This compilation came to us from Mr. Tucker Hentz of Austin, Texas. Tucker is a
descendant of Lieutenant Adamson Tannehill and an avid researcher. The basis of this
annotated muster list came from the Maryland State Archives and is supplemented by
Tucker’s outstanding research. Thanks Tucker!
FOURTH MARYLAND REGIMENT
Muster Roll of Capt. Alexander Lawson Smith's Company,* including
part of the Companies belonging to the Regiment of Lt. Col. Moses
Rawlings, being a part of the 11th Virginia Regiment commanded by
Col. Daniel Morgan, Lt. Col. Febiger, and Lt. Col. Nicholas during
1777, and afterward being a part of the 4th Maryland Regiment commanded
by Col. Josias Carvel Hall.
From Rolls for June and July, 1777, Col. Morgan; Sept., 1777, Lt. Col.
Febiger; Oct., 1777, Lt. Col. Nicholas; Jan., 1778 to Jan., 1779 inclusive,
Col. Hall.
Capt.
Alex. Lawson Smith
Commissd.
July 13th ‘76
On furlough June and July ‘77,
Feb ‘78 and Nov 15th ‘78, Dec
‘78, Jan ‘79
On furlough Jan and Feb ‘78,
resigned April 3rd ’78
(Last appears on Roll of July ‘77)
(Last appears on Roll of Oct ‘77)
DATE OF
ENLISTMENT
REMARKS
Lieut. Wm. Bradford**
"
"
Adamson Tannahill
Elijah Evans**
RANK
NAME
TIME
Serjt. John Thompson 3 yrs
"
Matthew Alexander "
"
Joshua Saunders "
15 July ‘76
28 July ‘76
17 July ‘76
"
Isaac Rose
"
1 Aug ‘76
"
John Stafford
"
17 Sept ‘76
"
John Chinneth, "
(Chineth)
no data
Corpl. John Howe, (How) "
"
Wm. Andrews
"
22 July ’76
18 July ’76
"
John Ford
"
Aug ‘76
"
"
James Ferguson "
Arthur Chinneth,
Aug ‘76
no data
†
(Last appears on Roll of July ‘77)
Deserted Oct 7th ‘77
At Hospital Oct ‘77, (last appears on Roll of Oct ‘77)
Appt. 1 June ‘77, sick at New
Hackensack Oct ‘78
Corpl. until Jan ‘78, appt. Corpl.
1 June ‘77
(First appears on Roll of Jan ‘78),
At Hospital Jan to March 15th '78,
at Hospital at Peeks Kill June
to July 18th ‘78
(Last appears on Roll of July ‘77)
Appt. 1 July ‘77, at Hospital June
and July ‘77, with Gen. Scott
Sept ‘78
With Baggage at Chads Ford
June 6th ‘78, sick at New Castle
June to July 24th ‘78
Capt. Thos. Bell's Company
(First appears on Roll of Jan ‘78),
(Chineth)
Fifer
Thos. Lovely
"
21 Aug ‘76
Drummer John McBride
"
no data
"
"
"
20 July ‘76
29 July ‘76
17 Aug ‘76
‡
Private Reuben Ross
Thomas Smith
Samuel Power
Abraham Watson "
26 Aug ‘76
John Callender
James Dennison
John Cooper
John Debruler
Chas. Baker
"
"
"
"
"
17
17
17
no
29
Henry Rowland
"
20 Sept ‘76
July ‘76
Aug ‘76
Aug ‘76
data
Aug ‘76
Wm. Cooper
"
15 July ‘76
Wm. Cattrill,(Cattrell)
John Irons
"
24 Aug ‘76
Josias Kimble, "
2 Oct ‘76
(Kimbal)
Patk. Quinn
John Leviston
David Knight
"
"
"
15 Oct ‘76
no data
28 Aug ‘77
Thos. Harris
John Collins
"
"
21 Aug ‘77
25 Aug ‘77
John Cotman
John Crockett
Wm. McCullough
Thos. Dearmott
Patrick McCann
Jesse Corbett,
(Corbit)
John Wilson
"
"
"
"
"
no
28
no
no
no
15
"
"
20 March ‘78
Wm. Pritchard
"
23 July ‘76
data
Aug ‘76
data
data
data
Aug ’76
at Hospital Jan to 15 March
‘78, on detach. with Capt.
Lynch Apl ‘78
Promoted to Fife Major 10 Feb
‘78, reduced from Fife Major 1
July ‘78
Capt. Richard Davis' Company
Hosp. Sept ‘77 Oct ‘77
Fur. March ‘78, at Hosp. Peeks
Kill July 18th and Aug ‘78
Fur. Jan ‘78, deserted when on furlough Feb 1st ‘78
Hosp. Sept ‘77 to Feb ‘78
Hosp. June & July ‘77
Fur. March ‘78, detach. Col. Pope
Apl ‘78
Fur. March ’78, waiter Sept'78, fur.
Nov 15th ‘78—Feb ‘79
Hosp. June & July ‘77
Hosp. June & July ‘77
Black River Hosp. June & July
‘77, Hosp. Nov, Dec '78, died
Jan 1st ‘79
Sick and present July ‘78
Hosp. Sep & Oct ‘77, with Baggage Chad's Ford June 6th ‘78
Missing 11 Sept ‘77
Hosp. Jan ‘78, (last appears on
Roll of Jan ‘78)
(Last appears on Roll of July ‘77)
(Last appears on Roll of July ‘77)
(Last appears on Roll of July ‘77)
(Last appears on Roll of July ‘77)
(Last appears on Roll of July ‘77)
At Hospital June and July ’77 (last
appears on Roll of July ‘77)
Brunswick Hosp. July 6th ‘78Feb ‘79
Dead June 18th ‘77
________________________________________
<Names in red>: Muster roll of Capt. Alexander Lawson Smith’s Company before the
Battle of Fort Washington (Preston, W. W., 1901, History of Harford County,
Maryland, from 1608 [the year of Smith’s expedition] to the close of the War of
1812: Baltimore, Press of Sun Book Office, p. 136). Only Private Patrick McCann
is on the pre-battle muster roll and not on the post-battle roll above. Isaac
Rose and William Andrews are listed as a Corporal and a Private, respectively,
in November 1776. The spellings of some of the highlighted names vary slightly
between the two muster rolls.
________________________________________
* Text modified from original muster roll in Archives of Maryland, 1900, Muster
rolls and other records of service of Maryland troops in the American
Revolution, 1775–1783: Baltimore, Maryland Historical Society, p. 300–302.
** Steuart (1969) indicates that Lieutenants William Bradford and Elijah Evans
were taken prisoner at the Battle of Fort Washington on 16 November 1776
(Steuart, Rieman, 1969, A history of the Maryland Line in the Revolutionary
War, 1775–1783: Towson, Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland, p. 60 and 79).
Their dates of exchange are not known. If William Bradford resigned 3 April
1778, he must have been released sometime prior to that date. Elijah Evans
must have escaped or been exchanged before or during October 1777 to have
been present for the October 1777 muster roll.
However, Smith (1910) indicates that Lt. William Bradford was in Harford
County, Maryland, in February 1777, presumably either on furlough or
recruiting riflemen in that county (Smith, A. L., 1910, Alex. Lawson Smith to
Lieut. Michael Gilbert: Maryland Historical Magazine, v. 5, p. 131–134). This
first-hand account of Lt. Bradford’s company commander written soon after the
Battle of Fort Washington strongly suggests that the record in Steuart (1969)
is erroneous. This explains away the odd situation wherein Lt. William
Bradford was the only member of Capt. Alexander Lawson Smith's Company who
was captured. Furthermore, although Steuart (1969) states that both
Lieutenants William Bradford and Elijah Evans were taken prisoner at the
Battle of Fort Washington, he does not list a date of exchange for either
officer. This is unlike the records for all the other officers in the
Maryland companies of Rawling’s Regiment, who Steuart either lists as having
been captured and exchanged (with an exchange date given), or captured and
wounded/died. Therefore, perhaps Lt. Elijah Evans’ record in Steuart (1969)
is also erroneous, and Lt. Evans was also not captured. This would negate the
need to infer a relatively rapid release for Lt. Elijah Evans as described in
the previous paragraph.
†
All 1776 enlistment dates are from Archives of Maryland, 1900, Muster rolls and
other records of service of Maryland troops in the American Revolution, 1775–
1783: Baltimore, Maryland Historical Society, 736 p.
All riflemen with 1776 enlistment dates are listed in Archives of Maryland
(1900) as having enlisted in “Rawlings’ Regiment.”
‡
Privates who enlisted prior to 16 November 1776 (the date of the Battle of Fort
Washington) would have had a very low chance of survival if they had been
captured during the battle. Of the ~2,600 privates captured at the Battle of
Fort Washington, ~1,900 died within about two months; some of those that
survived were exchanged after about two months of imprisonment (Dandridge,
Danske, 1911, American prisoners of the Revolution: Charlottesville, The Michie
Company, p. 17, 67, and 81). Moreover, Ethan Allen’s first-hand account (of his
experiences as a prisoner in New York City at the same time) in Dandridge
(1911, p. 67 and 68) indicates that most of the exchanged privates died soon
after release. Therefore, the privates on the list above were very probably
among the riflemen of Rawlings’ Regiment that did not take part in the Battle
of Fort Washington.
Comparison of the muster roll of Capt. Alexander Lawson Smith’s Company taken
before the Battle of Fort Washington (Preston, W. W., 1901, History of Harford
County, Maryland, from 1608 [the year of Smith’s expedition] to the close of
the War of 1812: Baltimore, Press of Sun Book Office, p. 136) with the postbattle muster roll above also supports this conclusion. All the riflemen on the
pre-battle muster roll (except one) appear on the post-battle muster roll
above, therefore proving that Capt. Alexander Lawson Smith’s Company did not
take part in the battle. This is supported by Smith (1910) who indicates that
he, and presumably his entire company, took part in the Battle of Trenton on
26 December 1776, only 40 days after the Battle of Fort Washington.