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June 14, 1775 is not only the birthday of the US Army but of the 1st Maryland Regiment, later the 115th Infantry. These are the guys for whom the state’s nickname, “The Old Line State,” came about. It was George Washington who bestowed that name on these exceptionally reliable troops. Unlike a lot of Revolutionary War units, they were professionally trained at the outset and performed admirably in every engagement without exception.
At the Battle of Long Island (August 27, 1776), the “Maryland 400” (probably only 270 guys) charged a very surprised force of 2,000 Redcoats, which turned out to be the key to protecting Washington’s retreat and the preservation of his army.
At the Battle of the Cowpens (January 17, 1781), General Morgan suckered Banastre Tarleton into a charge in which the British were enveloped as they eventually ran up against a wall of veterans from the Maryland 1st and Delaware Continentals who (probably very happily) tore them up with disciplined fire. Only two dozen Brits (and the odious Tarleton) escaped death or capture.
That tradition of service by the 115th continued into WWI (Meuse-Argonne Offensive 1918), and distinguished service on D-Day, the Normandy breakout, and the Battle of Brest.
So, today, put some extra Old Bay on those crabcakes and raise a Natty Boh to the Old Line.
Discussion (5)
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At the battle of Brooklyn Heights (Long Island … yes hipsters, Brooklyn is on Long Island) Washington got snookered -and good. Half the British army went on an extended night march and flanked Washington’s army. It was near panic. Washington had to withdraw the army into the Brooklyn Heights fortifications. The only escape route was across one bridge spanning the Gowanas Creek. (A modern version of that bridge still stands today across what is now the Gowanas Canal.) A regiment of Maryland infantry drew the short straw and was tasked with being the rear guard … keeping g that escape route open for the rest of the army. They attacked again and again, eventually driving superior British numbers from a nearby farmhouse. They were, in turn, driven back. But they had saved Washington’s army. They tried to disengage under fire - a treacherous movement. It didn’t go well and they were overwhelmed. A scant few made it back to American lines. The whereabouts of their remains is an open question. The British records indicate they were interred somewhere in Brooklyn. 3rd Avenue-ish? No one really knows.
NYC is very much a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” kind of place. So it’s nice to see that the City still honors those gallant Marylanders. That stone farmhouse still exists. And the City still flies the Maryland State flag from the farmhouse to show respect for those who gave their lives for our freedom.
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Question: Is the 115th still around? y/n/idk
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The 175th National Guard claims it is the successor entity,
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Great post! I love how some regiments maintain their tradition of gallantry over the centuries. The officers and men change, but somehow the tradition lives on as new generations of recruits have it instilled in them.
I wonder how many Marylanders today know of the history of the regiment and the origin of the nickname.
I'll drink a toast with my glass of Laphroaig to their memory.
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Probably not many. Know much history. The large suburban population is almost entirely transplants. The settlers on the Ark and the Dove arrived in the Chesapeake several days before disembarking so that the landing could be done on a Marian Feast Day (The Annunciation March 25, 1634). Despite the Catholic sponsorship of the colony, many if not most of the first wave were Protestants because of a founding commitment to tolerance.
Still one of the best books about Maryland is Beautiful Swimmers by William Warner written in 1976. If they finally phase out the DEI and mandatory woke indoctrination, that would be a good replacement choice for the core curriculum, assuming the kids can still read.
My youngest daughter lives in Baltimore in an old neighborhood and like most of her generation, largely indifferent (oblivious?) to history. I am old enough to remember the harbor when it was gritty, hard-working and ungentrified and the cultural significance of all those marble sloops, old Little Italy, Brooks Robinson...