Battle of Baltimore
Battle of Baltimore | |||||||
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Part of the War of 1812 | |||||||
The bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British. Engraved by John Bower[1] | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | United Kingdom | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Samuel Smith John Stricker George Armistead |
Arthur Brooke | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
North Point: 3,000 infantry, militia Hampstead Hill 10,000 regulars 2,000–5,000 infantry militia, 100+ Guns Fort McHenry: 1,000 infantry militia 20 artillery pieces[2] Additional Defense: 8,000 militia 150 artillery pieces Total: 22,000–25,000 |
Land: 5,000 infantry Sea: 19 warships[3] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
North Point & Hampstead Hill: 24 killed, 139 wounded, 50 captured Fort McHenry: 4 killed, 24 wounded Total: 28 killed, 163 wounded, 50 captured[4] |
North Point & Hampstead Hill: 39–46 killed, 251–295 wounded[5][6][7] Fort McHenry: 1 wounded[8] Total: 39–46 killed, 252–296 wounded |
The Battle of Baltimore (September 12–15, 1814) took place between British and American forces in the War of 1812. American forces repulsed sea and land invasions off the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading British forces.
The British and Americans first met at the Battle of North Point.[9] Though the Americans retreated, the battle was a successful delaying action that inflicted heavy casualties on the British, halted their advance, and allowed the defenders at Baltimore to prepare for an attack.
The resistance of Baltimore's Fort McHenry during bombardment by the Royal Navy inspired Francis Scott Key to compose the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry", which later became the lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner," the national anthem of the United States.
Future U.S. president James Buchanan served as a private in the defense of Baltimore.
Background
Until April 1814, Britain was at
Although Great Britain was unwilling to draw military forces from the war with France, it still enjoyed a naval superiority on the ocean, and vessels of North America and West Indies Squadron, based at Bermuda, blockaded American ports on the Atlantic throughout the war, strangling the American economy. Initially, the north-eastern ports were spared this blockade as public sentiments in New York and New England were against the war.[12] The Royal Navy and Royal Marines also occupied American coastal islands and landed military forces for raids along the coast, especially around the Chesapeake Bay, encouraging enslaved blacks to defect to the Crown and recruiting them into the Corps of Colonial Marines.[13][14][15]
Following the defeat of
A brigade under the command of
However, the British had launched three major operations targeting the three largest ports of America at Baltimore, New York City, via Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, and in New Orleans from August 1814 to February 1815. Each of these three expeditions had over 10,000 British Army troops, many of them the best soldiers and officers from the Peninsular War, so they were not just minor diversionary raids. Britain had already captured most of modern-day Maine and re-established the Crown colony of New Ireland in September 1814.[18]
An ambitious raid was planned as the result of a letter sent to Bermuda on 2 June by
... in consequence of the late disgraceful conduct of the American troops in the wanton destruction of private property on the north shores of Lake Erie, in order that if the war with the United States continues you may, should you judge it advisable, assist in inflicting that measure of retaliation which shall deter the enemy from a repetition of similar outrages.[19]
The letter was considered by Ross and Vice-Admiral Sir
On 25 June he wrote to Cochrane stressing that the defenses there were weak, and he felt that several major cities were vulnerable to attack.[21] Cochrane suggested attacking Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia. On 17 July, Cockburn recommended Washington as the target, because of the comparative ease of attacking the national capital and "the greater political effect likely to result".[20]
On 18 July, Cochrane ordered Cockburn that to "deter the enemy from a repetition of similar outrages ..." You are hereby required and directed to "destroy and lay waste such towns and districts as you may find assailable".[22] Cochrane instructed, "You will spare merely the lives of the unarmed inhabitants of the United States".
In August, the vessels in Bermuda sailed from the Royal Naval Dockyard and St. George's to join those already operating along the American Atlantic coast. After defeating a US Navy gunboat flotilla, a military force totaling 4,370, composed of British Army, Royal Marines, and Royal Navy detachments for shore service, under Ross was landed in Virginia. After beating off an American force of 1,200 on the 23rd, on the 24th they attacked the prepared defenses of the main American force of roughly 6,400 US Army soldiers, militiamen, US Marines, and US Navy sailors in the Battle of Bladensburg.
Despite the considerable disadvantage in numbers, standard military logic dictates that a three-to-one advantage is needed in carrying out an attack on prepared defenses, and sustaining heavy casualties, the British force routed the American defenders and cleared the path into the capital. President James Madison and the entire government fled the city, and went North, to the town of Brookeville, Maryland.
On 24 August 1814, British troops led by Rear Admiral George Cockburn and Major General Robert Ross entered Washington and captured the city with a force of 4,500 "battle-hardened" men, during the burning of Washington. British troops, commanded by Ross, set fire to a number of public buildings, including the White House and the United States Capitol. Extensive damage to the interiors and the contents of both were reported.[23] The British forces returned to their ships.[24][25]
The British sent a fleet up the Potomac to cut off Washington's water access and threaten the prosperous ports of Alexandria, just downstream of Washington, and Georgetown, just upstream. The mere appearance of the fleet cowed American defenders into fleeing from Fort Warburton without firing a shot, and undefended Alexandria surrendered. The British spent several days looting hundreds of tons of merchandise from city merchants.
They then turned their attention north to Baltimore, where they hoped to strike a powerful blow against the demoralized Americans. Baltimore was a busy port and was thought by the British to harbor many of the
Baltimore's defenses had been planned in advance and overseen by the state militia commander, Major General Samuel Smith.
Opposing forces
American
10th Military District
- Brigadier General William Winder, U.S. Army
Division | Brigade | Regiments and other |
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Third Division Maryland Militia[26][27]
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First Brigade (Harford and Cecil Counties)[28]
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Third Brigade (Baltimore city)
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Eleventh Brigade (Baltimore County)[28]
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1st Regiment of Artillery
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5th Regiment of Cavalry
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Harbor defenses of Baltimore
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Fort McHenry
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Fort Covington |
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Fort Babcock |
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Fort Lookout |
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Lazaretto Battery |
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Gun Barges |
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Hampstead Hill defenses | US Navy
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Virginia Militia |
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Pennsylvania Militia |
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British
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- North America and West Indies Station: Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane
- Rear-Admiral Poultney Malcolm
- Rear-Admiral Edward Codrington - Captain of the Fleet
Naval forces | Bombardment squadron | Ship |
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Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, RN | Bomb vessels |
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Rocket ship |
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Frigates |
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Schooners |
British forces | Brigade | Regiment |
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Maj. Gen. Sir Robert Ross (KIA, 9/12)
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First (Light) Brigade
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Second Brigade
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Third Brigade
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Reporting directly |
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Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn | Naval Brigade |
Battle
North Point
The British landed a force of 5,000 troops who marched toward Baltimore and first met heavy resistance at the Battle of North Point, which was fought on September 12 about 5 miles (8 km) from the city. The city's defense was under the overall command of Major General Samuel Smith, an officer of the Maryland Militia. He dispatched roughly 3,000 men under the command of General John Stricker to meet the British in a forward engagement. General Stricker was to stall the British invasion force to delay the British advance long enough for Major General Smith to complete the defenses in Baltimore.
The land invasion force for the British was led by Ross, who was killed in the second shift of the American defense by an American sharpshooter. It has been suggested that either Daniel Wells or Henry McComas of Captain Aisquith's rifle company, of the 5th Maryland Militia regiment was responsible, and both killed shortly afterwards.[36]
After Ross's death, the British army came under the command of Colonel
Hampstead Hill
Rodgers Bastion, also known as
When the British began probing actions on Baltimore's inner defenses, the American line was defended by 100
Once the British had taken the outer defenses, the inner defenses became the priority. The British infantry had not anticipated how well defended they would be, so the first attack was a failure. However, Brooke's forces managed to outflank and to overrun American positions to the right. After a discussion with lower ranking officers, Brooke decided that the British should bombard the fort instead of risk a frontal assault and, at 3:00 a.m. on September 14, ordered the British troops to return to the ships.[40][41][42]
Fort McHenry
At Fort McHenry, some 1,000 soldiers under the command of Major George Armistead awaited the British naval bombardment. Their defense was augmented by the sinking of a line of American merchant ships at the adjacent entrance to Baltimore Harbor in order to further thwart the passage of British ships.
The attack began on September 13, as the British fleet of some nineteen ships began pounding the fort with Congreve rockets (from rocket vessel HMS Erebus) and mortar shells (from bomb vessels Terror, Volcano, Meteor, Devastation, and Aetna). After an initial exchange of fire, the British fleet withdrew to just beyond the range of Fort McHenry's cannons and continued to bombard the American redoubts for the next 25 hours. Although 1,500 to 1,800 cannonballs were launched at the fort, damage was light because of recent fortification that had been completed prior to the battle.[43]
After nightfall, Cochrane ordered a landing to be made by small boats to the shore just west of the fort, away from the harbor opening on which the fort's defense was concentrated. He hoped that the landing party might slip past Fort McHenry and draw Smith's army away from the main British land assault on the city's eastern border. That gave the British a good diversion for half an hour and allowed them to fire again and again.
On the morning of September 14, the 30 ft × 42 ft (9.1 m × 12.8 m)
Originally, historians said that the oversized Star Spangled Banner Flag was raised to taunt the British, but that is not the case. The oversized flag was used every morning for reveille, as was the case on the morning of September 14.
Brooke had been instructed not to attack the American positions around Baltimore unless he was certain that there were fewer than 2,000 men in the fort. Because of his orders, Brooke had to withdraw from his positions and returned to the fleet, which would set sail for New Orleans.[44]
Aftermath
Colonel Brooke's troops withdrew, and Admiral Cochrane's fleet sailed off to regroup before his next (and final) assault on the United States, at the Battle of New Orleans. Armistead was soon promoted to lieutenant colonel. Much weakened by the arduous preparations for the battle, he died at 38, only three years after the battle.
The battle is commemorated in the
Star Spangled Banner
An American lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, was on a mercy mission for the release of Dr. William Beanes, a prisoner of the British. Key showed the British letters from wounded British officers praising the care that they received from Dr. Beanes. The British agreed to release Beanes, but Key and Beanes were forced to stay with the British until the attack on Baltimore was over.
Key watched the proceedings from a truce ship in the Patapsco River. On the morning of the 14th, Key saw the American flag waving above Fort McHenry. Inspired, he began jotting down verses on the back of a letter he was carrying. Key's poem, originally named "Defence of Fort M'Henry", was printed on pamphlets by the Baltimore American.
Key's poem was later set to the tune of a British song called "
See also
References
- ^ Laura Rich. Maryland History In Prints 1743–1900. p. 45.
- ^ Borneman, p. 245.
- ^ Crawford, p. 273, quoting a memo from Rear Admiral Codrington to Respective Captains dated 11 Sept 1814. The warships present were Tonnant (80), Albion (74), Madagascar (74), Ramillies (74), Royal Oak (74), Severn (50), Diomede (50), Havannah (42), Weser (44), Brune (38), Melpomene (38), Seahorse (38), Surprise (38), Trave (38), Thames (32), Rover (18), & Wolverine (18). Also present were the troopships Diadem, Dictator & Regulus.
- ^ Borneman, p. 246.
- ^ Liston, Where Are the British Soldiers Killed in the Battle of North Point Buried? Archived 2010-11-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ James, p. 513.
- ^ James, p. 521.
- ^ James, p. 325.
- ^ James, p. 321
- ^ Jessica McBride. "Attendees Reflect On Horseshoe Bend Commemoration" Archived July 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Muscogee Nation website.
- ^ "Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Daviston, Alabama". National Park Service, US Department of the Interior website.
- ISBN 978-1843836650. Website of the Institute of Historical Research of the University of London School of Advanced Study.
- ^ "Fleeing from Eastern Shore slavery during War of 1812" Archived July 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. An article adapted from the book Slave and Free on Virginia's Eastern Shore, by Kirk Mariner. Delmarva Media Group.
- ^ John McNish Weiss, "The Corps of Colonial Marines: Black freedom fighters of the War of 1812" Archived 2018-02-08 at the Wayback Machine. Althea McNish & John Weiss Website.
- ^ John Anderson, "British Corps of Colonial Marines (1808–1810, 1814–1816"), BlackPast.org#sthash.HemAahk1.dpuf.
- ^ "The British View the War of 1812 Quite Differently Than Americans Do" Archived 2015-11-17 at the Wayback Machine, The Smithsonian.
- ^ "The British View the War of 1812 Quite Differently Than Americans Do" Archived 2015-11-17 at the Wayback Machine, The Smithsonian.
- ^ James A. Carr, "The Battle of New Orleans and the Treaty of Ghent." Diplomatic History 3.3 (1979): 273–282.
- ^ a b Cruikshank 2006, p. 402.
- ^ a b Morriss 1997, p. 101.
- ^ Morriss 1997, p. 100.
- ^ Cruikshank 2006, p. 414.
- ^ "In 1814, British forces burned the U.S. Capitol". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "Attack on Baltimore launched from Bermuda in 'War of 1812'". Atlas Communications. 2005. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ^ Pitch, Anthony, The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814. Bluejacket Books, 2000. p. 99.
- ^ The Visitor Center
- ^ Maryland in the War of 1812
- ^ a b In the defenses at Hampstead Hill.
- ^ Attached to 3rd Brigade, present at Battle of North Point.
- ^ Attached from 9th Brigade, Maryland Militia.
- ^ OCLC 12834733.
- ^ Marshall, John (1829). . Royal Naval Biography. Vol. sup, part 3. London: Longman and company. p. 409.
- ^ Royal Naval Biography. Vol. sup, part 4. 1830. p. 9. .
- ^ Royal Naval Biography. Vol. sup, part 4. 1830. p. 23. .
- ^ Royal Naval Biography. Vol. 2, part 2. 1825. p. 880. .
- ^ "Film stirs flap over killing of general in 1814". Baltimore Sun. September 17, 2004. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
Their names do not pop up until the 1850s, when a political movement bent on keeping immigrants in general and Catholics in particular out of positions of power resurrected their memory.
- ^ "Scenes In The War of 1812", Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 28, March 1864, pp. 433–449.
- ^ The Battle of Baltimore Archived 2010-12-25 at the Wayback Machine, Kevin Young, Ft. Meade Soundoff, 9/1/05.
- ^ 1812 Overtures, Brennen Jensen, Baltimore City Paper, September 22, 1999.
- ^ "Scenes In The War of 1812", Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 28, March 1864, pp. 433–449.
- ^ The Battle of Baltimore Archived 2010-12-25 at the Wayback Machine, Kevin Young, Ft. Meade Soundoff, 9/1/05.
- ^ 1812 Overtures, Brennen Jensen, Baltimore City Paper, September 22, 1999.
- ^ "The Battle of Baltimore". The Patriots of Fort McHenry, Incorporated. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007.
- ^ Borneman, p. 247
Sources and further reading
- ISBN 978-0-06-053112-6.
- Crawford, Michael J. (ed.) (2002). The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History, Vol. 3. Washington: United States Department of Defense. ISBN 978-0160512247
- Cruikshank, Ernest (2006) [1814]. The Documentary History of the campaign upon the Niagara frontier. (Part 1–2). University of Calgary. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
- George, Christopher T., Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 on the Bay, Shippensburg, Pa.: White Mane, 2001, ISBN 1-57249-276-7
- Hildebrand, David K. "Bicentenary Essay: Two National Anthems? Some Reflections on the Two Hundredth Anniversary of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' and its Forgotten Partner, 'The Battle of Baltimore'." American Music 32.3 (2014): 253–271. online
- ISBN 0-665-35743-5.
- ISBN 978-1137278289
- ISBN 978-0312323080
- Liston, Kathy Lee Erlandson (2006). "Where Are the British Soldiers Killed in the Battle of North Point Buried?". Fort Howard, MD: Myedgemere.com, LLC. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
- ISBN 0-393-05452-7.
- Marine, William M. (1913). The British invasion of Maryland, 1812–1815. Baltimore: Society of the War of 1812 in Maryland
- Morriss, Roger (1997). Cockburn and the British Navy in Transition: Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 1772–1853. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. OCLC 1166924740.
- Pitch, Anthony S. The Burning of Washington, Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2000. ISBN 1-55750-425-3
- Swanson, Neil Harmon (1945). The Perilous Fight. New York: Farrar and Rinehart. OCLC 610291946.
- Sheads, Scott S. The Rockets' Red Glare: The Maritime Defense of Baltimore in 1814 (Tidewater Publishers, 1986).
- Whitehorne, Joseph A., The Battle for Baltimore 1814, Baltimore: Nautical & Aviation Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-877853-23-2