America’s Spartans. 400 Marylanders Hold Back 2,000 Redcoats To Save the Revolution. Long Island 1776 August 1776: The American Revolution was about to be crushed. At the Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn), Washington's army was surrounded by 20,000 British and Hessian troops. Escape routes were cut off. The Continental Army was collapsing. Then fewer than 400 men from the 1st Maryland Regiment, under Lord Stirling and Major Mordecai Gist, stepped forward for a mission few expected to survive. In one of the most heroic last stands in American military history, the Maryland 400 carried out repeated bayonet charges against veteran British forces at the Old Stone House, understanding the cost would be severe. Their sacrifice delayed the British advance for nearly an hour — just long enough for thousands of American troops to escape across the deadly Gowanus Marsh and retreat to Washington's camp at Brooklyn Heights. Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/a4T-sywgeis?si=JsCqGoRk-ZvfmjAC Clear and Present History 37.8K subscribers 99,668 views Jan 29, 2026 Clear and Present History Podcast ----- Learn More About the Maryland 400! A comprehensive book about the Maryland 400 — including biographies of all 870 known soldiers — is currently in development by the Maryland State Archives, with generous support from the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). 📘 If you’d like to learn more about the book or support the project, visit: https://msa.maryland.gov/maryland400 📜 You can also explore the Maryland SAR’s Maryland 400 initiatives here: https://mdssar.org/maryland400 ------ 👉 Subscribe to Clear and Present History for more: / @clearpresenthistory 🗽 Join this channel to support American history research: / @clearpresenthistory ⭐ GET THE BOOK: Washington's Immortals by Patrick K. O'Donnell. https://amzn.to/46iuxB2 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; which help support our channel's work!) ----- Only 12 will survive. But their sacrifice bought Washington the time he needed. Days later, under cover of a miraculous fog, the Continental Army made a daring nighttime escape across the East River—9,000 men evacuated in complete silence. The Maryland 400 didn't just delay the British. They saved the American Revolution. Just weeks after the Declaration of Independence was declared. Without their stand: Washington’s army may have been destroyed. The evacuation across the East River never happens. The Continental Army — and the Revolution — could have ended in 1776. This is the story of the battle that almost crushed America…and the 400 young men who saved it. You’ll see: • How the British outflanked the Americans through Jamaica Pass • The collapse of the American center under Hessian assault • Washington watching his army’s destruction from Brooklyn Heights • The desperate rearguard action ordered by Lord Stirling • The legendary charge of the Maryland 400 • The miraculous nighttime evacuation and fog that saved the army Often called “Washington’s Immortals,” the Maryland 400 became the reason Maryland is known as the Old Line State, and their legacy lives on today in the 175th Infantry Regiment of the Maryland National Guard. This is one of the most important battles of the American Revolution — and one of the most overlooked. CHAPTERS: 00:00 America’s First Major Disaster 00:43 The Revolution Before the Storm 01:34 Why New York Was the Key to the War 02:33 A Divided Army, A Massive British Invasion 04:13 Independence Declared… War Approaches 05:15 The Elite Unit No One Took Seriously 6:59 The British Land on Long Island 9:03 The Secret March Through Jamaica Pass 12:03 The American Line Collapses 13:02 The Killing Box at Gowanus 14:42 Washington’s Army Faces Destruction 15:38 The Order for a Suicide Mission 17:05 The Final Bayonet Assault 18:01 The Hour That Saved the Army 19:56 Washington’s Army Still Trapped 20:57 The Nighttime Escape Begins 21:59 The Miracle Fog 22:59 “Washington’s Immortals” 24:24 The 175th Infantry: Legacy of the Maryland 400 Connect with us! / clearpresenthistory #Maryland400 #BattleofLongIsland #BattleofBrooklyn #1776 #americanrevolution #georgewashington #continentalarmy

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related