For a state that did not see a single battle of the Revolutionary War fought on its soil, Maryland and its people still played a significant role in the conflict that resulted in American independence. The Society of the Cincinnati sheds light on their stories with the exhibition “Maryland in the American Revolution,” on view through September 5 at Anderson House, the society’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Through more than 40 artifacts, paintings, rare maps and manuscripts †drawn almost exclusively from the society’s collections †the exhibition explores the challenges and triumphs faced by Marylanders during the Revolutionary War through the eyes of those who experienced them. This exhibition is the 11th in a series examining the character of the American Revolution in each of the 13 original states and France.
On the eve of the Revolution, Maryland’s population had surpassed 200,000 people †including approximately 80,000 slaves †making it the fifth most populous American colony. Two rare Eighteenth Century maps of the colony and the Chesapeake Bay open the exhibition, charting the expanse and importance of Maryland’s lands and shores. Maryland had become known as “a middle temperature” between the northern and southern American colonies for its citizens’ moderate approach to colonial politics †a reputation that would be tested by the American Revolution.
Once hostilities broke out at Lexington and Concord, Mass., in April 1775, Marylanders began preparing for war. Letters written early in the Revolutionary War to General William Smallwood, the senior office of the Maryland Continental Line, detail the state’s preparations for war, including protecting its shores, raising troops and suppressing a loyalist rebellion on the Eastern Shore. Weapons and equipment used by soldiers, maps of key battles, manuscript orders given to troops, and portraits of soldiers chronicle the Maryland line’s service from Canada to Georgia.
Among the highlights of the exhibition are two swords awarded by Congress to Marylanders Tench Tilghman and Samuel Smith for valor during the Revolutionary War. The gold and silver swords are covered with patriotic decorations that symbolize the achievements and importance of these early American military heroes. Congress only awarded ten such swords during the Revolution. The exhibition also includes a collection of Tilghman’s possessions, including his commission, epaulets and a journal he kept during the Siege of Yorktown when the British surrendered in October 1781.
A pair of letters by George Washington and the Institution of the Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland closes the exhibition and transitions Maryland’s story from war to peace. In early 1783, while encamped along the Hudson River awaiting news of peace, Washington remained vigilant over military discipline among the army’s regiments. He wrote two letters to Maryland Major Thomas Lansdale during this period, in which the general admonishes Lansdale for the poor state of his unit and later acknowledges him for its improvement.
Anderson House is at 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW. For information, 202-785-2040 or www.societyofthecincinnati.org .
