Last revised: 11 Feb 2010
Joshua Owings,
Jr.
(1740 - )
Joshua Owings Jr., the son of Joshua senior and Mary
Cockey, was born in 1740 and married Elizabeth Howe. Her
father, Edward Howe, is also a Revolutionary Patriot and
one of our NSSAR supplemental applications. Joshua the
junior was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in Captain
Stinchcomb’s Company, Soldiers Delight Batallion,
Baltimore, Maryland on August 29, 1777 by Governor Eden of
Maryland. It is interesting to note that Joshua’s uncle,
John Owings was married to Helen Stinchcomb and his uncle
Henry, to Hannah Stinchcomb. Helen and Hannah’s brother
John Stinchcomb would eventually be the Commander of the
Stinchcomb Company of the Soldiers’ Delight Hundred
Battalion where Joshua served. Joshua’s brothers: John
Cockey, Edward, George, and Ephraim were also listed as
serving as regulars or militia. Joshua saw action at
Brandywine, Germantown, Camden and Yorktown in a Regiment
that gained its initial fame in the battle of Long Island.
Joshua Owings senior had a sister Susannah who married
Colonel Thomas Gist. Colonel Thomas Gist took the young
gentlemen from the Baltimore area and turned the Soldiers
Delight Hundred recruits into hardened soldiers who filled
the ranks of his son, General Mordecai Gist on the front
lines of the famous Maryland First. All of the Gist males
served as officers in the Maryland Line, but son Mordecai
rose to the rank of General and is considered one of the
ablest officers of the Revolution.
Mordecai Gist was one of the first to sniff the coming of
the storm and in December 1774 formed the first of three
Companies known as the Baltimore County Cadets to represent
and defend Maryland. Initially, William Smallwood was
selected as Colonel and Commander, Francis Ware, Lieutenant
Colonel and Mordecai Gist, First Major. In December 1774,
Maryland also received the first funding for the war effort
in Baltimore County. On January 16, 1775, the men of
Baltimore County sent representatives to the Annapolis
meeting on April 24 and attended the Maryland Convention on
April 29, 1775 to consider the responsibilities and
outcomes of the coming war with the British.
The new unit selected crimson for the uniform turned up
with buff and trimmed with yellow metal or gold buttons.
White stockings were to be worn with black cloth half
boots. Each man was to supply his own uniform, good gun,
cartouch pouch, pair of pistols, belt, cutlass, four pounds
of powder, and 16 pounds of lead and be ready at the
shortest notice. The following statement was also issued by
the newly formed military company: We the Baltimore
Independent Cadets, being impressed with the unhappy
situation of our suffering brethren in Boston, through the
alarming conduct of General Gage, and the oppressive
unconstitutional acts of the Parliament to deprive us of
liberty and enforce slavery upon his majesty’s loyal liege
subjects of America in general. For the better security of
our own lives, liberties, and properties we form ourselves
into a military unit for service as we may be directed.
Joshua joined the Baltimore County Commission of
Observation in 1775 to maintain order and prevent social
unrest during the blockade of British goods. They patrolled
the streets to prevent looting, arson, theft and robberies.
There was severe inflation in the colonies and a percent of
the sale price of stable goods was sent to help out the
poor of Boston who were suffering under the British
Intolerable Acts. On July 29, 1776 the Declaration of
Independence arrived in Baltimore for the official reading.
Many of the young men from the Baltimore population of
12,000 were duly inspired with the just cause and signed on
with the regulars or the militias. Congress assembled in
Baltimore in December, 1776 since the British had the
capital of Philadelphia in their hands. By 1778 the local
colonists of Baltimore had gathered for a declaration of
allegiance to the United States of America. New factories
were being built to provide goods unattainable from abroad.
I have listed several of the major battles of the
Revolutionary War below where the Companies and Batallions
of the Maryland Line gained prominence and in which our
Patriot Ancestor saw action.
Battle of Long Island – (August 27, 1776 also known
as the Battle of Brooklyn Heights) - This was the
first time an American army engaged the British army and
also has the distinction of being the largest engagement of
the Revolutionary War. The British under Cornwallis had
32,000 men on the field and also controlled the waters
while the Americans fielded about 16,000. The British were
also joined by their experienced Hessian allies under von
Heister who bore the brunt of the advance and flanking
movement by the British. The Americans found themselves
outmaneuvered and planned a retreat through New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. The Maryland First consisting of 250 men was
ordered to stay on the field and hold off the advance so
the mass of men could make their retreat. The brave
Marylanders made six advances before they created havoc in
the British ranks. The last and final charge resulted in an
unbelievable slaughter and loss of life. Men were swinging
their rifles like clubs and the battle was one of cold
steel, bayonet versus bayonet. There were few survivors as
the Hessians even bayoneted those who had surrendered.
Needless to say the Marylanders gave crucial time for the
successful retreat, but had been annihilated for the cause.
Washington wrote that Mordecai Gist and his Marylanders
displayed almost invincible resolution. General Washington,
watching from his position at Brooklyn Heights, was so
impressed with the Maryland First that he named them the
“Bayonets of the Revolution” and further commented, “Good
God, what brave men I must lose today.” Colonel Thomas Gist
would have to recruit and train more Maryland men to fill
the void of this disaster for his son Mordecai who
survived.
Battle of Brandywine (Sept. 11, 1777) –
The battle was again won by the British under the command
of Generals William Howe, Lord Cornwallis and the Hessians
under von Heister. The British had 17,000 men and 260 navy
vessels. The Americans had 20,000 men and in this battle
the Pennsylvania troops bore the brunt with the Maryland
First and Second in the thick of the battle. The win for
the British basically left the Capital city of Philadelphia
undefended. The Americans had most of their horses killed
and had to leave 80% of their canon on the field. This was
the first battle listed for our relative, Joshua Owings.
Germantown (October 1777) – The British
victory secured Philadelphia for the winter of 1777-1778.
The battle had a significant outcome in Europe as the
French saw the strength and resolve of the Americans
increase. This on the heels of the victory at Saratoga in
1777 would cause the French to reconsider their entry into
the war. The Hessians saw the American potential and knew
they would be formidable when they became seasoned and
properly disciplined. General Stephens was court martialed
for being intoxicated at his command and replaced by
Marquis de Lafayette.
Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780) - The
British captured Charleston under Cornwallis, but the
Americans still thought the best action was to focus on a
southern campaign. The British were hoping the Loyalists
would support their efforts and to the Americans, under
Horatio Gates, a victory in the south was crucial. Mordecai
Gist with Johann DeKalb commanded the right flank with the
Second Maryland and First Delaware; General Caswell
commanded the center with the North Carolina Militia;
General William Smallwood Commanded the left flank with the
Virginia Militia and Horatio Gates was the overall
Commander with the First Marylanders in reserve. This was a
tactical miscalculation by Gates and a defeat for the
Americans. Banastrte Tarleton and his Legion chased the
Americans for 20 miles before calling off the chase.
General Horatio Gates fled the field and was court
martialed for cowardice being replaced by Nathaniel Greene.
City of Baltimore - In September of 1781,
the merchants and citizens, especially the women, of
Baltimore gave Lafayette’s troops 2000 pounds worth of
clothing since they were in rags on their way to Yorktown.
Siege of Yorktown (Sept. 28-Oct. 19 1781)
– Generals Washington, Lafayette, and Comte de Rochambeau
combined with Admiral de Grasse to defeat Cornwallis and
the British.
July 27, 1783 General Mordecai Gist and
Joshua Owings arrive back in Baltimore with remnants of the
Maryland Line.
The records of other Patriots seeking their pensions in the
1830s often cite Joshua Owings as a personal reference
stating: he was a gentleman of great respectability of
character; of strict honor and integrity; and on whose word
the most implicit reliance can safely be made. Very little
is known of Joshua Jr.’s military service and I have given
the few details I possess. Joshua came to Kentucky to make
money on land speculation. He was believed to be the first
of his family to settle beyond the mountains and is on the
tax list of Montgomery County, Kentucky in the 1790s. John
Cockey Owings was a Captain in the Revolution and later
came to Kentucky to make their money on land speculation.
John Cockey Owings can be seen on the roster of the
inhabitants of Boonesborough in the 1780s, which would
indicate he arrived earlier. The Owings family settled in
Montgomery County and Owingsville takes it’s name from John
Cockey Owings who founded a foundry there and became very
wealthy. Joshua Owings is buried near Owingsville.