Colonel William Richardson

If you ask Colonel Richardson graduates what they know about Colonel William Richardson, what kind of response would you get? Hopefully, this blog entry will help raise the level of awareness of this man who is buried on Gilpin Point (located between Denton and Preston, Maryland).

After the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 1776 turned out to be a rough year for General Washington. In the beginning of the year 1777, the nation's capital moved from Philadelphia to Baltimore, Maryland. During that time, Colonel William Richardson was entrusted to carry the nation's treasury from Philadelphia to Baltimore.

When he and his men returned to the Flying Camp, he found out his services were needed in the Salisbury area. In February 1777, Tories had a plan to use Salisbury as a staging area for the British to control. The British ship HMS Roebuck went up the Wicomico River and dropped off 3 cannon (field pieces) for the Tories at Parker Mill Pond. Captain Dashiell in charge of the Salisbury area militia asked for help when he saw 250 Tories in the area and his men numbered only 100. The Upper Shore and Western Shore came with 980 men under General Smallwood and Colonel Richardson. Two thousand came up with the Ninth Regiment of the Eastern Shore of Virginia under Southey Simpson. When the Tories saw such numbers against them, they fled. About 40 of the ringleaders were rounded up and sent to the jail in Cambridge. On this cold February, thank Colonel Richardson, General Smallwood, Colonel Simpson and all the men from the Upper Shore, Western Shore and Eastern Shore of Virginia for fighting for our freedom which we enjoy today.