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First Company Maryland Rifles (Cresap's Company)

First Company Maryland Rifles

{Captain Michael Cresap's Company}

Members of the Continental Line {applicant}

One of the first ten units to be authorized by Continental Congress by a resolve dated 14 June 1775. {This date is now celebrated by the modern US Army as its birthday}

Organized 21 June 1775 by
Frederick County, Maryland, Committee of Safety

Cresap's rifle company was the first southern unit to join General Washington around Boston at the beginning of the American War of Independence.
Captain Cresap marched his company of riflemen 550 miles in 22 days to join the struggle that would go on for eight years. The war would take Cresap's life almost immediately (from illness).

Captain Michael Cresap, born 1742 in Maryland; died 17 October 1775 in New York City and is buried in Trinity Church graveyard (see funeral below). Prior to the Revolution he was accused of the killings of Mingo Chief Logan's family at Yellow Creek on 30 April 1774, sparking Lord Dunmore's War of 1774. He was not responsible for the deaths, the murders were more likely the work of another frontiersman Daniel Greathouse.
While at one of his homes in Oldtown, Maryland Cresap received word of his appointment as Captain of newly authorized Rifle Company. He was not very enthusiastic about this due to his poor health and his bad state of personal affairs. He accepted however, partly due to his father's statement, if Michael did not go he would. He started out with 20 riflemen from the immediate area. On the way to Frederick the strength had swollen to 130 men.

Pennsylvania Gazette 16 August 1775, Extract of a letter from Frederick Town, Aug.1st.

"Notwithstanding the Urgency of my business, I have been detained three Days in this Place by an Occurance truely agreeable. - I have had the Happiness of seeing Captain Michael Cressap, marching at the Head of a formidable Company, of upwards of 130 Men from the Mountains and back Woods, painted like Indians, armed with Tomahawks and Rifles, dressed in hunting Shirts and Mockasons, and tho' some had traveled near 800 Miles from the Banks of the Ohio, they seemed to walk light and easy, and not with less Spirit than in the first Hour of their March. - Health and Vigour, after they had undergone, declared them to be intimate with Hardship and familiar with Danger - Joy and Satisfaction were visible in the Crowd that met them - Had Lord North been present, and assured that the brave Leader could raise Thousands of such like to defend his Country, what think you, would not the Hatchet and the Block have intruded upon his mind? I had an Opportunity of attending the Captain during his Stay in Town, and watched the Behaviour of his Men, and the Manner in which he treated them; for it seems that all those who go to War under him, do not only pay the most willing Obedience to him as their Commander, but every Instance of Distress look up to him as a Friend or a Father. - A great Part of his Time was spent listening to a relieving their Wants, without any apparent Sense of Fatigue or Trouble, when Complaints were before him he determined with Kindness and Spirit, and on every Occasion condescended to please without losing his Dignity. -

"Yesterday the Company were supplied with a small Quantity of Powder from the Magazine, which wanted airing, and was not in good Order for Rifles; in the Evening, however, they were drawn out, to shew the Gentlemen of the Town their Dexterity in shooting; a Clapboard with a Mark the Size of a Dollar, was put up; they began to fire off hand, and the Bystanders were surprized, few Shot being made that were not close to or in the Paper; when they shot for a Time in this Way, some lay on their Backs, some on their Breast or Side, others ran 20 or 30 Steps and firing, appeared to be equally certain of their Mark - With this Performance the Company were more than satisfied, when a young Man took up the Board in his hand, not by the End but the Side, and holding it up, his Brother walked to the Distance and very coolly shot into the white; laying down his Rifle, he took the Board, and holding as it was held before, the second Brother shot as the former had done. - By this exercise I was more astonished then pleased. But will you believe me when I tell you that one of the Men took the Board and placing it between his Legs, stood with his Back to the Tree, while another drove the center. What would a regular Army, of considerable Strength in the Forest of America do with 1000 of these Men, who want nothing to preserve their Health and Courage, but Water from the Spring, with a little parched Corn, and what they can easily procure in Hunting; and who, wrapped in their Blankets in the Damp of Night, would choose the Shade of a Tree for their Covering, and the Earth for their bed?"

New York Gazette, 23 October 1775

"...led by a Serjeant Major walked the Grenadiers of the First Battalion with their Flintlocks reversed. Behind two Lieutenants marched a fife & drum corps. Next came a Captain of Grenadiers flanked by two Serjeants aides. Two Adjutants appointed to conduct the funeral came next and were followed by a military band. Immediately proceeding the Casket walked the Clergyman and alongside the Caisson bearing the body of Captain Cresap walked eight pallbearers all Captains. The Captain's Coffin was followed by the mourners, probably Army friends of the deceased. The rear of the Funeral Cartage was composed of no less than three Infantry Battalions, an entire Battalion made up of Officers and a large assemblage of Civilians."

Timeline of the Rifle Regiment

Captain Cresap, who was already in poor health marched the company of 130 riflemen from western Maryland to the lines at Roxbury (Cambridge) opposite to Boston Massachusetts and remained there for one year. Once the unit arrived Captain Cresap attempted to return home, but only made it as far as New York.
When Cresap died, Lieutenant Moses Rawlings was promoted Captain to command the company.
17 June 1776 the company was reorganized into the Maryland & Virginia Rifle Regiment as part of the Continental Army. Rawlings was second in command briefly as Commander Hugh Stephenson soon died in August 1776, Rawlings is promoted to command the regiment of nearly 250 men. The unit was then assigned by General Washington to be part of the Hudson River defenses at Fort Washington.
16 November 1776, the regiment was captured after the defense of Fort Tryon, part of the outer works of Fort Washington. Rawlings was wounded during this action in the leg. He turned over command during the battle to his second, Otho Holland Williams, who was wounded slightly along with approximately 40 others of the regiment. They also had approximately twelve killed at Fort Tryon. (Note; from Ward: relating to the attack by Rall and Knyphausen on Fort Tryon, actually a small redoubt with the rifles and a battery of 3 guns, he states; "For nearly two hours these courageous assaults {by the German troops} and this stubborn defense continued. But the rifles of the Americans became fouled by the frequent and long continued discharges. Man after man found that he could not drive home a bullet in a clogged barrel of his gun. The fire of the defenders waned and at last was too feeble to hold back the enemy, now nearing the top of the ascent. They had no bayonets to repel a charge with that weapon. A retreat was inevitable. Rawlings drew them back toward the fort {this even with much very close combat}. They gained it ahead of their pursuers. This was the hottest fight of the day and the longest." This was after a cannonade of nearly two hours and many feints against their position.
On the 6th of December (according to Pennsylvania Packet, 18 December 1776), "Prisoners held in the town of Brunswick in the Jerseys, to be exchanged for the Garrison of Fort Washington." This apparently did not include Rawlings, as he was held for thirteen months, until he escaped! Otho Holland Williams and other Officers were still held sometime after March 1778.
In a letter from Congress dated 18 February 1778, Moses Rawlings is assigned the post of Deputy Quartermaster General of the Western Department and stationed at Fort Frederick, Maryland. He was also to supervise the guarding of "Convention Troops" sent there.
21 March 1779, reorganized as Rawlings' Independent Corps (a.k.a. The Maryland Corps), relieved from the Main Army and assigned to the Western Department.
This was not the reward most of them sought (even though they would be close to home) as Rawlings resigned June 1779. It took a bit longer for "The Maryland Corps is at present stationed upon the Frontier of Westmorland, but it appears by recent information, they are determined to march to Maryland to apply for Clothing, of which they are destitute." This was an extract of a letter from the Commander of Fort Pitt, Colonel Daniel Brodhead, dated 23 August 1781. {There was a small protest by Officers at Fort Frederick, a petition was sent to the Governor of Maryland signed by them. I am not sure, but may have been part of this incident. I am trying to find the documentation for this. I have misplaced my copies of this record.}
According to Wright, Continental Army, p.319; Rawlings' Independent Corps was disbanded 1 January 1781 at Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania. The letter from Col. Brodhead however contradicts Wright.

Deserter Descriptions from the Pennsylvania Packet & Pennsylvania Gazette.

a snuff colored coat and a hunting shirt, linen breeches and leggings
a light cloth coat, jacket and breeches and linen leggings
brown coat, spotted waistcoat, leather breeches
brown coat, red waistcoat, light cloth breeches
light colored homespun jacket with sleeves, striped linsey waistcoat, brown cloth trousers
Sky blue cloth coat, green jacket and breeches
Light colored wilton coat, light colored jacket and black velvet breeches.
Blanket coat dyed black, light colored close bodied coat, light colored jacket and leggings
Blue coat faced with red, light colored jacket and breeches
light colored wilton coat and jacket, country cloth breeches with blue worsted knee bands
a hunting shirt and a light colored coat
a light colored cloth coat, jacket trimmed with yellow buttons, buckskin breeches, small round hat
a light colored regimental coat with a red cape, blue jacket and leather breeches
There are some indications that the Officers for a time wore red coats faced white. One may have been "acquired" at the Battle of Princeton, but there is also evidence that at least one Capt. Thomas Beall received enough "scarlet cloth sufft to make a Coat and Waistcoat".

Patterns of Dress

I was rather surprised by a pattern that emerged from the research. The manner of dress of these riflemen went against the myth we have come to accept about these "backwoodsmen" who as we formerly believed were dressed in hunting shirts and buckskins. Quite the contrary is true. These men are dressed pretty much the same as the rest of the men of the same station in life. They are not necessarily in uniform, but are dressed, for the time, properly. This also dispels the breechclout (or breechcloth) as an accepted item of clothing. I never found one reference to this unusual bit of clothing being worn by these riflemen. I did find that nearly all of the men were wearing breeches, with a few (very few) in "trowsers". Those who had hunting shirts were also wearing coats.
A few notes on terms found in the deserter reports. A jacket usually refers to a sleeved waistcoat, but not always does it have sleeves. Linen leggings are usually gaiters of the full or long type.

Some Personal Observations

(Or editorial notes)

There is much we have come to believe (often mistaken) about Riflemen in the American Revolution.. We do know that they were a proud part of the war. But with a view toward balanced study, their effectiveness could be held in question as a strategic influence. The psychological effect they had on their enemy certainly was a part of the myth. However once the opposition was aware of their deficiencies (lack of bayonet, slow to load & quick to foul) it was exploited to the rifles' disadvantage.

In 18th Century warfare the riflemen, if utilized properly, could play an important but minor part of the battle. Their proper utilization was not always the case as we see in the defense of Fort Tryon (Fort Washington). Washington wanted to eventually meet his foe on the field of battle and defeat him with sword and bayonet. When he finally had his army in shape for this he enjoyed some dramatic victories. The much storied riflemen became unnecessary and obsolete. They were either disbanded or issued muskets.
There is an account by a British Officer and his unit being engaged with riflemen for a prolonged period. He stated that he was being fired upon at very close ranges, with little effect. His unit only suffered one casualty from opposing rifles. He maligned the accuracy of his enemy and he may have been correct about the ability of these riflemen to hit a man sized target in war. To give the riflemen their due, they did accomplish a tactical delay or holding action on this unit and therefore had an effect.

Cresap's Rifles and other rifle regiments certainly had many heroic episodes during the war. The march north by Captain Cresap and his men was a monumental accomplishment. Averaging 25 miles a day on foot for 22 days is a grueling pace by any Army's standard. Considering the state of the roads (or lack thereof) in those days it was indeed heroic. It likely cost Cresap's life.
Other rifle units or riflemen received much more credit than this valiant group. Daniel Morgan had much well deserved attention paid to him. While Michael Cresap, Moses Rawlings and Otho Holland Williams and the rest of their men remain almost unknown, even in their home state of Maryland. Their heroic but futile defense of Fort Tryon ending in hand-to-hand combat, withdrawal, ultimate surrender and captivity; along with other battles and skirmishes certainly aided in the eventual victory of Rebel forces and the forming of a new nation. The eventual placement of this unit into the Western Department of the Continental Line guarding supply trains likely guaranteed their obscurity.

Interpreting Original Documents and Primary Source Material

In researching history we look for letters, diaries, documents and military orders relating to this unit and actions with which it may have been involved. I have some strong opinions relating to believing some of these documents.

First, while we study primary sources we must be careful to not fall into a trap of believing everything we read. Many accounts (as we see in the letter from Frederick Town of the first of August printed above) were attempts to excite the reader, express a misconception or rumor, to mold opinion or possibly to down right deceive. Remember the enemy is reading the same paper! Psychological warfare is not a new tactic. Placing the riflemen in a position of superiority over the regular Crown Forces did have an unnerving effect. Considering many of these troops found themselves in such an alien environment that they would likely believe anything they heard. They might even be more likely to desert in greater numbers. We have often seen where rumor is more powerful than fact or even reason. This is still true in modern warfare. If we look carefully at the Frederick Town letter we also see a claim of men "traveled near 800 Miles from the Banks of the Ohio". If they indeed came from there, they would have had to have flown. More likely they were already in the area, Cresap lived near Wheeling (Virginia then) but was in Oldtown when he heard the news of his appointment.
Regarding the antics of the riflemen in their shooting prowess, we must take this too with a grain of salt. This show of incredible bravado (or stupidity) may have been an exaggeration, just as their manner of dress as described. The ability of period firearms to be able to hit marks are not in question. They were quite capable of hitting the mark. I just think this report is suspect as fact but makes a very good story. The deserter reports that I found of these men, which described the dress and other distinguishing features, do not support the claim of how these men were attired. I included the Frederick Town letter as it does show an interesting perspective. The report of Cresap's funeral however could be believed as there is no reason to embellish or deceive. When we look to the timeline of the unit and the report of many modern books giving the date of disbandment of the unit, we can't trust these reports as there is correspondence that contradicts this information. Again there would be no reason for deception unless there was concern that the correspondence was to fall into enemy hands or there was an effort to show more troops on the books than actually existed. The type of correspondence would not support this view as the writer was saying they were no longer effective. So we have a dilemma, do we trust original accounts. We must rely on the situation and on multiple sources to develop a pattern of agreement.

Death to Tyrants

Bibliography.

Primary Sources;
New York Gazette, 23 October 1775
Pennsylvania Packet, 18 December 1776
Pennsylvania Gazette 16 August 1775
Papers of the Continental Congress, Item 152, Vol.7 Pages 45-46, US National Archives, Washington, DC
________, Item 41, Vol.8 Pages 361-362
________,Item 70,Maryland & Delaware State Papers
________, Item 147, Vol. 2 Page 321
Rawlings Papers MSS: 1399, Maryland Historical Society letter dated 26 February 1778 from OH Williams.
________, Extract of Minutes dated 18 February 1778 from Charles Thomson, Secy.
________, Rawlings Accounting with US of America dated ? 1778
________, Letter of Instruction & Appointment dated 2 October 1779 from J. Calhoun.
Washington, George Papers in the Library of Congress refered to as the Varick Transcripts, letter to Continental Congress dated November 16, 1776
________, Letter to Continental Congress dated November 19, 1776
________, Letter to Daniel Brodhead dated March 22 & May 10, 1779 & May 5, 1781
Calender of the General Otho Holland Williams Papers in Maryland Historic Society; Calender published, Nov 1940
Heath, Maj.Gen. William, Memoirs of the American War (originally published 1798, reprinted 1904)
Articles;
Maryland Historical Magazine, pub MHS, Summer 1976, Vol.71,No.2; "The Capture of Col. Moses Rawlings" by D.J.Schmitt.
Muzzleblast, pub.NMLRA, August 1996, Frontiersman Odyssey, "The Cresaps of Maryland", by Lt.Col. Vaughn K. Goodwin.
Other Sources;
Boatner, Mark M., Encyclopedia of the American Revolution (1966)
Doddridge,J., Notes on Settlement & Indian Wars of the Western Parts of Virginia & Pennsylvania 1763 to 1783 (1912 ed.)
Katcher, Philip, Uniforms of the Continental Army (1981)
Lossing, Benj., Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution (1860 ed.)
Ward, Christopher, The War of the Revolution (1952)
Wright, Robert K.Jr., The Continental Army published by GPO 1983

Other references will be added as this article is updated.

Recommended Reading List;

Bolton, Charles K., The Private Soldier Under Washington, Corner House Publishers 1976
Commager, Henry S., The Spirit of Seventy-Six, Merrill 1958
Corncob, Jonathan, The Adventures of Jonathan Corncob (originally published 1787) 1976 edition Godine
Dann, John C., The Revolution Remembered, Eyewitness Accounts of the War for Independence Univ of Chicago Press 1980
Duffy, Chistopher, The Military Experience in the Age of Reason 1715-1789, Scribner 1987
Fischer, David H., Albion's Seed, Four British Folkways in America, Oxford University Press 1989
______, Paul Revere's Ride, Oxford University Press 1994
Fox, Ebenezer, The Adventures of Ebenezer Fox in the American Revolution, originally printed 1847 (reprint Heritage)
Greenman, Jeremiah, Diary of a Common Soldier in the American Revolution 1775-1783, Northern Illinois Univ. Press 1978
Gruber, Ira D., The Howe Brothers & The American Revolution, Chapel Hill 1972
Martin, Joseph P., Private Yankee Doodle, Eastern Acorn Press 1962
Randall Willard S., A Little Revenge ? B. Franklin & His Son, Little Brown & Co. 1984
_______, Benedict Arnold, Patriot and Traitor, W.Morrow/Quill 1990
Trevelyan, George O., The American Revolution edited by Richard B. Morris, McKay 1964

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