The People

Home The Concept The Timeline The People The Army

Maryland Revolutionary War Memorial Committee

Legal | Contact

Maryland Revolutionary War Memorial Committee Webmaster - webmaster@md-revwar-memorial.mdssar.org

Notable Marylanders

(In Alphabetical Order)

Adam Adams

Adams was born in 1763 as a free African American and lived in Charles County, Maryland. Like Thomas Carney, Adams enlisted in the spring of 1777, and was assigned to the 1st Maryland Regiment of the Continental Army and served until the end of the war.

Adam Adams was a private in the Maryland Brigade of the Continental Army. Adams’pension records do not specify in which battles he fought. As a long-time member of the 1st Maryland Regiment, he probably participated in the Battles of Monmouth, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford Court House, the Siege of Ninety Six, and The Battle of Eutaw Springs. He was discharged in November 1783 in Annapolis, Maryland. He returned to Charles County to farm and raise a family. Adams married and had six children.

Thomas Carney

Thomas Carney was a member of the 2nd Regiment of the famed Maryland Continental Brigade. A free African American, Carney was born in 1754 and lived in Caroline County, on Maryland’ Eastern Shore. In the spring or summer of 1777, he enlisted as a private with the Maryland militia. Carney fought in the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown later that autumn.
Carney endured the cold winter of December 1777-78 with the rest of the Continental Army at Valley Forge. He probably was part of a detachment that was stationed at a strategic bend in the Delaware River near Wilmington, Delaware rather than at the main camp. In May 1778, Carney enlisted in the 5th Maryland Regiment of the Continental Line and transferred to the 7th Maryland Regiment a month later. Carney probably did not see action again until his brigade traveled south during the spring of 1780.
At just over six feet tall, and known for his considerable strength, Carney earned a reputation as a fierce fighter. During the Battles of Camden and Guilford Court House, Carney led several bayonet charges against the enemy. However, it was at the Siege of Ninety Six where his heroics were particularly notable. Carney’ company commander, Captain Perry Benson, was gravely wounded during an assault on the star fort. Under fire, Carney carried Benson back to the surgeon’ tent. His actions saved Benson’ life, and the two men developed a lasting friendship that continued after the war.
Carney returned to Caroline County, Maryland in 1783. When he was discharged in November, he received a cash bonus and a land grant of 100 acres. His application for a veteran’ pension indicates that Carney took up farming near the town of Denton, married, and had two daughters. Carney’ pension application was witnessed by his former company commander, Perry Benson. Carney died in 1828 at age 74.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton (For more information)

Colonel John Eager Howard (For more information)

Major General William Smallwood

General Smallwood was the highest ranking officer from Maryland in the Continental Army. (For more information)

Colonel Tench Tilghman (For more information)

Click here to get a printable version of Notable Marylanders