Kitty, Very, very interesting. Thanks for your research. I've found Bill Norwood (Hyatt William Norwood) son of my uncle, William Norwood and grandson of my grandfather, William H. Norwood. Bill lives in Sherman, CT. with his wife Bonnie. I am in the process of finding their e-mail, which I should have soon. Rich Norwood ----- Original Message ----- From: kschuh <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2000 10:48 PM Subject: Re: Edward Norwood of Maryland, 1778 court martial > This is a multi-part message in MIME format. > --------------43E6953E136204F51407049A > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > > > > icefox wrote: > > > Hi! > > > > I was taking a look through some of the pictures on > > http://memory.loc.gov when I came across some papers of George > > Washington's regarding the court martial of a Capt. Edward Norwood of > > the 4th Maryland Regiment. I'm not related directly to the Maryland > > Norwoods but I was just curious if anyone had researched this incident > > and knew the outcome. My curiosity was piqued. > > > > Thanks! > > > > Irene > > Hi! > > Capt. Edward Norwood was one cantankerous fellow. He was a landowner from > Patapsco, and lived near Elkridge Landing, where he and his brother Samuel > ran Norwood's Ferry (or "Elkridge Ferry") on the Patapsco and he had a > plantation that may have spanned the Patapsco, which was a raging river > then, not the silted-up creek seen today. He died in 1815 and is buried > in Elkridge on the grounds of the Seagram's facility. > > I say cantankerous because he apparently never wanted to back down from > any argument, and was involved in many lawsuits. There is a series of > verbal volleys printed in a Baltimore weekly which he fired at Zachaias > Onion of Onion's Iron Works during a dispute over a debt Onion owed him. > The exact nature of the argument is never stated (I guess that wouldn't > have been gentlemanly), but any gentleman can read between the lines that > Norwood is calling him dishonest. He later led a group of men onto the > Iron Works to recover what he thought was rightfully his. > > Edward Norwood served on the Commttee of Observation for Anne Arundel > County in 1775, then later was added to the Baltiomore County Committee of > Observation representing Patapsco Upper Hundred in Nov of 1775. He was > commissioned a lieutenant in the Anne Arundel militia on Feb 7, 1776. By > July he was a Captain in the 3rd battalion of the Flying Camp. There are > various tidbits about this company in the Maryland history books, but it > apparently was discharged on Oct 13, 1776. On Dec 10, 1776 he was > appointed captain in the 4th MD Line. Some notes imply that his men liked > him so much that they wouldn't serve under anyone else. He claims to have > "left the service" on Sep 29, 1778, whereas General Smallwood, commander > of Maryland forces, claims to have dismissed him from the service. The > court-martial to which you refer occurred as a result of Edward Norwood's > criticisms of General Smallwood's performance as leader of the Maryland > troops during the War for Independence. General Smallwood got word of the > criticisms and had Norwood court-martialed. The matter was kicked all the > way up to General George Washington, who was exasperated that a junior > officer wouldn't just apologize to his commander and continue to serve > (that's the document which you found). But Edward Norwood insisted he was > right. You've got to see the finale of this argument, published in a > Baltimore paper by Edward Norwood. He does not repeat his criticisms of > General Smallwood (that wouldn't be conduct becoming an officer) but he is > concerned that people's opinions of him will be lowered due to the > court-martial. He avers that he was right in his criticisms, but a junior > officer can't expect his senior officer to admit his errors, so there was > nothing to do but resign for the good of the service. The amazing part is > that he reasserts that his criticisms are valid, and got every available > officer in the Maryland Line to sign the document in support. That is one > interesting group of signatures. (see attached) > > He never rejoined the service (but maybe later was in the MD militia after > Smallwood retired), but later served as Baltimore county coroner. > Somewhere along the line he came by the title "Colonel", so he was known > as Col. Edward Norwood when he died. He continued to go into court to > press several lawsuits, including even one about the ferry business > against his own brother and partner, Samuel Norwood. > > This man seemed to embody the motto "Don't Tread On Me." > > Brian and Kitty Crowley > > --------------43E6953E136204F51407049A > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; > name="EDNOR.C-M.txt" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Content-Disposition: inline; > filename="EDNOR.C-M.txt" > > "Chronicles of Baltimore." by Col. J. Thomas Scharf, pp. 183-4: > > We find the following publication in the Maryland Gazette of Jan. 5th, 1779, in relation to Capt. > Norwood, who was court-martialed and dismissed from the service for disobedience of orders. It > was followed by another of March 1st, 1780, which shows the feeling of certain Continental > officers towards Gen. Smallwood: > > "For the Maryland Gazette: > "Mr. Printer: - As I have been dismissed from a service to which a love of country had > attached me, and apprehensive the public would not (without evidence to the contrary) > discriminate between me and those who have been dismissed for dishonorable conduct, I beg > leave to assure them through your paper, that I have suffered this heavy misfortune for only saying > General Smallwood was a partial man and no gentleman. The following certificate voluntarily > given me, will satisfy them of the general tenor of my conduct, and I reserve myself to a proper > time, to lay open to the world the whole proceedings of the several Courts which have led to my > dismission, where, I am sorry to say, such a system of despotism will appear to be springing up in > our army, that an officer who does his duty ever so exactly, and has neglected to pay a servile > court to a haughty superior, holds his commission by a very precarious tenure. I am, Sir, yours and > the public's most humble servant, > "Edward Norwood. > "Dec. 28th, 1778." > > "The officers of the 2d Maryland brigade do testify that Captain Norwood, (who is > discharged the service by the sentence of a court-martial on a disagreement with Gen. Smallwood) > during the campaigns in which he served with us, has ever conducted himself in such a manner as > to command our warmest friendship and esteem, as an officer and a man of honor; and that > notwithstanding his dismission, is and ought to be, esteemed as a gentleman, and valued as a warm > friend and advocate for the liberties of his country. > "Second Regiment: Thomas Price, Col.; Lilbourn Williams, Capt.; James McCalmont, > Surgeon; Hezekiah Ford, Ensign; Edward Edgely, Adjutant; John Gassaway, Lieut.; Edward Dyer, > Lieut. and B.Q.M; Benjamin Price, Lieut.; John Read, Ensign; James Ewing, Lieut. > "Fourth Regiment: Josias Carvel Hall, Col.; Samuel Smith, Lieut.-Col.; John E. Howard, > Major; Alexander L. Smith, Capt.; Thomas Lansdale, Capt.; Joseph Burgess, Capt.; Edward > Oldham, Capt.; James Smith, Lieut.; John S. Belt, Lieut. Edward Spurrier, Lieut.; Thomas > Cromwell, Lieut.; Adam Hoops, Lieut.; Stephen Shelmedine, Lieut.; John Hamilton, Ensign; > Nathaniel Twining, Ensign; John Bowen, Ensign; Parker H. Lee, Ensign; John Hartshorn, Adjutant; > Richard Pindell, Surgeon; William Riley, Lieut. > "Sixth Regiment: Otho H. Williams, Col.; Benjamin Ford, Lieut.-Col.; Andrew Hynes, > Capt.; Henry Dobson, Capt.; James Bruff, Lieut.; Joshua Miles, Capt.; Jacob Norris, Lieut.; > Richard Donovan, Adjutant; George Jacobs, Lieut.; Benjamin Wright, Lieut.; Charles Beaver, > Lieut.; Thomas Parran, Surgeon. > "German Regiment: Ludwick Weltner, Lieut.-Col.; Daniel Buchores, Major; George > Hubley, Capt.; Peter Boyer, Capt.; Charles Baltzel, Capt.; Bernard Hubley, Capt.; Michael Boyer, > Capt.; Martin Shugart, Lieut.; Christian Myers, Capt.; James F. Armstrong, Chaplain." > > "CAMP, March 1st, 1780. > "To William Smallwood, Esq., Brigadier-General: > "Sir:- We have no doubt but the joint assertion of a small number of inferior officers will > be as much credited, by that part of mankind who have spirit to think for themselves, as mere ipse > dixit of a brigadier; therefore, choose only to remark, that your scurrilous observations on the > testimony we gave of our favorable opinion of Capt. Norwood, discovers the malevolence and > presumption, more than the probity and liberality of your mind. > "With due respect, we are yours, Otho H. Williams, Benjamin Price, Benjamin Ford, > Edward Edgerly, John E. Howard, Hezekiah Foard, Harry Dobson, William Reily, James Bruff, > Adam Hoops, Thomas Parran, John Hamilton, R. Donovan, John Hartshorn, Lil Williams, Richard > Pendleton, John Gassaway. > "N.B.- The other gentlemen, whom you took occasion to abuse in your ungentlemanly > performance of 105 pages, are out of camp." > > --------------43E6953E136204F51407049A-- > >