Chesapeake Bay Flotilla
Encyclopedia
For two years the United States
had been fighting with Great Britain
during War of 1812
. The British fleet was marauding the Chesapeake Bay
when Joshua Barney
, a naval officer of the American Revolutionary War
, assembled a motley collection of barges and gunboats known generally as the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla to stall the British attacks. Joshua Barney, an 1812 privateer captain, submitted a plan for the defense of the Chesapeake Bay to Secretary of the Navy William Jones on July 4, 1813. He estimated that a force consisting of gunboats and barges that could be sailed or rowed, manned by sailors and those in the shipbuilding industries, could engage British landing parties in the shallow waters of the Bay. He set sail in April 1814 with these eighteen ships: seven 75 feet (22.9 m) barges, six 50 feet (15.2 m) barges, two gunboats, one row-galley, one lookout boat and his flagship, the 49 feet (14.9 m) sloop-rigged, self-propelled floating battery USS Scorpion
, mounting two long guns and two carronade
s.
when it encountered the 12-gun schooner HMS St. Lawrence
(the former Baltimore privateer Atlas), and boats from the 74-gun Third Rates
HMS Dragon
and HMS Albion
near St. Jerome Creek. The flotilla pursued St Lawrence and the boats until they could reach the protection of 'of the two 74s. The American flotilla then retreated into the Patuxent River
where the British quickly blockaded it. The British outnumbered Barney by 7:1, forcing the flotilla on 7 June to retreat into St. Leonard's Creek. Two British frigates, the 38-gun HMS Loire and the 32-gun HMS Narcissus, plus the 18-gun sloop-of-war
HMS Jasseur blockaded the mouth of the creek. The creek was too shallow for the British warships to enter, and the flotilla outgunned and hence was able to fend off the boats from the British ships.
Battles continued through June 10. The British, frustrated by their inability to flush Barney out of his safe retreat, instituted a "campaign of terror," laying waste to "town and farm alike" and plundering and burning Calverton
, Huntingtown
, Prince Frederick
, Benedict
and Lower Marlboro.
, though Barney had to scuttle gunboats 137 and 138 in the creek. The British entered the then-abandoned creek and burned the town of St. Leonard, Maryland
.
The British, under the command of Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane
, moved up the Patuxent, preparing for a landing at Benedict, Maryland
. For several days the British Fleet bombarded the Flotilla with cannon and Congreve rocket
s in an attempt to destroy it. On August 19, 1814, the Flotilla left St. Leonard’s Creek and sailed north up the Patuxent River. A plan had been discussed to transport the entire Flotilla overland from the port of Queen Anne to the South River and return it to the Bay. However, concerned that the Flotilla would fall into British hands, Secretary of the Navy Jones ordered Barney to take his squadron as far up the Patuxent as possible, to Queen Anne
, and scuttle the vessels should the British appear. On August 22, 1814, the British approached the Flotilla, and Barney ordered its destruction. He then force-marched the men from the flotilla and such cannons as were movable, to Washington D.C. where they were to join the Battle of Bladensburg
.
The Flotilla manned these positions throughout the Battle of Baltimore, pitting sailor against sailor in fighting the British Fleet. The Flotilla inflicted numerous casualties on the attacking British ships, especially during the attempted night assault on Battery Babcock by a Royal Marine landing party. In the report, written by Lt. Col. David Harris, Charles Messenger is listed as being killed in action at the Water Battery and three other flotilla men wounded.
After the Battle of Baltimore, the Flotilla did not participate in any further engagements. On February 15, 1815, Congress repealed the short lived Flotilla Act and the Flotilla was disbanded.
, and the fleet was located. Further study of the wrecks, including one vessel dubbed the Turtle Shell Wreck', followed in 1979. The Turtle Shell was lying in the main river channel near Wayson's corner, and covered by five feet of mud, the ship was well preserved, although it appeared the bow was torn off in an explosion.
When the new Route 4 Hills Bridge was built in 1990, remnants of Barney's ships were found buried more than five feet below the riverbed.
A replica of one of his gunboats today sits in a waterside park in Bladensburg, Maryland
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had been fighting with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
during War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. The British fleet was marauding the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake 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...
when Joshua Barney
Joshua Barney
Joshua Barney was a commodore in the United States Navy, born in Baltimore, Maryland, who served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Revolutionary War:...
, a naval officer of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, assembled a motley collection of barges and gunboats known generally as the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla to stall the British attacks. Joshua Barney, an 1812 privateer captain, submitted a plan for the defense of the Chesapeake Bay to Secretary of the Navy William Jones on July 4, 1813. He estimated that a force consisting of gunboats and barges that could be sailed or rowed, manned by sailors and those in the shipbuilding industries, could engage British landing parties in the shallow waters of the Bay. He set sail in April 1814 with these eighteen ships: seven 75 feet (22.9 m) barges, six 50 feet (15.2 m) barges, two gunboats, one row-galley, one lookout boat and his flagship, the 49 feet (14.9 m) sloop-rigged, self-propelled floating battery USS Scorpion
USS Scorpion (1812)
The first USS Scorpion was a self-propelled floating battery in commission in the United States Navy from 1812 to 1814.Scorpion was a sloop-rigged floating battery that could also be propelled by oars. She probably was built under contract for the U.S. Navy in 1812 for service during the War of...
, mounting two long guns and two carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s.
Battle of St. Jerome Creek
On June 1, 1814, Barney's flotilla, led by Scorpion, were coming down 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...
when it encountered the 12-gun schooner HMS St. Lawrence
HMS St Lawrence (1813)
HMS St Lawrence was a 14-gun schooner of the Royal Navy. She had been built in 1808 in St. Michels, Talbot County, Maryland for Thomas Tennant and sold to Philadelphians in 1810. During the War of 1812 she was the American privateer Atlas. The British captured her in 1813 and renamed her St Lawrence...
(the former Baltimore privateer Atlas), and boats from the 74-gun Third Rates
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
HMS Dragon
HMS Dragon (1798)
HMS Dragon was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 2 April 1798 at Rotherhithe. She was designed by Sir William Rule, and was the only ship built to her draught....
and HMS Albion
HMS Albion (1802)
HMS Albion was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was launched at Perry's Blackwall Yard on the Thames on 17 June 1802...
near St. Jerome Creek. The flotilla pursued St Lawrence and the boats until they could reach the protection of 'of the two 74s. The American flotilla then retreated into the Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
where the British quickly blockaded it. The British outnumbered Barney by 7:1, forcing the flotilla on 7 June to retreat into St. Leonard's Creek. Two British frigates, the 38-gun HMS Loire and the 32-gun HMS Narcissus, plus the 18-gun sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
HMS Jasseur blockaded the mouth of the creek. The creek was too shallow for the British warships to enter, and the flotilla outgunned and hence was able to fend off the boats from the British ships.
Battles continued through June 10. The British, frustrated by their inability to flush Barney out of his safe retreat, instituted a "campaign of terror," laying waste to "town and farm alike" and plundering and burning Calverton
Calverton, Maryland
Calverton is an unincorporated area and Census-designated place located on the boundary between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, Calverton's boundaries are not officially defined...
, Huntingtown
Huntingtown, Maryland
Huntingtown is a census-designated place in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,436 at the 2000 census. The community is growing, with many large estate homes in small developments off of Maryland Route 2/4. It has a public high school called Huntingtown High. The...
, Prince Frederick
Prince Frederick, Maryland
Prince Frederick is a census-designated place in Calvert County, Maryland, United States, not to be confused with the incorporated, and much larger, city of Frederick some to the northwest in Frederick County...
, Benedict
Benedict, Maryland
Benedict, Maryland is a small unincorporated town in Charles County, Maryland, located on the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland, USA.-History:...
and Lower Marlboro.
Battle of St. Leonard's Creek
On June 26, after the arrival of troops commanded by U.S. Army Colonel Decius Wadsworth, and U.S. Marine Captain Samuel Miller, Barney attempted a breakout. A simultaneous attack from land and sea on the blockading frigates at the mouth of St. Leonard's creek allowed the flotilla to move out of the creek and up-river to Benedict, MarylandBenedict, Maryland
Benedict, Maryland is a small unincorporated town in Charles County, Maryland, located on the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland, USA.-History:...
, though Barney had to scuttle gunboats 137 and 138 in the creek. The British entered the then-abandoned creek and burned the town of St. Leonard, Maryland
St. Leonard, Maryland
St. Leonard is a census-designated place in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population was officially 536 at the 2000 census, although residents of the Calvert Beach-Long Beach, Maryland community also use the St. Leonard zip code designation, making it in fact a much larger community...
.
The British, under the command of Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane
Alexander Cochrane
Admiral Sir Alexander Forrester Inglis Cochrane GCB RN was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars.-Naval career:...
, moved up the Patuxent, preparing for a landing at Benedict, Maryland
Benedict, Maryland
Benedict, Maryland is a small unincorporated town in Charles County, Maryland, located on the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland, USA.-History:...
. For several days the British Fleet bombarded the Flotilla with cannon and 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...
s in an attempt to destroy it. On August 19, 1814, the Flotilla left St. Leonard’s Creek and sailed north up the Patuxent River. A plan had been discussed to transport the entire Flotilla overland from the port of Queen Anne to the South River and return it to the Bay. However, concerned that the Flotilla would fall into British hands, Secretary of the Navy Jones ordered Barney to take his squadron as far up the Patuxent as possible, to Queen Anne
Queen Anne, Prince George's County, Maryland
Queen Anne in Prince George's County, Maryland is a former seaport on the Patuxent River in Maryland.-Geography:Queen Anne is located at 38°53'55" North, 76°40'42" West . Most of the town's former waterfront area is now part of Patuxent River Park, owned and operated by the Maryland-National...
, and scuttle the vessels should the British appear. On August 22, 1814, the British approached the Flotilla, and Barney ordered its destruction. He then force-marched the men from the flotilla and such cannons as were movable, to Washington D.C. where they were to join the Battle of Bladensburg
Battle of Bladensburg
The Battle of Bladensburg took place during the War of 1812. The defeat of the American forces there allowed the British to capture and burn the public buildings of Washington, D.C...
.
Battle of Queen Anne
On August 22, 1814, the British attempted to capture Barney's squadron at Queen Anne. In his report of the affair, the tactical commander, Admiral Sir George Cockburn wrote:Battle of Bladensburg
On August 24, 1814 Barney and the flotilla participated in the Battle of Bladensburg. The Flotilla stood their ground and the British suffered heavy casualties at the hands of Barney’s cannoneers. Barney received a serious wound to his thigh from a musket ball and, since they were about to be overwhelmed by British regulars, ordered the Flotilla to retreat. The Flotilla, along with the United States Marines from the Marine Corps Barracks at 8th and I Streets in Washington, D.C., commanded by Lt. Miller, were the last two American units to leave the battlefield.Battle of Baltimore
Approximately 500 of the flotilla men then marched to Baltimore, joining others there, and were assigned to the U.S. Naval Command Second Regiment. They manned the following posts in the defense of Baltimore:| Position | Officer in Command | Men at Position |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Babcock | Sailing Master John Webster | 50 Men |
| Gun Barges | Lt. Solomon Rutter | 338 Men |
| Lazaretto Battery | Lt. Solomon Frazier | 45 Men |
| Ft Mchenry Water Battery | Solomon Rodman | 60 Men |
| Lazaretto Barracks | ------- | 114 Men |
The Flotilla manned these positions throughout the Battle of Baltimore, pitting sailor against sailor in fighting the British Fleet. The Flotilla inflicted numerous casualties on the attacking British ships, especially during the attempted night assault on Battery Babcock by a Royal Marine landing party. In the report, written by Lt. Col. David Harris, Charles Messenger is listed as being killed in action at the Water Battery and three other flotilla men wounded.
After the Battle of Baltimore, the Flotilla did not participate in any further engagements. On February 15, 1815, Congress repealed the short lived Flotilla Act and the Flotilla was disbanded.
Archeology
In 1978, a survey of the upper Patuxent River was taken using a proton procession magnetometerMagnetometer
A magnetometer is a measuring instrument used to measure the strength or direction of a magnetic field either produced in the laboratory or existing in nature...
, and the fleet was located. Further study of the wrecks, including one vessel dubbed the Turtle Shell Wreck', followed in 1979. The Turtle Shell was lying in the main river channel near Wayson's corner, and covered by five feet of mud, the ship was well preserved, although it appeared the bow was torn off in an explosion.
When the new Route 4 Hills Bridge was built in 1990, remnants of Barney's ships were found buried more than five feet below the riverbed.
A replica of one of his gunboats today sits in a waterside park in Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...
.