Petition to the Convention of Maryland

v2:887

The humble Petition of a majority of Captain RICHARD CHEW' S Company of Militia, belonging to Colonel JOHN WEEMS' S Battalion:

These humble petitioners doth petition this honourable house of Convention for a new choice of commissioned officers to serve under in the Militia, as they thinking themselves ill used by the present ones, for the reasons hereafter mentioned: First, we do complain of an unfair election for a Second Lieutenant, on Friday, the 9th day of August last: two judges being appointed to take down the votes, and one of the candidates desiring to see the poll after it was closed, was denied the sight of it, for which reason he thought himself ill used. Secondly, we can and are ready when called upon to prove our officers have been partial in regard to fines upon the people for not attending on field days, and offering to clear all their back fines, that would vote for Mr˙ Richard Harrison to be Second Lieutenant. And thirdly and lastly, we do complain of our Captain and Ensign speaking in publick company against the poor people in general, as you do see in Mr˙ Gilbert Hamilton Smith' s form of deposition above mentioned. Signed:

John Birckhead, Jr˙, Hopewell, Wood, his mark˙, Lancelot, Stallings, HIS mark. Gilbert H˙ Smith, Nehemiah Birckhead,

Gideon Shoemaker, Benj˙, French his mark, Wm˙, Larkins, his mark, Thomas, Turner, his mark, Abrah˙, Turner, his mark, Samuel, Hare, his mark, Francis Whittington, William Whittington, Joseph Birckhead. Richard Joice,

F˙ Whittington, Jr˙, Morgan, Wood, his mark, Abrah˙, Janquay˙ his mark, Isaac, Tucker, his mark, Thomas Lance, Samuel Lewin, Wm˙, Wood, his mark Seaborn Tucker, his mark.

John, Wood, his mark, Lewis Stevens, John Birckhead, William, Turner, his mark, F˙ Birckhead, Jr˙,

Basil, Guess, his mark, Morgan Jones, Francis Birckhead, Nehemiah Birckhead, Math˙ Birckhead, John, Griffith, his mark, of Saml˙, Richard Randall, West Ward, Daniel Searles, William Fisher, John Skinner, Robert Young.

And your humble petitioners will be in duty bound to pray, &c.

October 5, 1776