Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
— War of 1812 —
Daniel Wells, 19 and Henry McComas, 18, made history September 12, 1814, when they allegedly killed a British commander Major General Robert Ross. The two sharpshooters fired simultaneously. Both were quickly dead by British soldier.
Considered heroes, Wells and McComas were buried together and exhumed twice before finally being laid to rest here with great fanfare in 1858. A funeral song and dramatic play commemorated the reburial.
Who Really Killed Ross? A monument to Aquila Randall stands near the place where Ross fell prior to the Battle of North Point. Some accounts claim 24-year-old Randall fired the shot that killed the British general.
"And in the glorious list of the patriots, whose blood has consecrated that starry flag, unborn ages of freeman shall read with pride, the names of the Boy Martyrs of Baltimore."Closing lines of the Boy Martyrs, Clifton W. Tayleure, 1858.
(Inscription below the photo on the left) Wells and McComas lay in state in side-by-side caskets at Maryland Institute before reburial in 1858. Image/Courtesy Maryland Historical Society.
(Inscription under the photo on the right) Death of Genl. Ross at Baltimore by Alonzo Chippel, 1859. Image/Courtesy Library of Congress
| HM Number | HM1IIO |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail series |
| Tags | |
| Placed By | National Park Service-United States Department of the Interior |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Friday, December 26th, 2014 at 9:02am PST -08:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 18S E 361885 N 4351047 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 39.29780000, -76.60170000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 39° 17.868', W 76° 36.102' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 39° 17' 52.08" N, 76° 36' 6.12" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 301, 410, 443 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 645 Aisquith St, Baltimore MD 21202, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.
Comments 0 comments