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The American Revolution
The largest engagement of forces during the Revolutionary War in all of Maryland was in Southern Maryland at St. George Island/Piney Point. You can visit where British forces attempted to invade the mainland in 1776 and were repulsed by Maryland’s “Flying Camp” militia. While visiting, you can also tour the oldest lighthouse on the Potomac. For more information visit St. Mary’s County Parks & Recreation Museums Division.
During almost the entire period of the American Revolution, the British Navy controlled the waters of the Chesapeake. Trade became a high-risk activity and because of Southern Maryland’s accessibility, surrounded and intersected by the waters of the Potomac and Patuxent rivers and the Chesapeake Bay, vessels made easy prey for British ships.
The region contributed not only supplies but also people, who fought numerous battles including the “Battle of Long Island” in 1776. This battle was not fought in Southern Maryland but included numerous men from the region. The Maryland 400 were members of the 1st Maryland Regiment who repeatedly charged a numerically superior British force during the Battle of Long Island, sustaining heavy casualties, but allowing General Washington to successfully evacuate the bulk of his troops to Manhattan. This action is commemorated in Maryland’s nickname, the “Old Line State.”
You can visit sites of the era, including the home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence:
These are just a few of the historic sites commemorating the American War for Independence.
The Thomas Stone House
Circa 1771.
Prior to the Revolutionary War, Thomas Stone led a very comfortable life as a planter and lawyer. After realizing war with Great Britain was inevitable, he risked everything he held dear– life, fortune, and honor– to safeguard rights of the new United States of America. To that end, Thomas Stone became one of 56 men to sign one of the most important documents in world history: The Declaration of Independence. This is a National Park Service site, with a beautifully preserved house and grounds.
Smallwood Retreat House
Circa 1732-1792.
The Smallwood Retreat House, originally known as Mattawoman Plantation, was the home of American Revolutionary War General William Smallwood, until his death in 1792. During the Revolutionary War, General Smallwood, a two-star general, was the highest-ranking military man from the State of Maryland. No stranger to positions of leadership, he served three one-year terms as the Governor of Maryland beginning in 1785. A lifelong bachelor, Smallwood was a gentleman farmer, who made a sizeable fortune farming tobacco in Southern Maryland.
Piney Point
Circa 1836.
The largest Revolutionary War engagement in the state of Maryland was at Piney Point/St. George Island in 1776. The lighthouse at Piney Point began in operation in 1836, and during the Civil War was the site of a federal gunboat attack against the Confederates. The lighthouse functioned until 1964, when it was replaced by a lighted buouy.
