The
Battles of St. Leonard's Creek
June 1814
Jefferson Patterson Park is located on a small peninsula positioned
between the Patuxent River
to its west and St Leonard Creek to its southeast. The largest naval battle ever
to take place in Maryland, the actions that took place here in June of 1814 set in place
the events which led to the capture of Washington.
The
Chesapeake Flotilla, formed by US Commodore Joshua Barney in Baltimore, left Baltimore
on May 24, 1814 with the intention of attacking the Royal Navy near its base at Tangier
Island. An encounter with
a small British squadron on June 1 quickly escalated as British reinforcements appeared sailing northward. Outmatched, Barney’s squadron pulled for the safety of the mouth of the Patuxent
River and then the shallower waters of St
Leonard’s Creek. Within a few days, the British fleet at the mouth of the Creek amounted to the
HMS Loire, Lawrence, and Jasseur, 21 barges and a rocket boat manned by approximately 800 sailors and Marines. Although Barney’s flotilla contained about 500 sailors and a slightly smaller number of militia,
the British enjoyed more than a 4-1 ratio in guns.
During
June 8th -10th, the first Battle of St. Leonard’s Creek, the British sailed up the creek and attacked
the flotilla with rockets from long range. On the 8th and 9th,
Barney attempted to close with the British ships but the British barges would withdraw to the safety of the larger ships.
Failing to close with the British barges, Barney withdrew his flotilla further
up the creek nearer to the town of St Leonard and constructed
a boom and batteries at a narrow point of the creek. A more pressing attack by the British barges and the HMS Lawrence on June 10th was driven off by Barney’s oared gunboats. During the action, the Lawrence ran aground and
was abandoned by the British although the British line laid down a covering fire to allow the remainder of the line to withdraw.
Barney’s flotilla withdrew to a cove just inside the mouth of the creek and was bombarded by the British over a projection
of land. The British also landed troops to occupy the high ground overlooking the cove.
After nearly 6 hours of fighting, the flotilla withdrew back up the creek and the British did not pursue. The Lawrence
was re-floated and within a few days was repaired and back on station.
In an
attempt to draw the flotilla out, the British began a campaign of destruction along both sides of the Patuxent river valley. A raiding party of Royal Marines, Colonial marines and Sailors raided the towns of
Benedict and Lower Marlboro, Huntingtown, Sotterly, Hall’s Creek, Magruder’s Landings and Broomes Island.
In each instance, the raiders destroyed what tobacco crop they could not carry, ransacked homes, stole livestock, and
freed slaves. Captured goods were used to supply the fleet.
In Mid-June,
Col. Dacius Wadsworth, Chief of Ordnance for the US Army, arrived at St. Leonard’s Creek to assist Barney. Wadsworth brought
with him part of the US 38th
Regiment and 2-18 pound guns, a traveling furnace for hot-shot, and several smaller guns.
The US 36th was also
ordered to the area and Secretary Jones of the Navy sent 100 Marines and 3 additional guns. Col. Wadsworth’s planned
to place his guns on the high ground overlooking the mouth of St. Leonard Creek (Jefferson-Patterson
Park) and fire down on the blockaders using hot-shot. The flotilla would simultaneously attack down the creek so that the British would be hit from two sides
at the same time.
On the
evening of June 25th, the American forces under Wadsworth
proceeded down to a hill overlooking the mouth of the creek. Through the night,
the gunners moved artillery onto the heights and constructed batteries and, at 4:00 AM, the sailors and Marines opened fire
on the British fleet. Almost a quarter hour elapsed as the British ships maneuvered
into position to provide counter fire. The rocket barge, along with several launches
full of Royal Marines, were dispatched up river to attack the rear of the American guns. Although the British ships fired
over 600 rounds at the batteries, most of the shots went wide or were buried in the soft earth around the gun emplacements.
Occupied with the American guns, the British ships were caught unawares when Barney’s flotilla arrived and were not
initially in a position to return fire.
As the
guns in the battery expended their round shot, the Marine gunners moved their guns upriver to fire canister and grape shot
at the rocket barge and Royal Marines. The American infantry and covering guns
interpreted this movement as part of an ordered retreat and withdrew leaving only Barney’s sailors at their guns. As
the unordered retreat progressed and the remaining guns became ineffectual, Wadsworth
called a halt to the firing and the flotilla men were ordered to pull back. Noting the reduced fire from the hill, Barney
disengaged and pulled back up the creek. The British, with several ships heavily
damaged, also disengaged, pulled away from the mouth of the creek, and sailed
down river around three miles. Barney’s flotilla was able to escape upriver
to Benedict.
On July
4th, the Royal Navy destroyed most of the town of St Leonard at the head of the
creek while the flotilla moved upriver to Nottingham and closed the upper river from British
attack. In the month and a half that followed, British raids continued on the
lower Patuxent, as well as on the Potomac. On
August 16th, British reinforcements arrived in the form of an armada and an army of approximately 4,500 men and
the Patuxent and Barney’s flotilla lay square in its path. On the 19th,
the British landed at Benedict to destroy the flotilla and march on Washington.
Contributed by Ed Seufert, 1812 Royal Marines