Clement Cannon
MSA SC 3520-18135
Biography:
Clement Cannon enlisted as a private in the Fourth Independent Company on January 23, 1776. [1]
The nine companies of Colonel William Smallwood's battalion were stationed in Baltimore and Annapolis while the independent companies were divided between the Eastern and Western shores. Cannon and the Fourth Independent were centered at Oxford in Talbot County under the command of Captain James Hindman. [2]
In the summer of 1776, Cannon was promoted to corporal. As a corporal, Cannon functioned as a disciplinarian within the company and facilitated the commands and desires of line officers. [3]
That July, Maryland was asked to support the Continental Army in New York in anticipation of a British attack. Smallwood’s battalion and three of the independent companies, including the Fourth, marched to New York to offer support for the Battle of Brooklyn (also known as the Battle of Long Island), the first full-scale engagement of the war. The independent companies arrived in New York near the end of July. [4]
On August 27, 1776, American forces were outflanked by the British troops, and attempted to retreat through Gowanus Creek, taking heavy losses. To hold the British at bay, the remaining Marylanders who hadn’t crossed the creek mounted a series of charges, holding the British off long enough for the rest of the Continental Army to escape. Despite the loss of the 256 men who were killed or captured, this act of bravery earned them the title of the "Maryland 400." [5]
Cannon survived the battle, but saw little combat with his company. Hindman defended his comapny against allegations of non-particpation, abd blamed their orders for preventing them from taking a more active role. [6]
Following the battle of Brooklyn, the Fourth Independent fought at the Battle of White Plains, a continuation of the retreat from New York and an American loss.
Cannon does not seem to reenlist at the end of 1776. [7] Following the battle of White Plains, Cannon moved back to Baltimore and married Mary Murphey on December 14, 1777. [8]
After his marriage, details about his life are unknown and no further record of Cannon exists.
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. 23.
[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] Tacyn, 152.
[4] Tacyn, 43-44.
[5]
Return of the Maryland troops, 13 September 1776, Revolutionary War Rolls, NARA M246, folder 35, p. 85. From Fold3.com.
[6]
Journal and Correspondence of the Maryland Council of Safety, July 7 to December 31, 1776, Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 12, p. 346.
[7] Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 18, p. 23.
[8] Baltimore County Court, Marriage Licenses, 1777-1851, p. 1 [C376-1, 2/14/14/11].
Return to Clement Cannon's Introductory Page
|
Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
|