| Unit History 5th Maryland Regiment Part 1 |
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Birth and Early History of the Fifth Maryland Regiment After the end of the American Revolution the Maryland State Legislature in November, 1783 passed "An act to revive and continue Acts of Assembly for regulating the militia, and to empower the governor to call out the militia to suppress insurrections and to quiet disturbances". This act did not cause a ground swell of volunteers and organization of a proper state militia but there were several independent companies, John Mackenson�s First Baltimore Light Infantry of 1787 and the Independent Company of 1784. The uniform of these units was the same as during the revolution, cocked hat, white small clothes and the blue regimental coat trimmed in red. Among the members of the Independent Company were many honored veterans of the revolution such as John Stricker, Capt., J.A. Bucchanan, Lt., Hugh McCullough, Samuel Sterret, James Calhoun Jr., Thomas McElderry, Robert Gilmore, Reuben Etting, Standish Barry, John Hillen, Joshua Merryman, John Kennedy (Mr. Kennedy was also a member of Gist�s Baltimore Independent Cadets before the revolution). This distinguished group of men would play many important roles in the formation of the fifth and the role it was destined to play in the oncoming War of 1812. At first the militia was based on the Militia Act of 1774 which was what our troops fought under during the revolution. This was changed when the state assembly passed the Militia Act of 1792. The new militia act required among other things, that except for specified exceptions every "white" male between 18 and 45 should be enrolled in a militia company by June 20, 1794 by the captain of the area in which he resided. Not later than July 10, each militiaman was to have " a good musket or firelock, a sufficient bayonet and belt, two spare flints and a knapsack; a pouch with box therein, to contain not less than 24 cartridges suited to the bore of his musket or firelock, each cartridge to contain the proper quantity of powder and ball". Most importantly no equipment used for militia activity could be legally attached. Almost as soon as the newly organized Maryland Militia was formed, than it was called out to serve in quelling the Whiskey Rebellion Western Pennsylvania. The Fifth left Baltimore for Cumberland on August 16. President Washington took command on October 16, although he soon gave over command to Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee. The troops marched over the Alleghenies and met up with the loyal Pennsylvania Militia at Uniontown, but by then it was all over and the troops soon headed for home. From 1794 to 1807 the Fifth soldiered on peacefully occasionally changing command faces or adding or taking out companies. The only military duty was with boarding and holding some vessels and crews of the French schooner La Patriote that had supposedly fired on an American vessel. Things soon returned to normal for a while but the winds of war were again starting to stir with America�s old foe, Britain. The War of 1812 The year 1812 was to prove an ominous one for the United States. After a lengthy debate in congress by the war hawks and the doves on such areas as neutrality and impressment, war was declared on June 18, 1812. Even though war had been declared the United Stated were far from united. In Baltimore an editorial appeared on June 20, in the Federal Republican, a federalist newspaper, that was anti-war in nature and inflamed the citizens of Baltimore to the point that the paper had to cease operations in this city and move to Georgetown. The paper resumed publication on June 26, and was distributed in Baltimore. But federalist sentiment again inflamed the populace and the officials of the paper and their supporters were placed in "protective custody" to protect them from the angry mob that had formed. As soon as the men had been taken into custody, the mob burned their house once they were gone. On the night of the 28th tempers again flared and the mob would attempt to take the local jail and it�s prisoners. The Fifth was called out that night with instructions that they carry only blank cartridges to disperse the mob. This command was considered "foolhardy" and only one company and a smattering of officers turned out, many brought live ball anyway. The mob dispersed and thusly the Fifth was sent home. Unfortunately for the prisoners, the mob reformed and killed one man, General Lingan, and permanently injured General Henry Lee, both veterans of the revolution. The Fifth did not reply this time and the mob dispersed as soon as it thought it�s victims were dead. This was the first service the Fifth would see in the war. On April 16, 1813 the British fleet appeared on the Patapsco for the first time, the alarm guns sounded between 11:00 and 12:00. The city was thrown into a great bustle of confusion, for only a few weeks earlier, the town of Havre de Grace had been put to the torch by the very same fleet. The local militia regiments, however, were soon at their appointed post and behaving well. The Fifth, as a mater of fact, had just finished a weeks tour of duty at Fort McHenry, that morning being replaced by the Sixth regiment. After a short stop to receive orders, they would make a march of 15 miles to North Point to join the rest of the Third Brigade; the Thirty Ninth, artillery and a troop of horse. The Twenty Seventh and Fifty First were ready under arms but did not make the march. But all was for naught, for the British were to withdraw without ever landing. The Third Brigade would, however, receive praise from General Smith for it�s quick response. The rest of the year was to keep the Fifth on a high state of readiness but that would be all of the foraying the British would do for the year. The year 1814 was to be a fateful one for the Fifth. 1814 would see the Mechanical Volunteers gain as a company commander, Benjamin Chew Howard, the son of John Eager Howard, famed Revolutionary War hero, as well as other changes in key personnel. In a letter from Colonel Sterrett requesting commissions for Captain Sadtler�s company he remarked "I flatter myself [it] it will soon be one of the best corps of volunteers in the U States". If arms were any indication of readiness, we were well off, at least in the Independent Company. It was said that each member of the Independent Company possessed " at least one musket, one bayonet, one cartridge box, one knapsack, two canteens and two spare flints". On July 1, 1814 President Madison issued a call for the militia, on Jul 2,the Tenth Military District is activated and thus the Third Brigade. |
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| Unit History Part 2 |