In August 1776, the Continental Army suffered a terrible defeat at the Battle of Brooklyn, the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. The battle nearly saw the complete destruction of the American army, but a desperate stand by a contingent of Maryland soldiers helped to stave off the British and allow the Americans to fight another day.

 

Learn more about these soldiers, now called the Maryland 400, and hear first-hand accounts of their actions at the battle, including comments from Carroll County's own Mordicai Gist. This talk will also discuss the lives of several soldiers from the unit, exploring them and their families during and after the Revolutionary War.

 

Owen Lourie is a senior archivist at the Maryland State Archives specializing in Maryland government and military history during the colonial era and early republic. He holds an M.A. in history from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a B.A. from Kenyon College in American Studies. Owen is the director of Finding the Maryland 400, a research project studying the First Maryland Regiment.  He is the author of "Maryland’s Jews, Military Service, and the American Revolutionary Era: The Case of Elias Pollock," an article which appeared in The Journal of Southern Jewish History, and is currently at work on a social history of the Maryland Line, chronicling the soldiers of the Maryland 400 during the Revolutionary War.

The Carroll County Genealogical Society Annual Dinner Meeting Sunday, June 8, 2025 — 1:00-4:00 pm
Zest Dining Room at Carroll Lutheran Village, Mission Square Parking Area

 

SPEAKER: Kati Townsley, Development & Community Engagement Manager for Carroll County Public Library

 

PROGRAM —Needle In a Haystack—Some stories are buried beneath the weight of time—hidden like a needle in a haystack. But once in awhile, fate offers us a thread! This is the story of one such thread: a once-in-a-lifetime adventure guided by invisible hands and whispers of the past, as we trace the footsteps of Pvt. William J. McKenzie, a 19-year-old American soldier whose valor and heroism vanished into history during the Battle of the Bulge. Eighty years later, we retrace his steps, through frozen forests and forgotten fields, searching not just for answers, but for the man himself.

 

Directions: From Rt. 31, turn onto Old New Windsor Pike. Turn right into Carroll Lutheran Village. Proceed up hill (Luther DR) to stop sign, turn left on St. James Way, parking on right—OR —proceed past stop sign and turn left into Mission Square parking area. SIGNS will be posted. A SIGN will also be placed near the entrance door. The Zest Dining Room is at far right corner of building complex. 

 

Make your reservation no later than May 31st.

Make your MENU choice when making your reservation! Visit the CCGS Store and place your order online.