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Path to a forgotten war
Historic trail will pay tribute to 1812 sites
Friday, Aug. 1, 2008
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by DARWIN WEIGEL
The Americans come out of hiding to chase the British back down the hill at the annual War of 1812 Re-enactment at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum last year. The park will be the site of the War of 1812 Grand Tactical: Battle of St. Leonard Creek in September where British and American re-enactors will relive the battle that occurred in June of 1814.
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Calvert Marine Museum on Solomon’s Island and Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum in Port Republic are hosting the annual event — the largest War of 1812 re-enactment in North America — that alternates between historic sites in the United States and Canada from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 20 and 21. Hundreds of British, Canadian and American re-enactors will join forces at the park to relive the Battle of St. Leonard Creek along the Patuxent River and other major skirmishes of the war.
The 560-acre park that borders an extensive shoreline of the Patuxent River will provide a good venue for re-enactors to get into their parts, said Megan Williams, JPPM’s marketing and development coordinator.
‘‘We’re honored to have been chosen for the Grand Tactical this year,” she said. ‘‘It’s an international event that is very unique. Here the re-enactors can use the shoreline and all of the space to really get into character. They can run around and really enjoy themselves.”
There will also be demonstrations of camp life and organizers and interpreters will offer visitors displays and hands-on historic craft demonstrations, said Michael Smolek, JPPM’s director. There will be activities especially for kids and food and beverages will be available, he said, adding that the park and museum have been planning the event for quite some time.
‘‘We’ve been planning this for more than a year,” he said. ‘‘We see it as a run up to the state’s bicentennial celebration of the war in 2012.”
‘‘It’s going to be a really nice event,” said Roz Racanello, executive director of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium in Hughesville. ‘‘People really love coming to see something like this.”
Sailing ships from the era will be docked at Waterman’s Wharf at the museum and on St. Leonard Creek during the event, including The Dove, The Royaliste and the Kalmar Nyckel, Smolek said, adding that crew-guided tours will be available on The Dove and The Royaliste from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 20.
The ticket price for a tour is $5 per person and children younger than 5 years tour for free. Tickets can be purchased at the museum.
Visitors will also be able to participate in public sails aboard the Kalmar Nyckel Sept. 20. A privateer sail is set from 9 a.m. to noon and a sunset sail will be available from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Tickets must be reserved for the sails at a cost of $60 for adults and children older than 12 years and $40 for children up to 12 years.
To make a reservation, call 410-326-2042.
There is still time to attend free lectures about Southern Maryland’s role in the War of 1812, including ‘‘Americans in Defense of the Chesapeake during the War of 1812” by Christopher T. George at 3 p.m. Aug. 17 at Calvert Marine Museum; and ‘‘A Commander of Capacity and Influence: The Chesapeake Flotilla Men and the War of 1812 on the Patuxent” by Donald Schomette at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 at the park.
Call JPPM at 410-586-8501.
There is a little something for everyone to enjoy during the weekend, Smolek said.
‘‘It should be an exciting time,” he said. ‘‘We encourage people to come and learn something about our local history that they may not know.”
NANCY BROMLEY McCONATY
Staff photo by DARWIN WEIGEL
The Americans fend off the advance of the British at the annual War of 1812 Re-enactment at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum last year. The park is on the list of sites making up the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.
By NANCY BROMLEY McCONATY
Staff writer
Maryland is gearing up for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the creation of the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail that highlights battles fought in Southern Maryland is a pivotal part of the bicentennial celebration.
A trail is born
In May, President George W. Bush signed into law a bill to establish the 300-mile land and water trail that will start at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, wind through Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Prince George’s county and end in Southern Maryland.
The five segments of the trail include the British water advance and withdrawal on the Patuxent River and the British land march and withdrawal from Benedict in Charles County to the District, where troops burned down the White House. Other notable historical events that occurred during the war that are included along the trail are the battle of North Point and the defense of Hampstead Hill in Baltimore.
Plans to enact legislation to create the trail began in 1999 by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin and former Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), said Susan Sullam, communications director for the office of Cardin (D-Md.). After Sarbanes retired a couple of years ago, his son, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md., 3rd) supported his father’s vision to create the trail.
‘‘Many refer to the War of 1812 as the ‘second war of independence,’” Sarbanes said in a press release. ‘‘Events in Maryland, most notably the heroic defense of Fort McHenry, helped to prove that democracy could hold together through the trials of war and set the stage for the spread of democracy around the world.”
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.-5th) co-sponsored the House bill to create the trail, Sullam said.
It was during the War of 1812 that Francis Scott Key penned the national anthem, ‘‘The Star Spangled Banner,” while watching the Americans fend off the British at Fort McHenry, Sullam said.
‘‘We’re really excited about this,” she said, adding that the Star Spangled Banner Trail has been included in the National Park Service’s national trail system. ‘‘This is extremely important. Maryland is rich in American history and it’s important that Americans understand what our state’s history involves. The trail is an important way for us to get in touch with the War of 1812, what many refer to as the second revolution, and the bravery it took to repel the British.”
The completion of the trail will coincide with Maryland’s bicentennial celebration of the War of 1812 in 2012, said Gay Vietzke, supervisor of Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore.
The next step in the process is for the NPS to begin a corridor management plan for the trail that will involve public hearings and workshops and lots of feedback from local governments, Vietzke said, adding that the creation of the plan will take about two years.
‘‘This trail has been 10 years in the works,” she said.
‘‘We want a lot of feedback from the public. We want a lot of people to have an opportunity to give their opinions about the trail.”
The trail will also be included in the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, Vietzke said.
Recently, the network awarded the Maryland Office of Tourism Development a $100,000 grant to develop an access plan for the water portion of the Star Spangled Banner trail.
‘‘The trail highlights 18 naval skirmishes between the U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla and the British Navy on the water,” she said.
The trail will put into the spotlight key points of the War of 1812 that tourists and residents can explore and enjoy at their own pace, Vietzke said.
‘‘The creation of this trail is to highlight all of these places and learn about them and enjoy them,” she said. ‘‘That’s part of what we’re trying to do with this trail.”
Battles along the way
The War of 1812 was fought between the United States, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its colonies, including Upper Canada (Ontario), Lower Canada (Quebec), Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Bermuda, according to local historians.
The U.K. had been at war with France since 1793 and in order to hinder neutral trade with France in response to the Continental Divide, Britain imposed a series of trade restrictions that the U.S. contested as illegal under international law, according to historians. The Americans declared war on Britain on June 18, 1812, for many reasons, including anger at the forced induction of American sailors into the British Navy and frustration at British restraints on neutral trade, according to historians.
The war lasted until 1814. By the end of the war 1,600 British and 2,260 American military personnel had died, according to historical records.
Tens of thousands of African-American slaves fled across the British lines to escape slavery and thousands of them were settled by the British in Nova Scotia after the war.
Battles and skirmishes that were fought in Southern Maryland during the war were plentiful, but some are remembered as more significant than others, including the First and Second Battle of St. Leonard Creek, now the site of Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum in St. Leonard in Calvert County.
American Commodore Joshua Barney and the U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla sailed from Baltimore to engage the British at their base at Tangier Island, but came across British naval forces near the mouth of the Potomac River, according to JPPM’s Web site. After a brief skirmish, known as the Battle of Cedar Point — the site of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in St. Mary’s County — Barney sought the protection of St. Leonard Creek on the Patuxent River.
During June 8, 9 and 10, 1814, British Naval forces attacked Barney’s flotilla unsuccessfully. To try to lure the commodore from the creek, the British conducted raids up and down the Patuxent River — an action that resulted in the impoundment of provisions, livestock and tobacco and the burning of warehouses, plantations and public buildings.
On June 26, 1814, the Americans engaged the blockading British forces during a coordinated land and water attack, according to the JPPM Web site. In the Second Battle of St. Leonard Creek, Barney was able to flee St. Leonard Creek and sail up the Patuxent.
‘‘There were several weeks of skirmishes culminating in a major battle,” said Michael Smolek, JPPM’s director. ‘‘The British fleet was trapped, the American fleet was trapped and reinforcements were sent down. The British didn’t know that they were there. They fired at daybreak and the American fleet escaped and headed up the Patuxent River. It showed that the American troops could stand up to the much superior British fleet.”
Another notable battle during the war occurred in Benedict, a Colonial shipping port, in Charles County, according to local historians. In July of 1814, the British launched a three-pronged attack and landed forces at Benedict. From there, the British traveled to Washington, D.C., where they burned the city before being stopped by American forces in the Battle of Baltimore.
Benedict is a quiet enclave in Charles County that needs to be polished and placed in the heritage tourism spotlight, said Cathy Hardy, the county’s community planning program manager.
‘‘This trail is certainly a wonderful way to put a spotlight on the Benedict community,” she said. ‘‘I want us to do a better job of telling its story. There’s a lot more to the story about Benedict that’s been told.”
Other than Cedar Point, no major battles occurred in St. Mary’s County during the War of 1812, but the county suffered under the hands of the British forces just the same, said Carolyn Laray, the county’s tourism manager. The British raided Leonardtown and they used Point Lookout at the mouth of the Potomac River and St. Clements Bay to keep an eye out for American Naval movements.
The British also conducted raids on Chaptico where they vandalized the church and destroyed its burial vault, Laray said.
St. Inigoes was also raided by the British in 1814, she said.
The courthouse in Leonardtown was spared from destruction after Elizabeth Key, a relative of Francis Scott Key who lived at Tudor Hall, implored the British to leave it unscathed, Laray said, adding that the local militia used Sotterley Plantation in Leonardtown to muster troops.
‘‘There are some strong components down here for the heritage traveler,” she said. ‘‘Our strength is Colonial and maritime history.”
Star Spangled tourism
The Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail will create a huge draw of heritage tourists to Southern Maryland, according to local tourism officials. The trail will be dotted with historical markers and maps and brochures will highlight key points of the War of 1812 as it was fought here.
Heritage tourism numbers should rise this year because Leonardtown is celebrating its 300th anniversary and Charles County is commemorating its 350th birthday, said Susan Wolfe, executive director of the St. Mary’s County Historical Society.
‘‘It’s an exciting time,” she said. ‘‘During the 1776 bicentennial there was a passion ignited about history. I think that same sort of passion will happen again for the War of 1812.”
‘‘This is a way for us to sustain the preservation of all of our historical sites without the taxpayers footing the bill,” said Roz Racanello, executive director of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium in Hughesville. ‘‘Residents can enjoy all of the wonders of the sites as well as our visitors.”
‘‘It’s a wonderful idea for the sake of tourism,” said Danny Fluhart, president of the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Society in Waldorf. ‘‘With the price of gas so high people are trying to do local things and for those who are interested in history the trail is a good idea.”
‘‘A lot of things are coming together now,” said Donna Dudley, Charles County’s chief of tourism. ‘‘There’s a lot of potential for Benedict. It’s an important site. At some point, we’ll be considering what we’re going to do in 2014 to commemorate the invasion of Benedict.”
State and federal funding will be available to help Southern Maryland counties make the most of the Star Spangled Banner trail, Hardy said.
‘‘Our state and federal partners are aware of the significance of these sites along the trail and they’re poised to help us tell our stories in the best way possible,” she said.
‘‘It’s going to be a beautiful trail,” Sullam said. ‘‘People will be able to see the beauty of the state. It will also educate them about the history of Maryland.”
‘‘It’s a nationally important trail that commemorates the importance of events that happened right here in our own backyard,” Smolek said. ‘‘The War of 1812 had a huge impact on Maryland and a lot of people don’t even know about it.”
