The 6th Maryland Regiment, active from 27 March 1776—January 1, 1783, is most notable for its involvement during the American Revolutionary war of the same years. An infantry type regiment consisting of 728 soldiers, the 6th Maryland was composed of eight companies of volunteers from Prince Georges, Queen Anne's, Fredric, Cecil, Harford, and Ann Arundel counties in the colony of Maryland On 22 May 1777, the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Maryland Brigade. It was re-organized to nine companies on 12 May 1779 and reassigned to the Southern Department on 5 April 1780. Background Since the establishment of the American colonies, the British Navy protected the developing colonies, and the colonist paid taxes to the crown through import and export tariffs, taxes, and when requested, raised armies for London. This laissez-faire system where the colonist had a large degree of self-rule worked until 1763, when the British government decided that it needed to raise capital to pay off debt accrued through the French and Indian war, and the more encompassing Seven Years' War. In the minds of the British, the colonist ought to pay a significant portion of the debt as the war benefited the Americans by removing the threat of Indians and French colonist from their lands. Without consultation, Parliament passed the Sugar Act of 1764, and taxed molasses at three pence per gallon to collect revenue and pay off debts. The colonist felt as though this tax was unwarranted and that parliament should not burden the Americans with the cost of something they didn't need: a British army. In 1765, Parliament further alienated its colonies when Prime Minister Grenville introduced the Stamp Act. What made the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act so unprecedented and subject to popular disdain was that it was the first direct tax on the colonies. To gain more control in the region, especially after New York disregarded the Mutiny Act, Parliament created the American Board of Customs, designed to efficiently collect taxes, specifically those proposed by Prime Minister Townshend. However, this inspired John Dickinson to write Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania that argued there should be no taxation without representation and further boycotts of British goods. After several brouhahas and altercations between American colonist and British civil servants, Parliament made the decision to station British soldiers in Boston. For many this action was an unacceptable infringement on their English Bill of