BATTLE OF BALTIMORE

12th September, 2014: I will do my best to describe what happened at what has been called the Battle of Baltimore or the Battle of North Point. When the British fleet arrived in the Patapsco River on 11th September 1814, the transports anchored off North Point while the smaller ships, frigates and bomb ships, sailed on into harbor where they anchored within range of Fort McHenry. Their time would not come for a couple of days, but the transports came into play the next day, 12th September. At 0300 that day, General Ross‘s army, accompanied by Admiral Cockburn, landed and began the march up the peninsula toward Baltimore. The plan was to march and fight to the north of the city and swoop down on it while the Navy, having reduced Fort McHenry, bombed it from the water. The townspeople would quickly succumb and the victorious Brits would reprise their action in Washington City. As people say in today’s culture, “not so much!”

What Ross and Cockburn did not know was that Samuel Smith, Chairman of the Committee of Safety, as well as a US Senator and major general of the militia, along with Commodore John Rodgers, Captain David Porter, and Commodore Barney’s sailors and Marines, were ready and waiting. Smith had stationed General John Stricker along North Point with  3200 militiamen in defensive positions and, farther up the neck, closer to Baltimore city itself, Army Captain Montgomery and  six 4-pounder artillery pieces – a kind of last line of defense. Additional defenses had been established around the choke points of the harbor, notably alongside the star fort guarding the entrance. More about them tomorrow.

As the British army marched (as only the British army can!) up North Point, their advance parties encountered some resistance, designed to fight and retreat, drawing the invaders farther into the neck where they would find the main body of the American militia. During their advance, General Ross was shot and killed by an American sniper – two in fact, farm boys named Wells and McComas – and Colonel Arthur Brooke took over command. They pressed on, met the militia and after deciding on a strategy, he rallied his troops in a savage  frontal assault. A pitched battle, hand to hand, bayonets, and pistols ensued, but the Brits broke through in about 20 minutes. 163 Americans were killed and about 50 taken prisoner. On up North Point they marched, not halting until they reached Montgomery’s artillery. Night was falling and Cockburn and Brooke knew a naval bombardment would commence the next day, so they camped to wait for the navy to break through the defenses of Fort McHenry for their final assault on Baltimore.

We’ll talk about the bombardment of Fort McHenry in the next issue. And maybe by then, we’ll be able to show you some images!

“Yes, as everyone knows, meditation and water are wedded forever!” H. Melville

Fair Winds,

Old Salt

BUSY WEEK

11 SEPTEMBER 2014: A super busy time, historically speaking.

Two days ago, at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, 7,000 Maryland school children formed the largest human flag in history – the Star Spangled Banner if you will, on the grounds of the fort. There are pictures of it on the web, but sadly, while I have several, I can’t post them here. Suffice it to say it was a spectacular event! Of course, it was the kick off for the Maryland and, specifically, Baltimore, celebration of the Battle of Baltimore and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner.

The next day, 10th September, marked the 201st anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie, (1813) after which, Oliver Hazard Perry, who commanded the American fleet on the Lake, reported his famous line, “We have met the enemy and they are ours!” You may recall that when his flagship, USS LAWRENCE  was reduced to a floating hulk, he shifted his flag in a ship’s boat to USS NIAGARA and continued the fight. It was decisive because it gave control of the Lake to the Americans and also restored the frontier city of Detroit to American control when the British, unable to access the lake, quit the city.

Also on the 10th, a Canadian exploration team uncovered what appears to be the wreck of HMS Terror (it could also be HMS Erebus – but that would not be as much fun to talk about!) Why is this significant, especially now? Terror was one of two missing ships from the “lost Franklin Expedition of 1845″ which came to grief in the ice of Canada. All hands were lost, including the leader, Franklin, and Parks Canada has been looking for the ships for many year – in fact, they have mounted no less than six major expeditions to find them. OK, you say. Why is that a big deal? Well, if the ship they found is in fact HMS Terror, she has a spot in American history as well as British and Canadian: she was one of six rocket firing ships that took part in the siege of Baltimore and helped to inspire Francis Scott Key to write about the “rockets’ red glare.” She was converted to fulfill the role of expedition ship for the Franklin trip some 30+ years later! Pretty neat, if the wreck is indeed the Terror!

Finally, today, 11th September, (while a sad day in modern times) also is the anniversary of two events from 200 years back. The arrival of the British fleet in the Patapsco River in preparation for the landing of troops at North Point and the reduction of Ft. McHenry (neither of which worked out they way they expected!). Key, of course, was still aboard HMS Tonnant. The 11th also marks the anniversary of Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough’s brilliant victory on Lake Champlain which scotched the British plans to divide the country in two from Plattsburgh NY to New York City. This would most likely have changed the outcome of the war and certainly would have given the British negotiators in Ghent a big advantage in drafting a treaty!

So there you have it. I – and now you – are caught up with the history technical gremlins have prohibited me from sharing. I hope you found it worth the wait!

“Sailing unties the knots in my mind!”  Al Noble

Fair Winds,

Old Salt

OLD GLORY

9 September 2014: We’re going to be talking about our American flag – OLD GLORY - and I hope everyone knows what it looks like!

Since we’re waiting for Col. John Skinner and Francis Scott Key to finish their negotiations with the British admiralty on HMS Tonnant for the release of Doctor Beanes -(interestingly, Admiral Cockburn – remember him? He dined at the President’s Mansion in Washington City – refused to see them but Adm. Cochran did, but only Skinner. Key was excluded from the meeting!), I thought a look at the creation of THE flag might be interesting. Just a quickie:

The Flag was sewn by Mary Pickersgill in Baltimore at her home (now the ‘Flag House” and a museum). She was assisted by her daughter, 2 nieces, and an indentured black servant.It was commissioned by Major George Armistead, commandant of Fort McHenry in June of 1813 when he assumed command of the fort. She also made  smaller “storm flag” to be used, obviously, during bad weather. The main flag was 30X42 feet (the storm flag was 17X25 ft.) and was made from dyed English wool bunting. Each star is 2 ft in diameter and each stripe is about 2 ft wide! It took six to eight weeks to construct and cost the government $405.90. The Storm flag was a mere $168.54!

It was the larger garrison flag that Key had seen before the bombardment and was looking for during the long night. He was unaware that Armistead had put up the storm flag during the inclement weather that came in over night. He did, however, raise the big flag at sunrise when the weather cleared after the bombardment ended.

The flag currently is on display at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of American History. Kept in subdued lighting to preserve what’s left of it, the flag is a stirring sight for visitors.

We’ll get back to Key, the bombardment, and his poem in a day or two.

“Nodding the head does not row the boat!”   -  Old Irish Saying

                           

Fair Winds,

Old Salt

SUBMARINE TURTLE 1776

7 September 2014: Today marks the anniversary of the first attack by a submarine – unsuccessful – but it proved the concept was viable.

We are taking a short break from  the War of 1812 here to bring a slightly different slant – from an earlier war – to these pages. I hope you will enjoy the detour!

A man named David Bushnell, a New Englander and undergraduate student at Yale, conceived and designed an underwater vehicle which embodied the 4 basic requirements of such: ability to submerge, ability to maneuver underwater, maintain an adequate air supply for the operator, and able to carry out an offensive attack against an enemy surface ship. TURTLE, a human-powered, barrel-shaped vessel,  was the result, and he planned on using it against the British fleet anchored in Boston Harbor. Unfortunately, the fleet departed for New York before his creation was finished.

It was 7th September 1776 when all the elements finally came together in New York Harbor: a reasonably clear night, calm seas, and the fleet anchored close enough to shore for the operator to get to them. Adm Howe’s flagship was selected and a man named Ezra Lee was chosen to carry out the attack; Bushnell’s constitution was too frail for the strenuous task ahead. Unfortunately, while Lee made it successfully out to the ship, submerged, and prepared to drill into the underwater hull of HMS Eagle, the copper sheathing delayed him sufficiently to run out of air. He surfaced, got fresh air into his craft, and tried again. Still the copper prevented him from drilling into the hull to attach his “time bomb” and he aborted the attempt. En route back to the battery, he jettisoned the bomb which detonated shortly thereafter on the bottom of the Hudson River, doing no damage to anything.

Construction plan of TURTLE

While the submersible was never used again, it did prove the concept was viable. Turtle was being transported to another site in October when the sloop carrying it was attacked and sunk. Though the craft was salvaged, it seems to have disappeared for all time.

“Noah was a brave man to sail in a wooden boat with two termites!” -  unknown

                                

Fair Winds,

Old Salt

THE STORY BEGINS – 200 YRS AGO TODAY

5 SEPTEMBER, 2014: On this date, 200 years ago in 1814, Francis Scott Key and Colonel John Skinner set out from Baltimore Harbor in a boat hired from a Mr. Ferguson of Fells Point, flying a flag of truce. Their object was to locate the British fleet, en route to Baltimore from the Potomac River, and gain an audience with Admiral Alexander Cochrane. Held as a prisoner on his flagship, HMS Tonnant, was a doctor friend of Key’s and other influential men in Washington City who had pressured the Army to attempt his release. Col. Skinner held the position of “Agent for Prisoners” in the American Army and through this role, was well-known to Admiral Cochrane. The men hoped to negotiate the release of Key’s friend, Dr. William Beanes, who had been captured while treating wounded soldiers of both sides at the Battle of Bladensburg some days previous. Beanes was elderly and those who knew him were concerned that continued incarceration would injure his already questionable health. Key, a lawyer of some regard in Washington City, offered his services to Skinner with the hope he might be able to prevail in the event the colonel failed. Beanes was the only prisoner held on Tonnant and his freedom lay solely in the Admiral’s hands.

The men knew roughly where the British fleet was as well as where it was headed; coast watchers along the Chesapeake informed the “powers that be” in Baltimore of the fleet’s location and the British had announced loudly to any who would listen what their intentions were.

It took the”truce boat” a couple of days to get alongside Tonnant; I will continue this saga on the appropriate days in the future. We are rapidly approaching the bicentennial of the Star Spangled Banner and the Battle of Baltimore and I will tell that story as appropriate.

“The sea finds out everything you did wrong!”  - Francis Stokes

                            

Fair Winds!

Old Salt

POTPOURRI & HOUSEKEEPING

3 September 2014: this is the second time I am writing this as for some unknown reason, the first one disappeared right after I “pulled the trigger” to post it! Maybe an editorial comment from the gnomes in “blog-land!” Anyway, I am going to have another go at it and the gnomes be damned!

You might have noticed the top of the opening page has been “souped up” some to make a more visually appealing home page. This is thanks to a great graphic designer, GINA, of Palazzo Graphic Design Studio combining her talents with my great web master (who runs my web page for me – more on that in a moment!) BEN DAY, Web Cobbler. They used the same font as my webpage to tie them together and, while there is no link from here to the webpage, there is one from there to here.The pretty header also offers the definition of maunder, which only appears in the first post, and, since it is not a real commonly used word, might confuse some readers! (I have been asked if it is not a typo and should be “wander” or “meander.” Nope, it’s maunder.)

If you saw the new header on the home page, you might also have seen the little box on the right top giving what you can expect in the blog and an easy link to some previous articles I have posted, listed by month. You can get there through the blog operator, but this is way easier! Now the webpage:

The webpage, if you’re interested, is www.seafiction.net, and deals with my books, speaking engagements, and some of my recent tweets – @1812war. There is a page listing my books and links through which one might actually purchase one or more! By the way, the title shown a couple of lines before is NOT a link – I don’t know how to do that – so you’ll either have to copy and paste it or remember it long enough to type it into your browser!

So that is all the news for today. It’s a lovely day here and I think I will sign off and go play with my boat!

“Consider, O Lord, how You sit atop the sky; like a man in a glass bottom boat.”       

Cecilia Llompart, “The Wingless“

Fair Winds,

Old Salt

ARE BOATS & SHIPS REALLY FEMALE?

2 September 2014: First of all, let me apologize for being slothful yesterday; I took the day off. Hope nobody was too disappointed by my lack of clever repartee! Nonetheless, here I am with a new and hopefully educational and entertaining commentary!

The header poses the question: are boats and ships properly called a “she?“  There are a host of reasons why this tradition has been extant for hundreds – thousands, even – of years. But before we get into the explanation for this tradition, let me hasten to point out, especially in this age of overbearing and over done “political correctness,” that there in NOTHING misogynistic involved nor is it “sexist” or in any way demeaning to the fairer among us!

English is one of the only languages in which inanimate objects done not carry a gender identifier. All the Romance languages and, I believe, most of the other popular languages of the world do. “La, le, el” and etc. However, linguists who study history have suggested the English used to have these gender identifiers, but they, like so many other things, fell by the wayside over the years. So, since our mother tongue has its roots in the languages that predate it, it would seem logical to accept this premise. And in every language (possibly except Russian and its derivatives) boats and ships are “LA” denoting them as female.

Yesterday, while sitting on my boat (and not writing my blog!) a couple came by wanting to see my pride and joy, a request I was only too happy to fulfill. Here she is (note gender!)

In any case, they came aboard, were suitably impressed, and the lady kind of smirked when I referred to the boat as “she,” suggesting kind of “oh isn’t that cute.” I offered that ALL boats are “SHE” and went on to give an explanation of why (different from above!)

Boats are female because: 1. Like their human counterparts, they carry a cargo safely and protect it until delivery, 2. it takes lots of paint and bunting to keep them happy and looking their best, 3. they never show their bottom in public, 4. (this goes back to the old days – no angry emails, please) it take a strong man to control one, and finally, 5. it’s not always the initial investment that is high, but the upkeep and maintenance is!

My visitor accepted the explanation and agreed it was most likely correct! I later remembered that in the olden days, boats/ships were most often owned by men who, experiencing long absences from their loving wives, named the boat/ship after them to “keep them closer to their hearts” when away.

So that’s it, folks. And while my little boat is not named for a female person, she is most definitely female in her disposition!

“There is nothing -absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as messing about in boats!”

The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

Fair winds.

Old Salt