George Washington’s Immortals: The 400 Who Saved the American Army

The 1st Maryland Regiment (specifically the “Maryland 400”) undertook a critical rearguard mission during the Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn) on August 27, 1776 [00:00:01].
  • The Objective: After British forces executed a surprise flanking march through the unguarded Jamaica Pass [00:09:19], the Continental Army was surrounded and cut off [00:00:21]. The mission of the 1st Maryland Regiment was to launch a counterattack against the fortified British position at the Old Stone House [00:15:48] and hold the line at all costs [00:00:31].
  • The Strategic Goal: Buy enough time for thousands of retreating American troops to escape across the treacherous mud and salt marshes of Gowanus Creek back into the primary defensive fortifications at Brooklyn Heights [00:14:29].
  • The Action: Led by General William Alexander (Lord Stirling) and Major Mordecai Gist [00:15:38], fewer than 400 Maryland soldiers charged into concentrated British artillery and musket fire multiple times [00:16:16], holding off 2,000 veteran British and Hessian regulars for roughly an hour [00:18:07].
  • The Cost & Outcome:
    • Over 256 Marylanders were killed and more than 100 captured [00:19:20], leaving fewer than a dozen able to return directly to camp [00:19:37].
    • The sacrifice succeeded, delaying the British advance long enough for Washington’s army to reorganize and ultimately execute their midnight evacuation across the East River to Manhattan [00:21:12], saving the Continental Army and the Revolution from early destruction [00:23:28].

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