Battle of Caulk's Field

Battle of Caulk's Field
	Part of the War of 1812
Date	August 31, 1814
Location	Kent County, Maryland
Result	American victory
Belligerents
British Empire	United States
Commanders and leaders
Sir Peter Parker †	Philip Reed
Units involved
Royal Navy ; Royal Marines	21st Regiment of Maryland Militia
Strength
124–250	c. 200
Casualties and losses
41	3

Last updated September 04, 2024

The Battle of Caulk's Field was fought during the War of 1812 in Kent County, Maryland, United States, between a small British Army force commanded by Captain Sir Peter Parker and American militia forces commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Philip Reed. Parker, who was operating in the Chesapeake Bay region as part of the British campaign against Baltimore, Maryland, landed on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay to move against Reed's militia encampment. The British attacking force encountered American skirmishers, who conducting a fighting retreat, drawing the British towards the main American line. Parker was mortally wounded during the fight, and the British force withdrew after Parker fell. Later British setbacks at the Battle of North Point and the Battle of Fort McHenry led the British to abandon their campaign against Baltimore. In 2012, the battlefield was the site of an archaeological survey.

Background

In 1814, as part of the War of 1812, Major General Robert Ross of the British Army moved a force into the Chesapeake Bay. Ross' subordinates, Vice Admirals Sir Alexander Cochrane and Sir George Cockburn of the Royal Navy, were in charge of naval actions in the Chesapeake Bay. In late August, Captain Sir Peter Parker of the frigate HMS Menelaus was sent in the direction of Baltimore, Maryland as a diversion with the intent of drawing American troops away from the Washington, D.C. area. Parker's orders also included raiding the rural areas along the coast of the bay.^[1] On August 24, British troops defeated an American force at the Battle of Bladensburg, which opened the path to Washington. The British then burned the American capital.^[2] After the destruction of Washington, the British then focused on attacking Baltimore. Parker, who was still operating in the northern portion of the Chesapeake Bay, learned that American militia were encamped near Georgetown, Maryland on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay.^[3]

Battle

Parker's force^{[lower-alpha 1]} landed late on the night of August 30.^[5] Sailors from the Royal Navy and men of the Royal Marines were represented in the British column.^[7] The militiamen, of the 21st Regiment of Maryland Militia, were commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Philip Reed, who had fought in the American Revolution.^[6] During the advance inland, guides, who may have been victims of impressment, misled the British column, allowing the Americans, who numbered about 200, to be better prepared for the British assault.^[4] Parker's force encountered American skirmishers, who quickly retreated to the main American line.^[8] The retreating skirmishers led the British towards American line, which included multiple cannons. The battle took place at night, and the light of a full moon exposed the British soldiers during their advance, allowing the Americans to inflict several casualties.^[3] The Americans held the high ground, giving the defenders an advantage. British Lieutenant Henry Crease reported that one portion of the British attacking force was briefly able to gain a foothold in the main American position on the high ground, at one point taking one of the American cannons. However, American pressure forced the British to abandon the toehold.^[8] The Americans eventually began to run out of ammunition, but Parker was then wounded in the thigh and bled to death. The British fell back after Parker's death.^[3] American casualties totaled three wounded.^[9] British casualties are reported at 41.^[4]

Aftermath

While the outcome of the fight increased American morale, it did not discourage the British from pressing their assault on Baltimore. On September 12, Ross' infantry force won a tactical victory over an American force at the Battle of North Point. Ross was mortally wounded during the fighting, and the British advance was slowed. The naval prong of the British assault on Baltimore was blunted when the naval bombardment of Fort McHenry, which occurred on September 13 and 14, failed to accomplish substantial results. The British infantry force, now commanded by Colonel Arthur Brooke, withdrew early on the morning of the 14th, and the naval force withdrew after the failure of the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the failure of an attempted amphibious assault, ending the assault on Baltimore.^[10]

A historic marker, erected in 1902, marks the location of the battle.^[11]

Archaeological survey

In March 2012, an archaeological team from the Maryland State Highway Administration and the University of Maryland began an archaeological survey of the battlefield, which is considered to be one of the best-preserved War of 1812 sites in Maryland. The survey used metal detectors to locate artifacts, and discovered 721 items in the area of the battle site. However, many of the items postdated the fight. Some of the items related to the battle that were discovered included musket balls, cannon ammunition, and firearm parts. The caliber of the standard small arms used by the two sides was different, which allowed the musket balls to be identified as having been fired by either the British or the Americans. The finds were interpreted as corroborating the historic accounts of the fighting in some aspects: the artifact patterning placed the American line on the high ground and was consistent with the accounts of American skirmishers conducting a fighting retreat towards the main American line. An unfired British musket ball was found near where the American artillery position is believed to have been, which may support Crease's statement about the temporary capture of an American cannon. Additionally, the archaeological finds suggest that the battle was fought over a larger area than was previously thought.^[12]

Notes

↑ Estimates of the strength of Parker's force vary. Elting gives a total of 124,^[4] Hickey estimates 250,^[3] Sharpe suggests about 150,^[5] and the website of Kent County, Maryland gives a total of 140.^[6]

Related Research Articles

The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States declared war on Britain on 18 June 1812. Although peace terms were agreed upon in the December 1814 Treaty of Ghent, the war did not officially end until the peace treaty was ratified by the United States Congress on 17 February 1815.

The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. Two British forces, an army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadron under Captain George Downie converged on the lakeside town of Plattsburgh, New York. Plattsburgh was defended by New York and Vermont militia and detachments of regular troops of the United States Army, all under the command of Brigadier General Alexander Macomb, and ships commanded by Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough.

The Battle of York was a War of 1812 battle fought in York, Upper Canada on April 27, 1813. An American force, supported by a naval flotilla, landed on the western lakeshore and captured the provincial capital after defeating an outnumbered force of regulars, militia and Ojibwe natives under the command of Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe, the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada.

The Battle of Crysler's Farm, also known as the Battle of Crysler's Field, was fought on 11 November 1813, during the War of 1812. A British and Canadian force won a victory over a US force which greatly outnumbered them. The US defeat prompted them to abandon the St. Lawrence Campaign, their major strategic effort in the autumn of 1813.

The Battle of Baltimore 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor</span>

The Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor, or simply the Battle of Sacket's Harbor, took place on 29 May 1813, during the War of 1812. A British force was transported across Lake Ontario and attempted to capture the town, which was the principal dockyard and base for the American naval squadron on the lake. Twelve warships were built here. The British were repulsed by American regulars, militia, marines and sailors, although the attack resulted in the destruction of naval stores and self-inflicted damage to American warships.

The Battle of Bladensburg, also known as the Bladensburg Races, took place during the Chesapeake Campaign, part of the War of 1812, on 24 August 1814, at Bladensburg, Maryland, 8.6 miles (13.8 km) northeast of Washington, D.C.

The Battle of North Point was fought on September 12, 1814, between General John Stricker's Maryland Militia and a British force led by Major-General Robert Ross. Although the Americans were driven from the field, they were able to do so in good order having inflicted significant casualties on the British, killing Ross and demoralizing the troops under his command. Some of Ross's units became lost among woods and swampy creeks during the battle, with others in similar states of confusion.

The Battle of Craney Island was a victory for the United States during the War of 1812. The battle saved the city of Norfolk, and the adjacent city of Portsmouth, from British invasion. Especially important to Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, the region was a major hub for American commerce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Reed (politician)</span> American politician

Philip Reed was a United States Senator representing Maryland from 1806 to 1813.

The Battle of St. Michaels was an engagement contested on August 10, 1813, during the War of 1812. British soldiers attacked the American militia at St. Michaels, Maryland, which is located on Maryland's Eastern Shore with access to Chesapeake Bay. At the time, this small town was on the main shipping route to important cities such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Timeline of the War of 1812 is a chronology of the War of 1812, including a list of battles.

Sir Peter Parker, 2nd Baronet was a British Royal Navy officer, the son of Vice-Admiral Christopher Parker and Augusta Byron.

The Chesapeake Bay Flotilla was a motley collection of barges and gunboats that the United States assembled under the command of Joshua Barney, an 1812 privateer captain, to stall British attacks in the Chesapeake Bay which came to be known as the "Chesapeake campaign" during the War of 1812. The Flotilla engaged the Royal Navy in several inconclusive battles before Barney was forced to scuttle the vessels themselves on August 22, 1814. The men of the Flotilla then served onshore in the defense of Washington, DC and Baltimore. It was disbanded on February 15, 1815, after the end of the war.

The Chesapeake campaign, also known as the Chesapeake Bay campaign, of the War of 1812 was a British naval campaign that took place from 23 April 1813 to 14 September 1814 on and around the Delaware and Chesapeake bays of the United States.

The Raid on Alexandria was a British victory during the War of 1812, which gained much plunder at little cost but may have contributed to the later British repulse at Baltimore by delaying their main forces.

The Washington Blues were a company of Maryland Volunteers which saw action during the Battle of Bladensburg and the Battle of North Point, during the War of 1812.

The Raid on Havre de Grace was a seaborne raid that took place on 3 May 1813 during the broader War of 1812. 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. Cockburn's forces routed the town's defenders and sacked and burnt several buildings before withdrawing.

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Sterett (1773-1821), also known as Joseph Sterrett, was a Maryland militia officer who served during the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. At the Battle of Bladensberg and the Battle of North Point he commanded the 5th Maryland Regiment, composed largely of volunteers from Baltimore.

The Second Battle of St. Michaels was a raid conducted on Maryland's Eastern Shore by British soldiers during the War of 1812. The raid occurred on August 26, 1813, at points between Tilghman Island and the town of St. Michaels, Maryland. Local militia defended against the raiders.

References

↑ Elting 1995, pp. 201–204.
↑ Hickey 2012, pp. 205–208.
1 2 3 4 Hickey 2012, p. 210.
1 2 3 Elting 1995, p. 229.
1 2 Sharpe 2013, p. 42.
1 2 Hemstock, Kevin. "The Battle of Caulk's Field in Kent County". Kent County, Maryland. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
↑ Minami, Wayde (August 31, 2012). "Guardsmen, Royal Marines Recall 1812 War Dead at Caulk's Field". news.maryland.gov. Maryland National Guard. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
1 2 Sharpe 2013, p. 45.
↑ Sharpe 2013, p. 43.
↑ Hickey 2012, pp. 210–211.
↑ "Caulk's Field". Daughters of the American Revolution. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
↑ Sharpe 2013, pp. 42–45.

Sources

Elting, John R. (1995). Amateurs, To Arms! A Military History of the War of 1812 (1st Da Capo ed.). New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80653-3.
Hickey, Donald R. (2012). The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-07837-8.
Sharpe, Katherine (September–October 2013). "Battlefield: 1814". Archaeology Magazine. 66 (5). Archaeological Institute of America: 42–45. ISSN 0003-8113.