Maryland Center of Military History

09/18/2025

The Maryland Museum of Military History will be closed to allow staff to attend a historic event for the Maryland National Guard on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. The museum will reopen the next day and resume regular business hours from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For more information, please visit the museum's website linked below. Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you soon.

https://military.maryland.gov/NG/Pages/MMMH.aspx

06/12/2025

🚨 Attention visitors!

The Maryland Museum of Military History will be closed today.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, we will be back open tomorrow during our normal business hours.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We will be back open tomorrow during our normal business hours.

04/15/2025

The Maryland Museum of Military History has been spotlighted in the Army Historical Foundation! This feature beautifully showcases our rich heritage, including the remarkable story of Joseph Farinholt, a true hero of the Maryland National Guard.

From the historic Fifth Regiment Armory, which housed troops during pivotal moments in history, to the ongoing legacy of bravery and service, our museum stands as a testament to the courage of our soldiers. Join us in celebrating our past and preserving our military history for future generations!

Located within the historic Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore, Maryland, the Maryland Museum of Military History was founded in 1982 to preserve the history and heritage of Maryland's National Guard.

03/25/2025

Today is Medal of Honor Day, celebrating our service members who paid the price for our freedom, most of whom accomplish the mission with little fanfare or recognition. One such little-known Medal of Honor recipient from the Maryland National Guard was Colonel Charles E. Phelps of Baltimore.

Phelps joined the Maryland National Guard in 1861 as a major, then promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 7th Regiment, Maryland Infantry. While in the command of his unit during the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA, according to his citation, Phelps “rode to the head of the assaulting column, then much broken by severe losses and faltering under the close fire of artillery, placed himself conspicuously in front of the troops and gallantly rallied and led them to within a few feet of the enemy’s works, where he was severely wounded and captured.”

Phelps was later released and soon after honorably discharged for his wounds. A lawyer by trade, after the war he was elected to and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1865-1869. Returning home to Baltimore, he continued his legal practice and was appointed associate judge from 1882 until his death in 1908.

Photograph from National Archives

03/25/2025

Happy 391st Birthday, Maryland National Guard! On 25 March 1634, two ships from England landed on St. Cement’s Island and two militia captains established “Roving Bands,” the precursor to the militia. Since that time, the members of the Maryland militia/Maryland National Guard have stepped up to protect the citizens of Maryland and the United States whenever and wherever needed.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

02/27/2025

Thomas Carney and the Maryland Line
Dr. Julie Shively, MDNG Command Historian

As with most soldiers who fought and sacrificed for independence, little is known about Corporal Thomas Carney’s personal life. What is known comes from his approved pension request and a detailed obituary, as well as several mentions of him in other soldiers’ accounts of battles. From these scant resources and the histories of the battles in which he participated, a fascinating story emerges of personal courage and unit comradeship that characterized the Maryland Line during the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Carney was probably born free on the Eastern Shore in 1754. He was described as over six feet tall and muscular, and he most likely was a farmer. Although it is unknown how many Black Marylanders ultimately served, General Washington received a tally of “Return of the Negroes in the Army,” dated 24 August 1778. Smallwood’s and the 2nd Maryland Brigades listed a total of 95 Black soldiers. This accounts for almost 3.5% of all Maryland soldiers and 13% of all Black soldiers on that day. One of those Maryland soldiers was Thomas Carney.

In August 1777, 260 ships of the British Navy sailed up the Chesapeake Bay bringing the war to the Eastern shore. This may have led Carney in September to join an Eastern Shore militia in time to participate in the Battle of Germantown.

With the onset of winter, while most of the Continentals garrisoned at Valley Forge, Washington assigned the Maryland and Delaware troops camp at a bend in the Delaware River near Wilmington. There, Carney and his comrades quartered in houses, foraged for the army, and probably visited their families.

In May 1778, Carney enlisted in Maryland’s 5th Regiment. In June, he transferred to the 7th Maryland. Carney served throughout the war and achieved the rank of corporal, a rare achievement for Black soldiers.

The winter of 1779–1780, infamous for record-breaking cold and little food, killed many Continentals who froze or starved to death. Washington needed a quick victory and an end to the war. By this time, the British had also fought France, Spain, and Holland, straining their military and economic resources. They, too, wanted a quick end. Parliament directed General Sir Henry Clinton to move the campaign south, hoping that would divide Washington’s army to the point that the British could finally defeat the weakened forces.

The British had already made inroads in the south, conquering Savannah and now lay seige to Charleston. To reinforce Charleston, Washington sent his loyal Maryland Division, which consisted of the two Maryland Brigades, with Thomas Carney in Smallwood’s outfit, and the Delaware Regiment. After a grueling three-month trek, they arrived at the headquarters of General Horatio Gates, commander of the remnants of the Southern forces. They came too late to help Charleston, but Gates was determined to keep the south, beginning with capturing Camden, South Carolina.

The Battle of Camden on 16-17 August was poorly planned and disasterously executed. The untested North Carolina and Virginia militia, placed on Maryland’s left flank, quickly crumbled with the first British volley. The Maryland Line, well-known for its discipline and training, stood firm as long as possible before they, too, began a mad scramble through the swamps. One Maryland officer recalled that the last men to leave the field of battle were Major John Eager Howard and Corporal Thomas Carney, who paused in their flight to assist a wounded Maryland soldier to safety.

After the defeat of Camden, Maryland’s survivors reorganized into one regiment of two battalions. Carney’s 7th Maryland was folded into the 1st Battalion. The Continental Light Dragoons and three companies, including Carney’s, then formed a light infantry within the battalion, called the “Flying Army” under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan.

The Flying Army trounced the British at the Battle of Cowpens five months later. Carney and the Marylanders then fought at Guilford Courthouse. There, his obituary claimed he bayonetted 7 British soldiers; which, given the nature of the battle could be true. It did not mention the torturous march between battles, but did describe his actions in the unsuccessful siege and frontal assault of Fort Ninety-Six in May 1781. When the Americans charged across open field, Carney’s company commander, Captain Perry Benson, fell wounded in the arm. Carney was directed to carry him to the medical tent for treatment. Because of Carney, Benson lived to command the Eastern Shore militia during the War of 1812.

The Maryland Line and Carney remained in South Carolina until April 21, 1783, when peace was declared. Only then did the remnants of the old Maryland Line, including Carney, finally trek the 600 miles home, almost starving and in tatters. They had not been paid since July 1780. Carney returned to the Eastern Shore, his family, and farming. He died in 1828.

The photo below shows the historical marker honoring Thomas Carney’s contribution to the Revolutionary War. It is located on the square in historic downtown Denton, Maryland.

02/14/2025

❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day from the Maryland Center for Military History! ❤️

Today, we celebrate a love story that blossomed amid the turmoil of the American Civil War.

Private Frederick Wilhelm Wild, a passionate soldier for the Union, wrote a heartfelt letter to his beloved, Bertha M. Fehleisen, while stationed in Williamsport, MD.

This romantic gesture, a birthday gift, became a cherished keepsake during his time in Libby Prison.

📰: https://news.maryland.gov/ng/2025/02/12/wild-love-letter/

Join us in honoring the legacy of love and sacrifice this Valentine’s Day! 💌

02/12/2025

Recently during a trip to the National Archives, one of our historians located these photos of the 231st Transportation Truck Battalion's "Trucker's Chapel" built by members of the unit in 1952 during the Korean War. Pictured out front of the chapel is Chaplain (Captain) Douglas F. Wall, who conducted the initial interfaith services for the unit at the chapel on Thanksgiving 1952.

The 231st Transportation Truck Battalion has a long and storied history with the Maryland National Guard, organizing in 1879 as the Monumental City Guard, a segregated African American Company. The unit served in France in WWI and the Pacific in WWII as part of the 372d Infantry Regiment. During Korea it was the only element of the Maryland Army National Guard activated for service in the Korean Peninsula, where it earned multiple Meritorious Unit Citations and Korean Presidential Unit Citations.

Today the 231st's lineage and honors is carried by Baltimore's 1229th Transportation Company, housed in the historic Cade Armory. For more on the Trucker's Chapel in Korea, check out this video from the National Guard Memorial Museum
https://www.ngaus.org/video-library/minuteman-minute-231st-transportation-truck-battalion

01/28/2025

🎉 Exciting News from the Maryland Center for Military History! 🎉

We are thrilled to announce the recent acquisition of a rare War of 1812 era musician's coatee, generously donated by St. John's College! This unique piece of history offers a fascinating glimpse into the past and the stories of those who served during this pivotal time.

✨ Want to learn more about this incredible uniform and its significance? Click the link to dive into the history behind the coatee and the details of our latest addition to the collection!

📜🔗 https://news.maryland.gov/ng/2025/01/28/maryland-museum-of-military-history-acquires-new-old-threads/

01/03/2025

Most people are aware of the surprise attack on the Hessian forces at Trenton, NJ, on Christmas night, 1776. What may be less known are the crucial ten days afterward, and how tenuous the American cause was.

One-year enlistments were running out and men had quietly leaving to return to their homes. On New Year’s Eve, 1776, General Washington addressed his men in a plea to stay with the army. More than half of the men agreed to stay, keeping the cause alive and allowing Washington to plan for another thrust at the British.

In the early hours of January 2, 1777, the Americans waited for the British counterattack at a bridge on the Assunpink Creek that led to Trenton. Once across the Delaware River, there was no return for the Americans. Three times the British launched an attack across the bridge and each time they were driven back.

In danger of being surrounded, Washington gambled again on a surprise attack. Late on the 2nd, the men of Maryland and Delaware attached to General Hugh Mercer’s brigade led the Americans north of Princeton and early on January 3rd struck the British garrison. During the vicious battle, Mercer fell mortally wounded, causing a panic along the lines. Washington rode to the front of the line and called on the men to rally around him in a counterattack. The surprised British soldiers broke ranks and fled through the streets of Princeton. Those remaining surrendered to the victorious Americans.

These ten days reinvigorated the Continental cause at a tremendous cost of Maryland. Out of a 700- strong battalion, only around 100 survived in the army by January 1777.

12/22/2024

Happy Holidays from the Maryland Center of Military History!

"SSG Frank Wiener and T/4 Robert Hughes of the 29th Infantry Division decorate their Quarters in Aldenhoven, Germany December 15th 1945."

29th Division Association 29th Division Museum

12/16/2024

This past weekend members of the Maryland Center of Military History joined volunteers from across the state to decorate the graves of veterans interred at the Baltimore National Cemetery as part of Wreaths Across America.

Following wreath laying, Historians from the Maryland National Guard led other volunteers on a walking tour to learn the story of Maryland Guardsmen interred at the cemetery. Each "story behind the stone" allowed visitors to connect with the sacrifices and lives of Maryland veterans of World War I and World War II.