Raid on Havre de Grace
Encyclopedia
The raid on Havre de Grace was a seaborne military operation
that took place on 3 May 1813. A squadron of the British
Royal Navy
under Rear Admiral
George Cockburn attacked the town of Havre de Grace
, Maryland
, at the mouth of the Susquehanna River
. Although the raid resulted in just one American casualty, it catalyzed widespread hatred of Cockburn by the Americans.
from near Baltimore
and occupied Spesutie Island
on 23 April 1813. After a successful raid on Frenchtown
on the Elk River
on 29 April, Cockburn attempted to venture further upriver until forces at Fort Defiance
stopped him.
Cockburn had vowed to destroy any town that showed resistance. The admiral had not initially planned to attack Havre de Grace but when he saw an American flag flying over the town and the local battery fired shots, he decided to attack.
water too shallow for large ships to navigate. Cockburn therefore sent Commander
John Lawrence at the head of a flotilla
of sixteen or nineteen boats to row across the shoals, beginning at midnight on 3 May.
Despite or because of intelligence warning of an impending attack, most of the militia
that had been in Havre de Grace had departed before the raid. Fewer than forty troops remained at the Concord Point battery when the flotilla attacked at dawn. These troops briefly returned fire until a Congreve rocket
killed a civilian. Lieutenant
George Augustus Westphal
then stormed and captured the battery.
Second Lieutenant John O'Neill single-handedly manned another battery—the so-called "Potato Battery"—until his cannon's recoil
struck him. O'Neill retreated to fire on the British with a musket
while he unsuccessfully signaled the militia to return.
The townspeople and remaining militia retreated as Westphal and his troops drove them further from town. The British looted
the town and burned 40 of its 60 houses. They spared Episcopal
church from being burned but they did vandalize it. Cockburn removed six cannons from the town and took O'Neill and two other Americans back to his flagship, . However, Cockburn released O'Neill upon appeal from local magistrates. Cockburn reported only one injury: Westphal was shot in the hand.
After the raid on Havre de Grace, Cockburn sent troops up the Susquehanna River to destroy a depot and vessels there. Forces also navigated to nearby Principio Furnace
, a large ironworks
and cannon foundry, and destroyed the facilities there.
on 6 July 1813.
Jared Sparks
—an educator, historian, and later president of Harvard University
—who was tutoring the children of a local family also saw the attack. Sparks wrote an account of the attack that was published in 1817 in the North American Review and Miscellaneous Journal
.
James Jones Wilmer
was living in Havre de Grace at the time and published an account of the incident soon after it happened.
Benjamin Henry Latrobe did not witness the event but is known to have written to Robert Fulton
about it.
The raid was depicted in a near-contemporary etching
by William Charles, a Scottish
-born engraver who immigrated to the United States
. The etching, Admiral Cockburn Burning & Plundering Havre de Grace, is now held by the Maryland Historical Society
.
Raid (military)
Raid, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose and is not normally intended to capture and hold terrain, but instead finish with the raiding force quickly retreating to a previous defended position prior to the enemy forces being...
that took place on 3 May 1813. A squadron of the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
under Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral (Royal Navy)
Rear Admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It is immediately superior to Commodore and is subordinate to Vice Admiral. It is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7....
George Cockburn attacked the town of Havre de Grace
Havre de Grace, Maryland
Havre de Grace is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which was first named Le Havre de Grâce, meaning in French "Harbor of Grace." As...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, at the mouth of the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
. Although the raid resulted in just one American casualty, it catalyzed widespread hatred of Cockburn by the Americans.
Background
Cockburn sailed for the upper Chesapeake BayChesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
from near Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and occupied Spesutie Island
Spesutie Island
Spesutie Island is a island located in the Chesapeake Bay in Harford County, Maryland, southeast of Aberdeen. Spesutie Narrows bounds the island on the west and the bay bounds it on the north, east, and south. The island is part of Aberdeen Proving Ground....
on 23 April 1813. After a successful raid on Frenchtown
Frenchtown, Cecil County, Maryland
Frenchtown was a historic settlement on the Elk River in Cecil County, Maryland, United States.Frenchtown was an important link in the north-south travel route during the 18th and 19th centuries. As a depot, it was burned by the British under Rear Admiral George Cockburn on April 29, 1813. The old...
on the Elk River
Elk River (Maryland)
The Elk River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about long, and as the most northeastern extension of the Chesapeake Bay estuary, serves as one entrance to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. It is located in Cecil County, Maryland, with its headwaters extending...
on 29 April, Cockburn attempted to venture further upriver until forces at Fort Defiance
Fort Defiance (Maryland)
Fort Defiance was an earthworks fortification on the western bank of the Elk River in northern Maryland. The fort was in use from 1813 to 1815 during the War of 1812 and repelled British forces on April 29, 1813. Today, there is a historical marker located approximately northwest of the original...
stopped him.
Cockburn had vowed to destroy any town that showed resistance. The admiral had not initially planned to attack Havre de Grace but when he saw an American flag flying over the town and the local battery fired shots, he decided to attack.
Attack
Cockburn's fleet was anchored off Turkey Point, separated from Havre de Grace by an area of shoalShoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
water too shallow for large ships to navigate. Cockburn therefore sent Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
John Lawrence at the head of a flotilla
Flotilla
A flotilla , or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class of warship, such as frigates, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, gunboats, or minesweepers...
of sixteen or nineteen boats to row across the shoals, beginning at midnight on 3 May.
Despite or because of intelligence warning of an impending attack, most of the militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
that had been in Havre de Grace had departed before the raid. Fewer than forty troops remained at the Concord Point battery when the flotilla attacked at dawn. These troops briefly returned fire until a Congreve rocket
Congreve rocket
The Congreve Rocket was a British military weapon designed and developed by Sir William Congreve in 1804.The rocket was developed by the British Royal Arsenal following the experiences of the Second, Third and Fourth Mysore Wars. The wars fought between the British East India Company and the...
killed a civilian. Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
George Augustus Westphal
George Augustus Westphal
Sir George Augustus Alexander Westphal, Kt. was an admiral in the Royal Navy who served in more than 100 actions. He was midshipman on HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar.-Early life:...
then stormed and captured the battery.
Second Lieutenant John O'Neill single-handedly manned another battery—the so-called "Potato Battery"—until his cannon's recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
struck him. O'Neill retreated to fire on the British with a musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
while he unsuccessfully signaled the militia to return.
The townspeople and remaining militia retreated as Westphal and his troops drove them further from town. The British looted
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
the town and burned 40 of its 60 houses. They spared Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
church from being burned but they did vandalize it. Cockburn removed six cannons from the town and took O'Neill and two other Americans back to his flagship, . However, Cockburn released O'Neill upon appeal from local magistrates. Cockburn reported only one injury: Westphal was shot in the hand.
After the raid on Havre de Grace, Cockburn sent troops up the Susquehanna River to destroy a depot and vessels there. Forces also navigated to nearby Principio Furnace
Principio Furnace
Principio Furnace and village, Cecil County, Maryland, 4 mi/6.4 km NE of Havre de Grace, MD. The Principio Iron Works, part of the larger Principio Company, were started here in 1719 by Joseph Farmer with capital from England and an ironmaster, John England, who made it one of the most...
, a large ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
and cannon foundry, and destroyed the facilities there.
Accounts
Cockburn's account of the raid appeared in the London GazetteLondon Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 6 July 1813.
Jared Sparks
Jared Sparks
Jared Sparks was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He served as President of Harvard University from 1849 to 1853.-Biography:...
—an educator, historian, and later president of Harvard University
President of Harvard University
The President of Harvard University is the chief administrator of the university. Ex officio the chairman of the Harvard Corporation, he or she is appointed by and is responsible to the other members of that body, who delegate to him or her the day-to-day running of the university...
—who was tutoring the children of a local family also saw the attack. Sparks wrote an account of the attack that was published in 1817 in the North American Review and Miscellaneous Journal
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
.
James Jones Wilmer
James Jones Wilmer
James Jones Wilmer was an Episcopal clergyman who served as Chaplain of the Senate of the United States.- Early life :...
was living in Havre de Grace at the time and published an account of the incident soon after it happened.
Benjamin Henry Latrobe did not witness the event but is known to have written to Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat...
about it.
The raid was depicted in a near-contemporary etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
by William Charles, a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born engraver who immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The etching, Admiral Cockburn Burning & Plundering Havre de Grace, is now held by the Maryland Historical Society
Maryland Historical Society
The Maryland Historical Society , founded in 1844, is the oldest cultural institution in the U.S. state of Maryland. The society "collects, preserves, and interprets objects and materials reflecting Maryland's diverse heritage." MdHS has a museum, library, holds educational programs, and publishes...
.