Camper then remained in the service for the remainder of the war, fighting in the Southern Campaign. In 1780, Camper's regiment arrived in North Carolina. They saw combat in the Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780.[6] The battle ended in a confused American retreat with heavy losses. Camper survived, however, and tasted victory at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781. At the Battle of Guilford Courthouse just two months later, though, the Americans would again be forced to retreat. On September 8, Camper fought at the Battle of Eutaw Springs, where the Americans won a strategic victory in spite of the distractions caused by the temptation to loot the British camp.[7] The British and colonists then had their final clash at the Battle of Yorktown in October 1781. Although the war was effectually over, Camper remained in the army until his discharge in November 1783.[8]
After the colonies won their independence, Camper returned home to Talbot County, Maryland and became a farmer. In a span of about 47 years, he was able to expand his farm and personal wealth considerably. Immediately following the war, Camper owned no land. His only property was two horses and a small amount of cattle. In total, his wealth was about $32.00.[9] By 1800, he had bought a slave.[10] Over the course of the next 20 years, he acquired another.[11] He also managed to obtain three tracts of land known as Anctill, the Union, and Wells Outlet Resurveyed, where he lived with his three children.[12] By 1830, Thomas had again doubled his number of slaves to four.[13]
In the process of establishing his farm, Camper also seems to have established himself in his community. In 1814, his word was trusted to vouch for the freedom of a “mulatto woman who calls herself Betsey Tibbes who is now about twenty one years of age 5 feet 6 inches & three quarters of an inch high.”[14]
In the fall of 1831, Camper passed away. He bequeathed all of his land and personal estate to his children Joseph, Martha, and Sarah.[15]
Jillian Curran, Explore America Research Intern, 2019
Notes:
[2] Mark Andrew Tacyn, “‘To the End:’ The First Maryland Regiment and the American Revolution” (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1999), 34.[3] Muster Rolls of Thomas Camper, National Archives, Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, NARA M881, p. 1-12, from Fold3.com
[4] Camper Muster Rolls.
[5] Camper Muster Rolls.
[6] John Dwight Kilbourne, "A Short History of the Maryland Line in the Continental Army"(Baltimore, The Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland, 1992), 33.
[7] Kilbourne, 43-56.
[8] Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 527.
[9] General Assembly, House of Delegates, Assessment Record, 1783, Talbot County [MSA S1161-10-1, 1/4/5/53].
[10] U.S. Federal Census, 1800, Talbot County, Maryland.
[11] U.S. Federal Census, 1820, Talbot County, Maryland.
[12] Will of Thomas Camper, 1821, Talbot County Register of Wills, Wills, Liber JP 8, p. 467 [MSA C1925-8, 1/43/4/26].
[13] U.S. Federal Census, 1830, Talbot County, Maryland.
[15] Camper Will.
Return to Thomas Camper's Introductory Page
|
Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
|