Dorchester County MD Archives Military Records.....RICHARD PHILLIPS, 1776
Revwar CASTLE HAVEN COMPANY, DORCHESTER COUNTY
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WILLIAM PHILLIPS OHIOCHIMES@NETZERO.NET May 6, 2009, 3:38 pm

REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE
   WE KNOW ABOUT RICHARD PHILLIPS' INVOLVEMENT IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 
BECAUSE HE SIGNED A PETITION OR COMPLAINT AGAINST HIS COMPANY COMMANDER ALONG 
WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS UNIT (SEE NAMES BELOW).  THIS PETITION IS RECORDED 
IN "JOURNAL AND CORRESPONDENCE OF THE MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY, 7 JULY - 31 
DECEMBER, 1776,"  VOLUME 12, PAGES 390-392.

   TO PARAPHRASE THE PETITION, THE MEN OF CASTLE HAVEN COMPANY [PART OF THE 
MARYLAND MILITIA] UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN JOSEPH BYUS, WERE UPSET WITH 
THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR COMMANDER AND WERE SEEKING HIS REMOVAL.  THEY CLAIMED 
THAT CAPTAIN BYUS USED SOME OF THE PROVISIONS THAT WERE INTENDED FOR THEM FOR 
HIS PERSONAL USE AND MONETARY GAIN.  HIS SUPERIORS ORDERED HIM TO RETURN SOME 
OF THE MONEY THAT HE HAD CHARGED HIS MEN FOR THESE PROVISIONS.  THE MEN OF THE 
UNIT NO LONGER TRUSTED CAPTAIN BYUS AND FEARED SIMILAR BEHAVIOR IN THE FUTURE.

   CAPTAIN BYUS WAS ALSO ACCUSED OF GIVING HIS NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS 
INSTRUCTIONS TO BE SEVERELY HARSH IN DISCIPLINING THEIR CHARGES, EVEN FOR THE 
SMALLEST OFFENSES.  THE MEN CONSIDERED THIS TO BE THREATENING AND IN VIOLATION 
OF MILITARY CONVENTIONS.  THEY SAID THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO OBEY THEIR CAPTAIN, 
BUT "...WE ARE EXTREMELY UNHAPPY IN OUR PRESENT SITUATION, WE PRAY FOR A 
SPEEDY DECISION..."

   RICHARD PHILLIPS WAS AMONG THE PETITIONERS WHICH NUMBERED 41.  MANY OF THE 
SURNAMES OF THE SIGNERS WERE COMMON TO THE NECK DISTRICT OF DORCHESTER 
COUNTY:  COOKE, FRAZER, THOMAS, MITCHELL, LEE, KILLMAN, WHEELER, WHITELEY, 
LeCOMPTE, SOWARD, MARSHALL AND SEWARD.

   IN RESPONSE TO THIS PETITION, ONE OF CAPTAIN BYUS' SUPERIORS, THOM. MUSE, 
SUBMITTED HIS COMMENTS, DATED 21 OCTOBER 1776, AT CAMBRIDGE, DORCHESTER 
COUNTY, MD.  WHEN HE CONFRONTED CAPTAIN BYUS / BYAS WITH THE COMPLAINTS, BYUS 
SAID HE WAS UNAWARE THAT HE HAD DONE ANYTHING WRONG, BUT WAS WILLING TO MAKE 
RESTITUTION TO HIS MEN TO SETTLE THE MATTER.  CAPTAIN BYUS SUBMITTED HIS 
FINANCIAL RECORDS CONCERNING THE PURCHASE OF PROVISIONS.  THE MATTER SEEMED TO 
BE DROPPED.  CAPTAIN BYUS WAS APPARENTLY NOT REMOVED FROM HIS COMMAND.

   IF RICHARD PHILLIPS HAD NOT SIGNED THIS PETITION, WE MAY HAVE NEVER KNOWN 
OF HIS PARTICIPATION IN THE MARYLAND MILITIA DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

   OTHER SIGNERS OF THIS PETITION:

MARTIN ABIT, JOHN CHILDERSON, WILLIAM CHILDERSON, RICHARD CLARRIDY, YOUNG 
CLAUDY, PHILEMON COLVILL, HENRY COOK, ANDREW COOKE, JOHN COOKE, STANDLY COOKE, 
THOMAS COOKE, JAMES DARDIN, ISAAC FARDWELL, WILLIAM FRAZER, JOHN KILLMAN, 
THOMAS KILLMON, MOSES LeCOMPTE, EDWARD LEE, JOHN LEE, JOHN MARSHAL, ANDREW 
MARSHALL, ELGEA MARSHALL, JAMES MERSHEL, JOHN MICHELL, REUBEN MITCHELL, THOMAS 
MITCHELL, GILBERT NORTT [= NORTH ?], WILLIAM PROCTOR, WILLIAM RUBBART, WILLIAM 
SEWARD, CHARLES SOWARD, JOHN SOWARD, EDWARD THOMAS, JAMES THOMAS, JOHN (2) 
THOMAS, WILLIAM THOMAS, CHARLES WHEELER, NEHEMIAH WHITELEY, JOB WILLOUGHBY AND 
THOMAS WRIGHT.

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