Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
Cannon and rocket fire shook residents of Havre de Grace from their sleep as the British attacked at dawn May 3, 1813. An eyewitness reported: "Distressed people, women and children half naked" ran from their homes. The local militia fled, too, overwhelmed by 19 barges carrying 400 enemy troops. The attackers burned and plundered the town, torching 40 of the 62 homes.The British then crossed into Cecil County and destroyed Principio Iron Works before re-boarding their ships the same day. The Principio Foundry produced cannon for Maryland privateers and the U.S. Navy. As "one of the most valuable Works of its Kind in America," it was an important British objective in the Upper Bay.
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"The enemy robbed every house of everything valuable that could be carried away...and what they could not take conveniently they destroyed..."
- Eyewitness account in Baltimore Niles' Weekly Register, May 22, 1813
Nearby places to learn more about the War of 1812 in the Upper Bay:
· Elkton Visitor Center - Information on Elk Landing, and the town that twice fended off the British
· Rodgers Tavern, Perryville - Owned by family of Commodore John Rodgers; views of Upper Bay, access to the Susquehanna River
· Historic Elk Landing - Site of Fort Hollingsworth, a defensive earthwork that protected Elkton
· Lower Susquehanna Scenic Byway - 33-mile driving route from Havre de Grace to Perryville, including the historic mill and recreational features at Susquehanna State Park
· Havre de Grace Visitor Center - Information about local 1812 sites
| HM Number | HM14MZ |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail series |
| Tags | |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Friday, October 17th, 2014 at 3:34am PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 18S E 406274 N 4378233 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 39.54866667, -76.09085000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 39° 32.92', W 76° 5.451' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 39° 32' 55.20" N, 76° 5' 27.06" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 443, 410 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 450 Pennington Ave, Havre De Grace MD 21078, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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