John Foster Leverton
MSA SC 3520-18198
Biography:
John Foster Leverton enlisted as a private in the Fourth Independent Company on January 28, 1776 under Captain James Hindman. [1]
Hindman’s company originally played a role in the Maryland Council of Safety’s plan to protect the Chesapeake Bay from potential British invasions. Colonel William Smallwood’s Maryland battalion of nine companies were stationed by Baltimore and Annapolis while the independent companies were divided between the Eastern and Western shores, While centered at Oxford in Talbot County in the summer of 1776, Hindman’s company received orders to march to New York to reinforce the Continental Army for a British invasion. The independent companies, including the Fourth Independent, arrived by mid-August 1776. [2]
On August 27, 1776, American forces faced British troops at the Battle of Brooklyn (also known as the Battle of Long Island), the first full-scale engagement of the war. Under heavy fire, the Americans attempted to retreat through Gowanus Creek, suffering severe losses in the process. To hold the British at bay, the remaining Marylanders who hadn’t crossed the creek yet mounted a series of charges. The Maryland troops delayed the British long enough for the rest of the Continental Army to escape. Despite the loss of the 256 men who were killed or captured, the bravery and sacrifice of the Maryland troops earned them the title of the "Maryland 400." [3]
Leverton and the Fourth Independent saw little combat at the battle and took minimal losses. Hindman defended his company against allegations of non-participation, 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." [4]
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. Leverton also witnessed victories at the battles of Trenton and Princeton in the winter of 1776-1777.
By the end of 1776, Leverton’s lieutenant, Archibald Anderson, accused him of deserting. [5] A reward of 10 dollars was offered to whoever could find Leverton. [6]
Leverton’s fate after his desertion is a bit murky. He married Hannah Wilson in Caroline County on July 16, 1781, but nothing else is known about his life. [7]
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. 24.
[2] Mark Andrew Tacyn, "To the End: The First Maryland Regiment and the American Revolution," (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1999), 34-45.
[3] Return of the Maryland troops, 13 September 1776, Revolutionary War Rolls, folder 35, p. 85, from Fold3.com.
[4] Journal and Correspondence of the Maryland Council of Safety, July 7: December 31, 1776, Archives of Maryland Online, vol. 12, p. 346.
[5]
"Forty Dollars Reward," Pennsylvania Journal, 2 June 1777.
[6]
"Forty Dollars Reward," Pennsylvania Journal, 2 June 1777.
[7] Caroline County Court, Marriage Licenses, 1777-1865, p. 234 [C534-1, 01/02/01/009].
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