"It was during the Revolutionary War that Maryland received the nickname by which it is best known to scholars and historians--the 'Old Line State.' The soubriquet was earned, according to some historians, because of Maryland's regular 'troops of the line.' In this connection, military writers have stated that the troops of the old Maryland Line ranked among the finest in the Continental Army and were 'held in admirable discipline,' as distinguished from the militia, which fought mainly in guerilla fashion.

From: Maryland: A Guide to the Old Line State. Compiled by workers of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Maryland. American Guide Series (New York: Oxford University Press, 1940), 37.

Image courtesy the Washington Post, March 14, 2000.