Personal Facts
- Born: Sometime in 1732, in Charles County, Maryland.
- Parents: Bayne Smallwood (father) and Priscilla Heaberd (mother).
- Spouse: None.
- Died: February 14, 1792, in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He was 60..
- Buried: Smallwood State Park, Marbury, Maryland.
- Significance: William Smallwood is important to American History because of his military service during the American Revolutionary War. He was also the fourth Governor of Maryland.
Biography
Early Life
William Smallwood was born in 1732 in Charles County, Maryland, to Bayne Smallwood and Priscilla Heaberd. Starting in the late 1690s, he family was involved in Maryland politics.
- His great-grandfather, James Smallwood, immigrated to Maryland in 1664 as an indentured servant and settled in Charles County. He became a planter, politician, and soldier who was involved in the government of Maryland from 1692 to 1715.
- Bayne Smallwood was also a delegate to the Maryland Assembly, starting in 1738.
Smallwood received most of his education in England, at Eton. When he returned to Maryland, he served in the provincial forces during the French and Indian War (1754–1763).
American Revolution
In 1761, Smallwood followed in his father’s footsteps when Charles County elected him to the Maryland Assembly.
- Smallwood was associated with William Paca, a Patriot leader in Maryland.
- His father, Bayne, died in 1768, and he took over the family’s estate, which was called “Mattawoman.”
- In 1769, Smallwood signed the Maryland Non-Importation Agreement in protest of the Townshend Acts.
- Smallwood served in the Maryland Assembly until 1774.
- He joined the Charles County Committee of Correspondence in 1774.
Smallwood was involved in the Patriot Cause in Maryland and supported American Independence.
- He joined the Charles County Committee of Correspondence in 1774.
- In 1775, he joined the Association of the Freemen of Maryland, which opposed Taxation Without Representation by stating it was in “opposition by arms, to the British troops, employed to enforce obedience to the late acts and statutes of the British parliament, for raising a revenue in America.”
- He participated in the Maryland Provincial Congresses in 1774, 1775, and 1776.
American Revolutionary War
Smallwood received a commission as a Colonel on January 14, 1776. The unit he recruited men for and organized the 1st Maryland Regiment, which became known as “Smallwood’s Maryland Regiment.” This regiment left Annapolis, Maryland, on July 10, 1776, to join General George Washington’s Army in New York.
New York Campaign
Smallwood’s Regiment arrived in time for the opening of the New York Campaign. It earned distinction at the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776, where they fought under the command of General William Alexander, Lord Stirling.
On the morning of the battle, the British attacked General John Sullivan’s forces. The American lines fell apart, and they retreated. However, the 1st Maryland Regiment, under the command of Alexander and Mordecai Gist, made a historic stand, which gave many Americans time to escape and make their way to defensive positions in Brooklyn Heights.
- This small force that covered the retreat is known as the “Maryland 400.”
- 240-280 of these men were from the Maryland Regiment, and they suffered heavy casualties.
- Gist led the regiment during the battle because Smallwood was on court-martial duty in New York City. Smallwood wanted to be with his men, but Washington insisted on completing the trial of Colonel Herman Zedtwitz, who was accused of treason.
- Smallwood arrived during the latter part of the battle and helped direct covering fire that protected retreating American forces.
Soon after, Smallwood and his troops were added to Alexander McDougall’s command. For the next two months, the British, led by General William Howe, took control of New York City and pushed Washington north to White Plains. McDougall and his men moved with the division of the army under the command of General Charles Lee.
Smallwood’s Regiment fought in the Battle of White Plains (October 28, 1776), when British forces attacked the far right of the American Line at Chatterton Hill.
- Smallwood’s troops fought hard, briefly repelling a British assault.
- The British drove the Americans from the hill, but the time it took kept the British from advancing and attacking the main army.
- Smallwood was wounded twice during the retreat.
- Afterward, Washington’s Army retreated further north to North Castle.
American Revolutionary War Service, 1776–1783
Smallwood did not recover from his wounds in time to participate in the last stage of the New York Campaign or the opening of the New Jersey Campaign. However, his regiment fought at Fort Washington, Trenton, and Princeton.
- During the winter of 1776–1777, he worked to gather supplies and distribute them to his men, who were encamped with Washington’s Army around Morristown, New Jersey.
Congress promoted him to the rank of Brigadier General on October 23, 1776. In December 1776, he and Gist were sent to Maryland and Delaware to recruit men for the Continental Army’s 1777 campaign.
- AHC Note — During the American Revolutionary War, recruits were referred to as “levies.”
While Smallwood and Gist were recruiting men, the Maryland Council of Safety and Continental Congress sent them to deal with Loyalists in Somerset County and Worcester County who were creating problems. They were rounded up and arrested without serious hostilities due to:
- Cutting down Liberty Poles.
- Publicly drinking toasts to King George III.
- Providing food and supplies to British forces.
Smallwood did not care for this operation. On April 24, he wrote a letter to Washington that said: “Colonel Gist and myself by Order of Congress were sent on a very disagreeable Expedition to the eastern Shore, to quel an Insurrection of the Tories in Somerset and Worcester Counties, which tho attended with no difficulty or risque, detained us little less than two Months…”
By mid-August, Smallwood was back with his regiment, in Hanover, New Jersey. On August 15, he wrote to Washington and told him he was concerned about his men, “I found my Brigade not in that desireable State I cou’d have wished, respecting this Situation of, & Regulations in their Encampment, Numbers, Arms, Cloathing, and Discipline, but rest assured Sir that every Effort to render them formidable & respectable shall be exerted.”
On August 22, 1777, General Sullivan attacked a British garrison on Staten Island. The Americans held the upper hand at first and took prisoners. However, the British regrouped, counterattacked, and drove the Americans back to the mainland, earning a victory in the Battle of Staten Island. Smallwood was with Sullivan during this operation.
Soon after, British forces landed in the Chesapeake Bay as they prepared to attack Washington’s Army and capture Philadelphia. Washington needed more men to defend the city, so he sent Smallwood and Gist to Maryland to gather and organize militia forces.
Smallwood rejoined Washington’s Army in Pennsylvania and played a role in the Battle of Paoli (September 20, 1777) and the Battle of Germantown (October 4, 1777).
- British forces carried out a surprise attack on General Anthony Wayne’s camp at Paoli and fled toward White Horse Tavern. Smallwood and his men were marching toward the camp when the British attacked and routed them.
- At Germantown, Smallwood became lost in the thick fog and was forced to withdraw. Afterward, he criticized the militia for their lack of discipline.
Smallwood’s troops were with Washington during the Winter at Valley Forge (1777–1778). In a letter he wrote to Washington on December 1, he objected to Valley Forge as the location, believing it would “impair the Mens Health” and leave the Jerseys and Eastern Shore of Maryland open to British attacks.
- Smallwood was stationed at Wilmington, Delaware, where he helped capture a British supply ship.
For much of 1778 and 1779, he oversaw American forces at Wilmington, which were protecting storehouses for the Continental Army. During this time, he also monitored British movements in the Chesapeake Bay.
In April 1780, he marched to North Carolina with the Southern Army. In the fall, he fought in the Battle of Camden (August 16), in which the British routed the Americans, scattering the Southern Army.
- Smallwood’s Regiment was under the command of General Johann de Kalb, and the full army was led by General Horatio Gates.
- Smallwood was separated from his regiment during the battle and swept to the rear by fleeing troops.
- De Kalb was mortally wounded, and Smallwood assumed command of the division.
- He gathered survivors near Charlotte, North Carolina, and led them to Salisbury, North Carolina.
- Afterward, Smallwood was critical of Gates and his decisions, which he believed contributed to the defeat.
Smallwood was promoted to the rank of Major General on September 15, 1780, in part for his actions at Camden.
- When Nathanael Greene replaced Horatio Gates as commander of the Southern Department, the Southern Army underwent a reorganization.
- Smallwood was made subordinate to General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben.
- This upset Smallwood, who had a history of opposing the promotion of foreign officers ahead of Americans.
Instead of joining Greene for his campaign, Smallwood oversaw the North Carolina Militia before returning to Maryland.
- In January 1781, he led militia and routed British forces that were threatening Petersburg, Virginia.
- He remained in the service of the Continental Army until he resigned on November 15, 1783.
Post-War Life
- He was elected President of the Maryland Chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati.
- Smallwood declined his election to the Confederation Congress in 1784.
- In 1785, he was elected Governor of Maryland and served three terms.
- He was elected to the Maryland Senate in 1791 and served as its President.
- Smallwood died on February 14, 1792, while traveling from Annapolis, Maryland, to his home.
Society of the Cincinnati — Led by Henry Knox, the officers from the Continental Army organized a fraternal organization. It was named after Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus, a Roman military leader who gave up his political and military power after defeating the Roman Empire’s enemies. The Society continues to operate, calling itself the “nation’s oldest patriotic organization.”
Appendix
Biographical Sketch
This biographical sketch of William Smallwood is from Biographical Sketches of the Generals of the Continental Army of the Revolution by Mary Theresa Leiter (1889). Please note that minor text corrections have been made to improve readability.
William Smallwood, born in Kent County, Maryland, in 1732, was elected Colonel of the Maryland battalion on the 2nd of January, 1776; and on the 10th of July following, at the head of nine companies, he joined Washington in New York.
His troops took an active part in the Battle of Brooklyn Heights on the 27th of August. Fighting desperately from sunrise until the last gun was fired at night, they lost nearly half their number.
Again, on the 18th of October, at White Plains, the Maryland troops fought valiantly. Smallwood was severely wounded, and for his gallantry was commissioned Brigadier General by the Continental Congress on the 23rd of October, 1776.
At Fort Washington on November 16 of the same year, his troops again distinguished themselves, but with heavy losses in killed and wounded.
In the summer of 1777, he joined Sullivan in his expedition against Staten Island. When the British arrived in the Chesapeake, Smallwood was entrusted with the collection and organization of the Western Shore Maryland Militia.
In the Battle of Germantown on October 4, Smallwood’s troops retrieved the day and captured part of the enemy’s camp.
Stationed by Washington at Wilmington during the winter of 1777–78, he captured a British brig in the Delaware River, laden with stores and provisions.
Ordered South with the army under Gates in 1780, his command behaved with their accustomed bravery at the disastrous battle of Camden, for which Sraallwood received the thanks of Congress and was promoted to the rank of major-general on the 15th of September, 1780.
When Greene superseded Gates in command of the Southern army, Smallwood refused to serve under Baron Steuben, who was then his superior officer, and declared his intention of retiring unless his commission was antedated two years. So absurd a claim could not be allowed, as, besides, there being no reason for changing the date, to comply would have thrown into confusion the entire list of Major Generals.
Smallwood, however, remained in service until the 15th of November, 1783, when Congress accepted his resignation.
In 1785, his native State elected him to Congress, and the same year chose him for governor. The latter office he held for three years, and then retired from public life. He died in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on the 14th of February, 1792,
Narrative
This narrative of William Smallwood is from the Dictionary of American Biography (1943). Please note that minor text corrections have been made and additional spacing has been added to improve readability.
William Smallwood, soldier and Governor, was the great-grandson of James Smallwood, who arrived in Maryland in 1664, settled in Charles County, became a large planter, served as sheriff and as county commissioner, received the rank of colonel with authority to raise a regiment for fighting Indians, and during nearly the entire period of the royal government of Maryland, 1692-1715, was a representative of his county in the Maryland Assembly.
William Smallwood’s father was Bayne Smallwood, a delegate for Charles County in the Maryland Assembly in 1738 and several succeeding years. His mother was Priscilla (Heaberd), who was born in Virginia.
William, born in Charles County, is said to have been sent to school in England. He began his military career as a soldier in the French and Indian War. He took his seat in the Maryland Assembly in 1761 as a delegate for Charles County. He became one of the liberal leaders of that body, speaking and voting on essential questions with Thomas Johnson and William Paca.
He joined the Maryland non-importation association in June 1769, and as a delegate to the Maryland Convention of 1775, he joined the Association of the Freemen of Maryland which advocated “opposition by arms, to the British troops, employed to enforce obedience to the late acts and statutes of the British parliament, for raising a revenue in America.”
In January 1776, commissions were issued to raise a regiment of Maryland troops under Smallwood’s command. The Maryland Convention withdrew its objections to a declaration of independence on June 26, and five days after the famous declaration by the Continental Congress, Smallwood marched northward with a battalion of nine companies.
Reinforcements followed, and in the battle of Long Island, although Smallwood was absent, the Maryland line established a reputation for valor. Under Smallwood, the survivors covered Washington’s retreat. They fought with like valor at White Plains, where Smallwood was wounded. The Continental Congress elected him a Brigadier General on October 23, 1776, and two months later, he was ordered to Maryland to promote the raising of new levies. His men fought at Fort Washington, Trenton, Princeton, and Germantown.
In 1778–1779, he was at Wilmington, Delaware, covering Washington’s stores at the head of the Elk River, watching for operations of the enemy on the Chesapeake, and suppressing a Tory uprising on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
He was ordered to the South in April 1780, was promoted to the rank of major-general in September of that year, and for brave fighting near Camden, he and his men received the thanks of Congress.
Upon the death of Baron de Kalb, three days after the battle of Camden, Smallwood was placed in command of a division, but when Horatio Gates was removed, his position was that of a subordinate to Baron Steuben. He protested and threatened to resign rather than serve under a foreigner, but Washington expressed his displeasure at this attitude. Congress was firm, so Greene sent him to Maryland to aid in procuring supplies and reinforcements, and he continued in the service until November 15, 1783.
Smallwood made himself disagreeable by repeatedly complaining that he was not promoted as rapidly as he deserved, by voicing concerns that his state was not accorded recognition in proportion to its services, and by his offensive attitude toward foreigners. The sacrifice of his men during battle seemed not to disturb him. His greatest service in the war was as a drill master, in raising men and supplies, and in administering other military affairs of his state. When the war had ended, he enjoyed some of the usual popularity of a military hero.
The Maryland Assembly elected him a delegate to the Continental Congress (December 4, 1784), but he declined to serve. He was elected Governor the following year and served three consecutive terms of one year each. As Governor, he called the convention in which Maryland ratified the Constitution of the United States, and he promoted the movement for the improvement of the navigation of the Potomac. Smallwood never married. He died in Prince George’s County and was buried in Charles County.
