2nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset County

The 2nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset County was an infantry company raised under the authority of the Maryland Convention during the American Revolutionary War. It was one of seven independent infantry companies ordered into existence at a January 1, 1776 meeting of the convention in Frederick Town. The unit was recruited in Somerset County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, an area described in the historical record as a significant center of Loyalist, or Tory, activity during the early years of the conflict. The company’s initial purpose was both provincial defense and the suppression of local opposition to the revolutionary government. On January 2, 1776, the Maryland Convention selected the company’s officers: John Gunby as captain, Uriah Forrest as first lieutenant, William Bowie as second lieutenant, and Benjamin Brooks as third lieutenant. The completed company numbered 103 men, including its officers. During the first part of the war, the unit operated primarily in southern Maryland. Its duties included patrols and actions against Tory camps in the lower part of the peninsula. This local security role reflected the unstable political and military conditions in Maryland, where revolutionary authorities sought to protect strategic settlements and maintain control over areas with organized Loyalist sentiment. The company’s role expanded in August 1776. On August 16, the Maryland Council of Safety ordered it to reinforce General George Washington’s army around New York. The unit did not reach the area in time to take part in the Battle of Long Island, but it subsequently served with the Maryland Line in several important Continental campaigns and engagements. These included the Battle of White Plains, the Battles of Trenton and Second Trenton, the Battle of Brandywine, and the Battle of Monmouth. The company therefore moved from a locally focused militia-like security function into active service with the Continental forces. Its service formed part of the broader contribution of Maryland troops to Washington’s army during the middle years of the war. In 1781, the 2nd Independent Maryland Company was absorbed into the 2nd Maryland Regiment, ending its existence as a separate independent company. The unit is consequently best understood as a historical military organization rather than a commercial brand: its significance lies in its formation by Maryland’s revolutionary government, its recruitment in Somerset County, its suppression of Loyalist activity, and its later participation in major operations of the Continental Army.

The company was created by the Maryland Convention at Frederick Town on January 1, 1776, as one of seven independent infantry companies intended to protect the province during the Revolutionary War. The convention appointed its officers the next day, naming John Gunby captain, Uriah Forrest first lieutenant, William Bowie second lieutenant, and Benjamin Brooks third lieutenant. Recruitment took place in Somerset County, and the unit’s total strength was 103 men, including officers. Its first responsibilities were concentrated in southern Maryland and the lower Eastern Shore peninsula. Somerset County was identified as a leading Tory stronghold, making local patrol and counter-Loyalist operations a central part of the company’s early service. The unit worked to disrupt Tory camps and protect the authority of Maryland’s revolutionary government. The company was later assigned to the wider Continental war effort. On August 16, 1776, the Maryland Council of Safety dispatched it to reinforce Washington’s forces operating around New York. Although the company arrived too late for the Battle of Long Island, it subsequently fought as part of the Maryland Line at White Plains, Trenton, Second Trenton, Brandywine, and Monmouth. These engagements placed a locally organized Maryland formation within some of the most important operations of the Continental Army in the mid-war period. In 1781, the independent company was absorbed into the 2nd Maryland Regiment. That consolidation ended the company’s separate organizational identity, while its personnel and service became part of the continuing Maryland Line contribution to the Continental Army. The available account emphasizes the unit’s transition from provincial defense and internal security to field service in the main Revolutionary War theater.

• 1781

  Absorbed into the 2nd Maryland Regiment

  [1]2nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset Countyen.wikipedia.org

  The company ceased to operate as an independent formation after being incorporated into the 2nd Maryland Regiment.

• 1776

  Maryland Convention authorizes the company

  [1]2nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset Countyen.wikipedia.org

  On January 1, the Maryland Convention meeting at Frederick Town ordered the creation of seven independent infantry companies, including the company that became the 2nd Independent Maryland Company of Somerset County.

• 1776

  Officer corps appointed

  [1]2nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset Countyen.wikipedia.org

  On January 2, the convention selected John Gunby as captain, Uriah Forrest as first lieutenant, William Bowie as second lieutenant, and Benjamin Brooks as third lieutenant.

• 1776

  Local defense in southern Maryland

  [1]2nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset Countyen.wikipedia.org

  The company patrolled southern Maryland and helped break up Tory camps, particularly in and around the lower peninsula where Loyalist sentiment was strong.

• 1776

  Sent to reinforce Washington’s army

  [1]2nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset Countyen.wikipedia.org

  On August 16, the Maryland Council of Safety ordered the company to join American forces around New York. It missed Long Island but later participated in several major engagements.

A locally raised Maryland infantry company that combined regional defense with service in the Continental Army.

1. 12nd Independent Maryland Company – Somerset Countyen.wikipedia.org