William Beanes
Encyclopedia
William Beanes was a medical doctor in the American Colonial Period.
Beanes was the third generation of the same name and the fourth generation American. He was born near Croome in Prince George's County, Maryland
. Little is known of his childhood except that he is of Scottish descent. Throughout his life he spoke with a Scottish accent.
His parents were wealthy and owned large parcels of land in Prince George's County. Because of this Beanes grew up in a rural environment that was comfortable. Beanes may have been tutored for his basic education or otherwise graduated from a public school. It is known that he obtained initial medical education from one of the experienced medical practitioners in his town where he lived since there was no medical college in America at this time. Beanes began to practice medicine when he felt he was educated enough and qualified to do so.
Beanes married Sarah Hawkins Hanson on November 25, 1773. She was the niece of John Hanson
who became the president of the First Continental Congress and some say technically then was the first President of the United States.
.
Beanes offered his medical services at the first General Hospital in Philadelphia after the Battles of Lexington and Concord
. He also mended the wounded soldiers there from the Battle of Brandywine
, Battle of Long Island
and Valley Forge
.
Beanes bought land just outside of Upper Marlboro, Maryland
in 1779. Here he built a house and began practicing medicine. He was also a farmer there and owned a local grist mill. In the later 18th century Beanes was a respected medical doctor and distinguished scientist with an excellent reputation. In 1799 he was one of the founders of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland with John Archer
and his son.
. In the summer of 1814 the British landed near Benedict, Maryland. They marched to Upper Marlboro which was about 16 miles from Washington, D.C.
The town was mostly deserted except for its most prominent citizen, Beanes. He offered British General Robert Ross and Admiral George Cockburn
the use of his house as his headquarters from August 22 until the afternoon of August 23. Because of this, Ross took it as Beanes being in sympathy with the British. There was no resistance to the British in town, which additionally confirmed the notion.
The British continued their march onto Washington and entered Bladensburg which was about eight miles east of Washington. There they encountered American resistance in the Battle of Bladensburg
on August 24, 1814. After a decisive victory by the British they continued to Washington and burned some public buildings, including the White House
. On their return trip back to their ships they again stopped briefly at Upper Marlboro. Some of the British deserters did some plundering of some of the small farms. Robert Bowie, who was a former governor of Maryland and owned some farmland in the area decided he was going to take matters into his own hands and do something about it. He was able to get the help of Beanes, who in turn was able to get Dr. William Hill and Philip Weems to participate. They then captured a few of the deserters and took them to the county jail. One escaped and went straight away to Ross and told him about the captives.
Ross was furious to think that he was misled by Beanes’ earlier hospitality and that it was perhaps just a ruse on Beanes’ part. It could have been that the marauders lied accusing Beanes of undue vehemence, but in either case Ross immediately put out an arrest for Beanes, Bowie, and four others. British soldiers seized Beanes, Bowie, Dr. Hill and Mr. Weems shortly after midnight. Upon receiving these men from the soldiers, Ross and Cockburn soon released Bowie and the others but took Beanes back to their ship.
Brigadier general
William H. Winder
in a letter dated August 31 protested to no avail.
Friends of Beanes went to Francis Scott Key
, a lawyer in Georgetown
, for help on the release of the elderly doctor. Key got the permission of President James Madison
who also sent John Stuart Skinner
, the US Prisoner Exchange Agent for the region. Skinner and Key took one of Skinner's flag of truce vessels, a Chesapeake Bay cartel (the Minden), and set out to locate the British fleet in the Chesapeake Bay. Skinner and Key came across the British flagship of Vice Admiral
Sir Alexander Cochrane
. They then had a meeting with Ross who refused to release Beanes. Skinner knew Beanes and the high reputation he had. He had the foresight to collect from wounded British soldiers left behind after the Battle of Bladensburg
letters of how well they had been treated by the Americans. Skinner then pulled his trump card and gave Ross the letters. The soldiers wrote about what excellent medical treatment they were receiving by the Americans. Ross then had a change of heart and released Beanes. Skinner and Key with Beanes were allowed to go back to their ship, however were not allowed to go back to Baltimore. They were held eight miles off shore from Fort McHenry
until the outcome of the Battle of Baltimore
. Skinner, Key and Beanes had learned too much about British forces and plans of the attack on Baltimore to allow them free at that time. They were tied up to a British ship in the Chesapeake Bay and guarded by British soldiers until after the battle that started the morning of September 13, 1814. The three men watched the battle from their ship as it went into the night. There was a large flag put up at Fort McHenry that they could see, however eventually the smoke of British gunfire, cannons, Congreve rockets and nightfall obscured the flag. They could only look and hope for the best.
When morning came on September 14, they saw the flag was still there. Fort McHenry had not been taken by the British. The British had broken off the attack in the night and were retreating. Skinner, Key, and Beanes were released to go back home on their ship. They arrived at Baltimore on September 16. Key was inspired to write a poem of the event on the back of a letter, which ultimately became the Star Spangled Banner. Beanes was the incidental cause for the reason why Key wrote the poem that led to the
American national anthem
.
and as far away as Java
.
The Boston Daily Globe reports in 1886:
A letter of brother-in-law of Key, a Judge Taney, says in part as reported by the Pennsylvania Magazine 1898 p. 22-3:
The same letter goes on to say:
According to the Maryland Historical Society upon release of Beanes from the British, he, along with Skinner and Key, were put on the sloop Minden on or about September 8 to sail up the Chesapeake Bay toward Baltimore. They were guarded by British soldiers along with a fleet of some forty vessels going to attack Fort McHenry. The Minden had it sails removed and was towed by the British frigate Surprize. The British fleet arrived at Baltimore between September 11 and September 13. The battle on Fort McHenry then began during the early morning hours of September 13. When Key saw the next morning that the flag was still flying after a fierce battle he was inspired then and there on the Minden to write on the back of a letter the poem "To Anacreon in Heaven", which ultimately became the Star-Spangled Banner.
Early life
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. Little is known of his childhood except that he is of Scottish descent. Throughout his life he spoke with a Scottish accent.
His parents were wealthy and owned large parcels of land in Prince George's County. Because of this Beanes grew up in a rural environment that was comfortable. Beanes may have been tutored for his basic education or otherwise graduated from a public school. It is known that he obtained initial medical education from one of the experienced medical practitioners in his town where he lived since there was no medical college in America at this time. Beanes began to practice medicine when he felt he was educated enough and qualified to do so.
Beanes married Sarah Hawkins Hanson on November 25, 1773. She was the niece of John Hanson
John Hanson
John Hanson was a merchant and public official from Maryland during the era of the American Revolution. After serving in a variety of roles for the Patriot cause in Maryland, in 1779 Hanson was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress...
who became the president of the First Continental Congress and some say technically then was the first President of the United States.
Mid life
Beanes supported Boston’s position in the resistance of the Coercive Acts and was one of the committee of Prince Georgians who put into effect the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental CongressDeclaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
The Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress was a statement adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 14, 1774, in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament...
.
Beanes offered his medical services at the first General Hospital in Philadelphia after the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
. He also mended the wounded soldiers there from the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
and Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
.
Beanes bought land just outside of Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Upper Marlboro is a town in and the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The live-in population of the town core proper was only 648 at the 2000 census, although Greater Upper Marlboro is many times larger....
in 1779. Here he built a house and began practicing medicine. He was also a farmer there and owned a local grist mill. In the later 18th century Beanes was a respected medical doctor and distinguished scientist with an excellent reputation. In 1799 he was one of the founders of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland with John Archer
John Archer (Maryland)
John Archer was a U.S. Congressman from Maryland, representing the sixth district for three terms from 1801–1807...
and his son.
War of 1812
Beanes was in the limelight during the War of 1812War 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...
. In the summer of 1814 the British landed near Benedict, Maryland. They marched to Upper Marlboro which was about 16 miles from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The town was mostly deserted except for its most prominent citizen, Beanes. He offered British General Robert Ross and Admiral George Cockburn
George Cockburn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet GCB was a British naval commander of the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries. He held important commands during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually rose to become Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord.-Naval...
the use of his house as his headquarters from August 22 until the afternoon of August 23. Because of this, Ross took it as Beanes being in sympathy with the British. There was no resistance to the British in town, which additionally confirmed the notion.
The British continued their march onto Washington and entered Bladensburg which was about eight miles east of Washington. There they encountered American resistance in 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...
on August 24, 1814. After a decisive victory by the British they continued to Washington and burned some public buildings, including the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. On their return trip back to their ships they again stopped briefly at Upper Marlboro. Some of the British deserters did some plundering of some of the small farms. Robert Bowie, who was a former governor of Maryland and owned some farmland in the area decided he was going to take matters into his own hands and do something about it. He was able to get the help of Beanes, who in turn was able to get Dr. William Hill and Philip Weems to participate. They then captured a few of the deserters and took them to the county jail. One escaped and went straight away to Ross and told him about the captives.
Ross was furious to think that he was misled by Beanes’ earlier hospitality and that it was perhaps just a ruse on Beanes’ part. It could have been that the marauders lied accusing Beanes of undue vehemence, but in either case Ross immediately put out an arrest for Beanes, Bowie, and four others. British soldiers seized Beanes, Bowie, Dr. Hill and Mr. Weems shortly after midnight. Upon receiving these men from the soldiers, Ross and Cockburn soon released Bowie and the others but took Beanes back to their ship.
Brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
William H. Winder
William H. Winder
William Henry Winder was an American soldier and a Maryland lawyer. He was a controversial general in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812....
in a letter dated August 31 protested to no avail.
Friends of Beanes went to Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
, a lawyer in Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
, for help on the release of the elderly doctor. Key got the permission of President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
who also sent John Stuart Skinner
John Stuart Skinner
John Stuart Skinner was an American lawyer, publisher, and editor.- Biography :Skinner began practicing law as an attorney at the age of twenty-one in 1809. On March 10, 1812, he married Elizabeth G. Davies, the step-daughter of Theodorick Bland...
, the US Prisoner Exchange Agent for the region. Skinner and Key took one of Skinner's flag of truce vessels, a Chesapeake Bay cartel (the Minden), and set out to locate the British fleet in the Chesapeake Bay. Skinner and Key came across the British flagship of Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an 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:...
. They then had a meeting with Ross who refused to release Beanes. Skinner knew Beanes and the high reputation he had. He had the foresight to collect from wounded British soldiers left behind after 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...
letters of how well they had been treated by the Americans. Skinner then pulled his trump card and gave Ross the letters. The soldiers wrote about what excellent medical treatment they were receiving by the Americans. Ross then had a change of heart and released Beanes. Skinner and Key with Beanes were allowed to go back to their ship, however were not allowed to go back to Baltimore. They were held eight miles off shore from Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...
until the outcome of the Battle of Baltimore
Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading...
. Skinner, Key and Beanes had learned too much about British forces and plans of the attack on Baltimore to allow them free at that time. They were tied up to a British ship in the Chesapeake Bay and guarded by British soldiers until after the battle that started the morning of September 13, 1814. The three men watched the battle from their ship as it went into the night. There was a large flag put up at Fort McHenry that they could see, however eventually the smoke of British gunfire, cannons, Congreve rockets and nightfall obscured the flag. They could only look and hope for the best.
American national anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
.
Alternate viewpoints
Some historians think it was the morning of September 13, instead of September 14, when Key saw the flag was still there and wrote his famous poem, later called "The Star-Spangled Banner." Some historians think the name of the sloop / cartel that Key, Skinner, and Beanes were on when they viewed the Battle of the Baltimore was instead The President. A letter dated Washington, 1856 from Chief-Justice R. B. Taney, brother-in-law of Francis Scott Key, to Judge Joseph Hopper Nicholson states that Key, Skinner, and Beanes were transferred back off the British vessel Surprise to their own "flag of truce" vessel usually employed as a cartel, but of an unknown name. From their own vessel they then viewed the battle and where Key was inspired to write his famous poem when he immediately jotted down the lines before being released by the British to go back to land. Still another report about a Mrs. George H. Pendleton (daughter of Key) says Key wrote the poem on September 14, however also from an unnamed vessel that was of American nature, but not the British vessel Surprise.. Still other reports say the ship HMS Minden was not involved in the Battle of BaltimoreBattle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading...
and as far away as Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
.
The Boston Daily Globe reports in 1886:
A letter of brother-in-law of Key, a Judge Taney, says in part as reported by the Pennsylvania Magazine 1898 p. 22-3:
The same letter goes on to say:
According to the Maryland Historical Society upon release of Beanes from the British, he, along with Skinner and Key, were put on the sloop Minden on or about September 8 to sail up the Chesapeake Bay toward Baltimore. They were guarded by British soldiers along with a fleet of some forty vessels going to attack Fort McHenry. The Minden had it sails removed and was towed by the British frigate Surprize. The British fleet arrived at Baltimore between September 11 and September 13. The battle on Fort McHenry then began during the early morning hours of September 13. When Key saw the next morning that the flag was still flying after a fierce battle he was inspired then and there on the Minden to write on the back of a letter the poem "To Anacreon in Heaven", which ultimately became the Star-Spangled Banner.
Later life
Beanes spent the remainder of his life on Academy Hill in Upper Marlboro. He died there in 1828 with his wife preceding him in 1822.External links
- William Beanes at Find-A-Grave