5th Maryland Regiment
| 5th Maryland Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1776–1783 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Continental Congress of the United States |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 728 soldiers(1776) re-organized to 611 soldiers(1781) |
| Part of | Maryland Line |
| Engagements |
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel William Richardson General Johann DeKalb |
The 5th Maryland Regiment is a designation which has been held by several units over the years, not all of which necessarily share the same lineage and honors. Although the first unit to carry the "5th Maryland" designation was organized in 1776 from volunteers in rural Maryland, the designation has been most often associated with militia units in Baltimore. The "5th Maryland" designation is the officially recognized traditional designation of the 175th Infantry Regiment, Maryland Army National Guard. This entry refers to the rural 5th Maryland, whose lineage is separate and distinct from the Baltimore 5th Maryland perpetuated by the 175th Infantry Regiment.
American Revolution
The first 5th Maryland Regiment was organized on March 27, 1776 composing of eight companies of volunteers from the counties of Queen Anne's, Kent, Caroline, and Dorchester of the colony of Maryland and was authorized on September 16, 1776 for service with the Continental Army.
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It was assigned to the main Continental Army on December 27, 1776. On May 22, 1777, it was assigned to the 1st Maryland Brigade and re-organized on May 12, 1779 to nine companies. It was reassigned to the Southern Department on April 5, 1780. The regiment was reassigned from the 1st Maryland Brigade to the Maryland Brigade on January 1, 1781. The regiment would see action during the Battle of Long Island (1776), the Battle of Brandywine (1777), the Battle of Germantown (1777), the Battle of Monmouth (1778), the Battle of Camden (1780), and the Battle of Guilford Court House (1781). The regiment was furloughed January 1, 1782, at Round O, South Carolina and disbanded on January 1, 1783.
Difference From the Modern Fifth Regiment
Another 5th Maryland, nicknamed "The Dandy Fifth," was formed in 1867. The lineage of this unit is carried on today by the Maryland Army National Guard's 175th Infantry Regiment. This 5th Maryland also traces its lineage back to the American Revolution, but ironically, its lineage does not include the Revolutionary War 5th Regiment. Instead, it traces its ancestry to militia raised in Baltimore, and its battle honors differ from those of the Revolutionary 5th Regiment. The 175th Infantry's lineage and honors does include the 5th Maryland Regiment of the War of 1812 and 1st Maryland Infantry (CSA) of the American Civil War.
References
- Wright, Richard K. (1983). "Lineages". The Continental Army. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History. Archived from the original on May 20, 2006. Retrieved May 24, 2006.
Further reading
- Balch, Thomas (1857). Papers Relating Chiefly to the Maryland Line During the Revolution. Philadelphia. p. 218 pgs.
- Brewer, James H. Fitzgerald (1955). History of the 175th Infantry (Fifth Maryland). War Records Division: Maryland Historical Society.
- Christian, Bernard (1972) [1900]. Muster Rolls & other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution 1775-1783 (Reprint ed.). Baltimore, Maryland: Lord Baltimore Press, Maryland Historical Society. p. 736 pgs. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
- Steuart, Rieman (1972). History of the Maryland Line in the Revolutionary War 1775-1783. Towson;Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland.
- "The Revolutionary War American Units". Retrieved May 24, 2006.
External links
- Bibliography of the Continental Army in Maryland compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History