“Why, in the name of God, have we no part of the Maryland Regiments…to save us from destruction…”

In the last campaigns of the fall of 1813,  British warships under the command of Captain Robert Barrie of  H.M. ship-of-the-line Dragon continue to carry our numerous raids on the southern western shores of Maryland. Throughout the summers of 1813-14 the British raided along the Patuxent-Potomac rivers and the islands of Blackistone and St. George’s (November 1814). In a letter dated November 6, 1813 a gentleman farmer in St. Mary’s County  informed his friend in Washington of the predatory British raids:

“Once more we are thrown on the tempestuous waves of predatory war. The enemy have again appeared to harass and annoy us. The most terrible evil, however, is the destruction of negroes, which is extending to a ruinous and most alarming extent. Between one and two hundred have joined the fleet in the last week. If the war continues a year longer, all our men of property will be entirely ruined. Why, in the name of God, have we no part of the Maryland Regiments sent from Washington to save us from destruction…”

Source: Engine of Liberty and Uniontown Advertiser (Maryland), November 6, 1813.

Published in: on April 10, 2011 at 5:25 pm  Comments Off on “Why, in the name of God, have we no part of the Maryland Regiments…to save us from destruction…”