Finding the Maryland 400

Years of research supported by students and the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience uncovers Revolutionary War history.

For years, Washington College students have contributed to research that has finally culminated in Finding the Maryland 400: The Maryland Line in the Revolutionary War by Maryland State Archives Senior Research Archivist Owen Lourie.

Students began their research in a 2018 course taught by Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience. They investigated military records, letters, property deeds, genealogies, and other primary sources to piece together the lives of the 868 soldiers who fought in the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn.

During that battle, George Washington’s inexperienced Continental Army faced defeat at the hands of British and Hessian forces. As the Americans retreated, a group of Maryland soldiers, fighting alongside troops from Delaware, made a stand against overwhelming odds. Their sacrifice helped save Washington’s army from destruction, allowing it to withdraw to Brooklyn Heights and, two nights later, escape across the East River into Manhattan. Those soldiers became the legendary “Maryland 400,” although more than twice as many Marylanders fought in the battle.

For generations, the Maryland 400 were remembered for their collective heroism, while their individual identities and experiences remained largely unknown. After more than a decade of research by staff at the Maryland State Archives with assistance from Washington College students and interns, Finding the Maryland 400 reconstructs the lives of soldiers, tracing their experiences before, during, and after the Revolution.

Mari Mulane ’20 took Goodheart’s seminar, recalling a class session held in the cemetery next to campus at the grave of one of the Maryland 400.

“That experience really helped me shift my personal historiographical framework away from this concept of the ‘bloodless revolution,’ in which we high away from the reality of historical warfare, and helped me refocus my own research … to seeing the individual and complex humanity of each individual involved in an event,” Mulane said.

While she was participating in the Maryland 400 research, it was discovered that there were two soldiers named Larkin Dorsey, cousins of similar age who both served in the war. Many records confused the two Larkin Dorseys.

“I spent much of the semester determined to fully separate these two men’s narratives so that each could be fully placed into their correct context and treated as the individual they were,” Mulane said. “It was a very frustrating process, and I am eternally grateful for Adam’s help in the archives.”

Mulane, now a special education and history teacher, said that the Maryland 400 seminar was one of her favorite courses from her time at the College.

Taira Sullivan Payne ’15 worked on the book during an Explore America internship at the Maryland State archives.

“It was an honor to contribute to a project as meaningful as Finding the Maryland 400 and to work alongside Owen Lourie,” she said. “This experience was incredibly rewarding, and I greatly valued the opportunity to explore the Maryland State Archives’ extensive Revolutionary-era collections and gain a deeper appreciation for the individual stories and contributions of the soldiers who served in the First Maryland Regiment.” 

Overall, 17 Washington students contributed to the research effort over the course of the project.

“The book brings readers face-to-face not only with heroes, but also with deserters, turncoats, and even imposters,” said Goodheart, who also contributed to the book. “Unearthing their names and stories has been a prodigious feat of historical sleuthing. Together, they offer a vivid and revealing portrait of the Revolution as experienced by ordinary people.”

Finding the Maryland 400 was published this summer in time for the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn and features introductory contributions by Goodheart and retired Major General James A. Adkins M’91, former adjutant general of Maryland. The project was undertaken in partnership with the Maryland Society of the Sons of the Revolution.

Celebrate Veterans Day with Lourie, Goodheart, and Elaine Rice Bachmann, Maryland State archivist, as they discuss the book 5 p.m. today in Hynson Lounge.