Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

— War of 1812 —

British soldiers approaching Queenstown by land August 13, 1813, had to negotiate a thin mile-long causeway through marshes at The Narrows. The only road connection between Kent Island and the Eastern Shore mainland was the crude hand-dug rutted wagon trail.
The night-time crossing would have been unpleasant for the 300 men marching in wool uniforms and heavy leather boots.
"This narrows...is skirted on both sides by extensive marshes...To approach the Island ... you must traverse a narrow causeway upwards of a mile...across the marsh."Major William H. Nicholson, Maryland Militia, August 16, 1813
Two-Pronged AttackMajor Nicholson reported that his 214 soldiers and 100 cavalry could be facing 3,000 or more British. On August 13, his scouts brought "painful intelligence" of enemy forces arriving from Kent Narrows and from Queenstown Creek, threatening to trap the militia between the two.
(Inscription beside the image on the right) Cavalry scouts from outposts on the main road reported the enemy's approach. Trooper; Light Cavalry, Maryland Volunteer Militia, 1814, Watercolor by Herbert Knotel. Image/Courtesy Anne E.A. Brown Military Collection, Brown University, Providence.

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Show me all markers in:  Grasonville, MD  |  Queen Anne's County  |  21638  |  Maryland  |  United States of America

Working the Waters
Enemy Occupation
Maryland's Eastern Shore
Byway Destinations
Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway
Byway Destinations
Crossing the Narrows
Island in the Marsh: a hummock
The James E. Kirwan Museum
Road to Battle

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