United States
59-424: 4,370 sailors 700 marines Army regulars militia Ships: Seven 75-foot (23 m) barges Six 50-foot (15 m) barges Two gunboats One row-galley One lookout boat and his flagship One 49-foot (15 m) sloop-rigged One self-propelled floating battery USS Scorpion , Large: sailors marines Army regulars 96 Ships: 11 ships of the line 34 frigates Artillery The Chesapeake Bay Flotilla
118-434: A breakout. A simultaneous attack from land and sea on the blockading frigates at the mouth of St. Leonard's creek allowed the flotilla to move out of the creek and up-river to Benedict, Maryland , though Barney had to scuttle gunboats 137 and 138 in the creek. The British entered the then-abandoned creek and burned the town of St. Leonard, Maryland . The British, under the command of Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane , moved up
177-628: A quantity of Congreve rocket launching frames, with associated munitions, all under the command of Captain Thomas Parke . On 25 June, the 1st Battalion participated in the attack on Hampton, Virginia . On 13 July, the Marine Battalions were involved in the occupation of Ocracoake and Portsmouth , and engaged in the occupation of Kent Island on 7 August. Later in the year, the 1st Battalion went to Ile aux Noix , south of Montreal in Canada , while
236-528: The 74-gun Third Rates HMS Dragon and HMS Albion near St. Jerome Creek. The flotilla pursued St Lawrence and the boats until they reached the protection of the two 74s. The American flotilla then retreated into the Patuxent River , which the British quickly blockaded. The British outnumbered Barney by 7:1, forcing the flotilla on June 7 to retreat into St. Leonard's Creek. Two British frigates,
295-522: The Battle of Baltimore . The attack on Washington cost the Navy one man killed and six wounded. After Lieutenant Colonel James Malcolm arrived, the battalion was split into the reconstituted second battalion, and the third battalion (composed of Royal and Colonial Marines), as outlined below. Cochrane ordered that three of the 10 companies from this unit become the nucleus of a regenerated 3rd Battalion, under
354-583: The Battle of Bladensburg , the attack on Washington , and the Battle of Baltimore . Also present during the campaign were the three companies of the Corps of Colonial Marines under the command of an army officer, Captain Reed (of the 6th West India Regiment), and a composite battalion of Marines, formed from ships' Marine detachments, frequently led by Captain John Robyns . A composite "battalion" of 100 men also took part in
413-550: The Battle of Bladensburg . Three active battalions of the Regular Army (1-4 Inf, 2-4 Inf and 3-4 Inf) perpetuate the lineages of the old 36th and 38th Infantry Regiments, both of which had elements that participated in the Battle of St. Leonard's Creek. On August 22, the British attempted to capture Barney's squadron at Queen Anne. In his report of the affair, the tactical commander, Admiral Sir George Cockburn wrote: as we opened
472-523: The Battle of New Orleans , under the command of Brevet Major Thomas Adair. Following the failure of the British attack against Fort McHenry on 13 September, the 2nd and 3rd Marine battalions proceeded to Tangier Island , where a barracks for 600 men was created on the understanding they would be spending the winter on the island. Orders were received on 11 December to embark, the Marines later disembarking on Cumberland Island on 10 January 1815, along with
531-483: The Patuxent River mud, however by the mid-20th century, it had become invisible due to salvage hunters and the accumulation of silt . In 1979, marine researchers explored the Pig Point waters and located a shipwreck they thought to be Scorpion . Later, U.S. Navy and State of Maryland divers began exploring the site. The researchers issued a report in 2011. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from
590-493: The Peninsular War , so the 2nd Battalion 2nd Foot Guards and several companies of Marines were hastily embarked at Deal. These companies were to form the nucleus of the 3rd Battalion. A further two companies of Marines arrived on 19 December, accompanied by Major George Lewis , who assumed command of the Marines. This force was involved in fighting around Krabbendijke , until Russian troops relieved them on 18 January. When
649-934: The public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . The entry can be found here . Royal Marines Battalions (Napoleonic Wars) Three battalions were raised from among the Royal Marines during the Napoleonic Wars , seeing combat in Portugal, Northern Spain, the Netherlands and North America. The 1st battalion formed at Plymouth on 29 November 1810 under the command of Major Richard Williams . It consisted of six companies, plus an attached company of Royal Marine Artillery. It embarked, arriving in Lisbon on 8 December 1810. The battalion grew to eight companies, plus
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#1732845116675708-602: The 1st Battalion and two companies of the 2nd West India Regiment . Thereafter, this force attacked Fort Peter on 13 January, subsequently marching on the town of St. Marys , and occupying it for about a week, before retiring to Cumberland Island. An element of the 2nd Battalion participated in the Battle of New Orleans . The musters show three dead men (from the First and Third companies commanded by Captain Coles & Lieutenant Fynmore respectively) and several men wounded. Ironically,
767-512: The 2nd Battalion and came under Malcolm. Upon the orders of Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane , three of the ten companies were detached from this unit, to become the regenerated 3rd Battalion, under the command of Major Lewis. (These three companies were commanded by Captain Clements, Lt Connolly and Lt Stevens. ) The recreated 2nd Battalion was present in the Chesapeake campaign , participating in
826-469: The 2nd Battalion went to Prescott , on the Saint Lawrence River . A detachment of the 1st Battalion, under Lieutenants Caldwell and Barton, was present at the Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814) . On 16 August 1814, the battalion received orders to be "disposed for Naval service", with the greater part of the battalion to go to Lake Ontario and the remainder to go to Lake Champlain . In November 1814
885-405: The 2nd battalion. The artillery companies of both battalions deployed opposite the rock of Gitaya. Both battalions held the area until ordered to re-embark on 20 September. During October, the 1st battalion was deployed before Santoña, at Castello. The news that a French division was approaching to reinforce the 1,500 men garrison at Santoña led to the recall of the battalion on 1 November. However,
944-516: The 38-gun Loire and the 32-gun Narcissus , plus the 18-gun sloop-of-war HMS Jasseur , blockaded the mouth of the creek. The creek was too shallow for the British warships to enter; the flotilla outgunned, and hence was able to fend off, the boats from the British ships. Battles continued through June 10. British commander Robert Barrie , noting that his men were unable to flush out Barney, proceeded to order several raids on nearby Maryland settlements to flush him out; these raids targeted
1003-658: The Bay. However, concerned that the Flotilla would fall into British hands, Secretary of the Navy Jones ordered Barney to take his squadron as far up the Patuxent as possible, to Queen Anne , and scuttle the vessels should the British appear. On 22 August the British approached the Flotilla, and Barney ordered its destruction. He then force-marched the men from the flotilla and such cannons as were movable, to Washington D.C. where they were to join
1062-572: The British Fleet. The Flotilla inflicted numerous casualties on the attacking British ships, especially during the attempted night assault on Battery Babcock by a Royal Marine landing party. Lt. Col. David Harris reported that Charles Messenger was killed in action at the Water Battery, and three other flotilla men wounded. After the Battle of Baltimore, the Flotilla did not participate in any further engagements. On February 15, 1815, Congress repealed
1121-661: The First Battalion was reconstituted in Quebec, and shipped south in support of operations off the coast of Georgia. The Second Battalion was formed at Chatham , and deployed to Portsmouth in July 1812. It consisted of six companies under the command of Major James Malcolm . On 15 August, the battalion embarked aboard HMS Latona (1st and 2nd companies) and HMS Fox (3rd to 6th companies), to deploy in Northern Spain under
1180-524: The Flotilla then served onshore in the defense of Washington, DC and Baltimore. It was disbanded on February 15, 1815, after the end of the war. 1814 Joshua Barney submitted a plan for the defense of the Chesapeake Bay to Secretary of the Navy William Jones on 4 July 1813. He estimated that a force consisting of gunboats and barges that could be sailed or rowed, manned by sailors and those in
1239-470: The Patuxent, preparing for a landing at Benedict, Maryland . For several days the British fleet bombarded the Flotilla with cannon and congreve rockets in an attempt to destroy it. August 11, 1814, the Flotilla left St. Leonard's Creek and sailed north up the Patuxent River . A plan had been discussed to transport the entire Flotilla overland from the port of Queen Anne to the South River and return it to
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#17328451166751298-607: The Washington campaign with one man killed and three wounded. Prior to the establishment of the Corps, some of its men had been employed to good effect as scouts and guides with raiding parties. The 3rd Battalion subsequently deployed to Cumberland Island along with the 1st and 2nd Battalions. When news reached the troops that peace had been made, the 3rd Battalion embarked on 10 March, disembarking on Ireland Island, Bermuda, on 21 March. The battalion's several Colonial companies were renamed
1357-511: The artillery aboard HMS Tonnant . After a sojourn, the battalion sailed for the Chesapeake on 30 June, and joined Admiral Cockburn's squadron on 16 July. Just prior to the liaison, a detachment of 12 Royal Marine gunners (with two howitzers and a field piece) and 100 Royal Marine infantry were transferred to HMS Hermes and HMS Carron , to accompany Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Edward Nicolls to Florida, where they would remain for
1416-509: The attached artillery company. It left Portugal in February 1812, and disembarked at Portsmouth . There it remained until 6 June 1812, when it embarked aboard HMS Diadem . The battalion arrived off the coast near Santoña on 15 June, and was involved in the attack on the fort at Castro Urdiales . The fort's garrison of two companies of infantry capitulated on 8 July, the French having evacuated
1475-418: The battalion made up part of the 180-man force. Thereafter, the battalion's companies were broken up and its men were dispersed among the squadron and flotilla on Lake Ontario , as per orders from Commodore James Lucas Yeo . Following the order, the 2nd Battalion ceased to exist as a fighting force. All that remained were the staff elements. When the 3rd Battalion arrived in Chesapeake, they were renumbered as
1534-607: The battalion was to perform garrison duty at Plymouth and to prepare for imminent deployment to North America. The 1st Battalion embarked (on the ships Diadem (1st to 5th companies) and Diomede (6th to 8th companies and artillery) on 30 March, set sail on 7 April, and arrived in Bermuda on 29 May 1813. There it and the infantry already present were formed into two brigades. The embarked artillery brigade, supporting both battalions, comprised 131 officers and men, four 6-pounder guns, two 8" howitzers, two 5.5" howitzers, two 10" mortars, and
1593-451: The battalion's final action was a purely artillery engagement. The battalion's rocket detachment, commanded by Lieutenant John Lawrence, were on HMS Tonnant , and were put ashore on 7 February 1815, to participate in the attack on Fort Bowyer . Thereafter they returned to Portsmouth and were disembarked on 11 May 1815. The infantry companies were embarked aboard HMS Albion for the return to England in 1815. The artillery company
1652-442: The bushes on the shore near us, but Lieutenant Scott whom I had landed for that purpose, soon got hold of them and made them prisoners. Some horsemen likewise shewed themselves on the neighbouring heights, but a rocket or two depended them without resistance. Now spreading his men across the country the enemy retreated to a distance and left us in quiet possession of the town, the neighbourhood and our prizes. On August 24, Barney and
1711-575: The command of Major Lewis. These three companies joined the three companies of the Corps of Colonial Marines , formed in May of that year, to make a new 3rd Battalion Royal and Colonial Marines. The Colonial Marines had made their combat debut on the raid on Pungoteague Creek (30 May 1814), with one fatal casualty, and had then carried out incursions at Chesconessex Creek in June and Onancock in August and were involved in
1770-477: The command of the squadron of Home Riggs Popham . The battalion disembarked at Zumaia on 18 August, and joined up with Spanish forces under the command of Francisco de Longa . The battalion re-embarked on 20 September, and were landed at Santander on 28 September. Further reinforcements for the battalion disembarked soon after Diadem arrived on 29 November at Santander, resulting in two companies being added and another company of artillery being formed. Some of
1829-520: The duration of the war. On the morning of 19 July, the battalion landed near Leonardtown and advanced in concert with ships of the squadron, causing the US forces to withdraw. The battalion was deployed to the south of the Potomac, moving down to Nomini . The battalion was subsequently landed at St Clements Bay on 23 July, Machodoc creek on 26 July, and Chaptico, Maryland on 30 July. The first week of August
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1888-613: The flotilla participated in the Battle of Bladensburg . The Flotilla stood their ground and the British suffered heavy casualties at the hands of Barney's cannoneers. Barney received a serious wound to his thigh from a musket ball and since they were about to be overwhelmed by British regulars, ordered the Flotilla to retreat. The Flotilla, along with the United States Marines from the Marine Corps Barracks at 8th and I Streets in Washington, D.C. , commanded by Lt. Miller, were
1947-461: The flotilla sailed for the lower Chesapeake Bay in an attempt to stop the British from advancing toward Washington. On 1 June 1814, a British squadron was encountered at the mouth of the Patuxent River , and the flotilla was forced to retreat up the river. During the following weeks, Commodore Barney's flotilla engaged the British on several occasions and was able to delay the British advance. Finally, on 21 August 1814, facing overwhelming odds, Barney
2006-427: The island, were formed into two brigades. The 2nd Battalion was employed alongside the 1st Battalion until late in 1813, when the 2nd Battalion was deployed to Prescott , on the Saint Lawrence River . On 6 May 1814, it participated in the Battle of Fort Oswego (1814) , suffering fatalities of one Captain, two Sergeants and four Other Ranks. Its final engagement was the Battle of Big Sandy Creek , where an element of
2065-581: The last two American units to leave the battlefield. The 1814 Register of Patients at the Naval Hospital Washington, provides a unique glimpse of the aftermath of battle and a record of the lives of individual sailors, marines, soldiers, and civilians many who were part of the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla, from their admission to discharge. The Register, covers the period 2 June to 30 December 1814, is one of our most important primary sources for
2124-559: The march, from Benedict, Maryland , a battalion of 700 marines from the Washington Navy Yard , would join them, as they moved north to defend the Capital and make an abortive stand at Bladensburg, against the rapid British advance. On June 1, 1814, Barney's flotilla, led by Scorpion , were coming down Chesapeake Bay when it encountered the 12-gun schooner HMS St Lawrence (the former Baltimore privateer Atlas ), and boats from
2183-792: The marines arrived in Portsmouth on 21 January, they were formed into the Third Battalion. The battalion had an establishment of ten companies of 100 men, and one company of Royal Marine Artillery. The battalion was commanded by Major George Lewis , who since 19 December 1813 had been the officer commanding the Marine companies deployed in the Netherlands. The Artillery company were issued with knapsacks just prior to their departure. The battalion embarked on 29 March, set sail on 7 April, and disembarked at Bermuda. The infantry companies were aboard HMS Regulus , HMS Melpomene and HMS Brune , with
2242-401: The names and units of American casualties at Bladensburg, see thumbnail. Approximately 500 of the flotilla men then marched to Baltimore, joining others there, and were assigned to the U.S. Naval Command Second Regiment. They manned the following posts in the defense of Baltimore: The Flotilla manned these positions throughout the Battle of Baltimore , pitting sailor against sailor in fighting
2301-476: The reach above Pig Point, I plainly discovered Commodore Barney's broad pendant in the headmost vessel, a large sloop and the remainder of the flotilla extending in a long line astern of her. Our boats now advanced towards them as rapidly as possible, but on nearing them, we observed the sloop bearing the broad pendant to be on fire, and she very soon afterwards blew up. I now saw clearly that they were all abandoned and on fire with trains to their magazines, and out of
2360-514: The recall was countermanded and the battalion resumed its positions; it returned to Santander on 14 December. On 21 December the 1st battalion, which numbered 536 rank and file, and its artillery company sailed from Santander in HMS ; Fox , HMS Latona , and HMS Venerable , arriving at St Helens, Isle of Wight on 31 December. The right wing (aboard Fox and Venerable ) received orders to proceed to Plymouth on 6 January 1813, where
2419-597: The reinforcements had returned from garrison duty on the island of Anholt , Denmark. On 21 December the 2nd battalion sailed from Santander, along with the left wing of the 1st battalion, aboard Latona , arriving in Cawsand Bay on 4 January. Diadem carried the 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th & 10th companies, HMS Iris carried the 2nd Battalion's artillery company (Captain Parke) and supplemental company (Captain Wilkinson), with
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2478-461: The remainder of the battalion (5 companies) embarked upon the transports Whitton and Mariner , leaving the town to Spanish forces commanded by General Mendizabal . The surviving muster lists show the Marines disembarked at Plymouth on 7 January 1813. The deployment of both battalions in Northern Spain forced the French to redeploy 30,000 men, away from the Salamanca campaign. The Duke of Wellington
2537-549: The settlements of Calverton , Huntingtown , Prince Frederick , Benedict and Lower Marlboro . Among the British units that participated in the campaign were a battalion of Royal Marines and the Corps of Colonial Marines , a unit consisting of self-emancipated Black Americans who had fled their American enslavers and joined the British. On June 26, after the arrival of troops commanded by U.S. Army Colonel Decius Wadsworth, and U.S. Marine Captain Samuel Miller, Barney attempted
2596-427: The seventeen vessels which composed this formidable and so much vaunted flotilla sixteen were in quick succession blown to atoms, and the seventeenth, in which the fire had not taken, were captured. The commodore's sloop was a large armed vessel, the others were gun boats all having a long gun in the bow and a carronade in the stern, but the calibre of the guns and the number of the crew of each differed in proportion to
2655-545: The ship was well preserved, although it appeared the bow was torn off in an explosion. When the new Route 4 Hills Bridge was built in 1990, remnants of Barney's ships were found buried more than five feet below the riverbed. A replica of one of Joshua Barney's gunboats today sits at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park . 38°06′11″N 76°26′46″W / 38.103°N 76.446°W / 38.103; -76.446 USS Scorpion (1812) USS Scorpion
2714-716: The shipbuilding industries, could engage British landing parties in the shallow waters of the Bay. He set sail in April 1814 with these eighteen ships: seven 75-foot (23 m) barges, six 50-foot (15 m) barges, two gunboats, one row-galley , one lookout boat and his flagship, the 49-foot (15 m) sloop-rigged, self-propelled floating battery USS Scorpion , mounting two long guns and two carronades . The Flotillamen, totaling 4,370 men at their largest, were motley crews composed mainly of U.S. Navy sailors, merchant seamen , Chesapeake Bay watermen , privateers , free negros , and runaway slaves . Later, when they became shipless and on
2773-462: The ships carrying the 1st Battalion, the transport vessel Mariner (containing two rocket detachments with an establishment of 25 men, each commanded by a Lieutenant) and HMS Superb (which was carrying troops of the 8th Royal Veteran Battalion ) and arrived in Bermuda on 29 May, where the Marines and the Royal Veterans, with the two Independent Companies of Foreigners already present upon
2832-471: The short lived Flotilla Act , and the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla was officially disbanded. In 1978, a survey of the upper Patuxent River using a proton precession magnetometer located the fleet. Further study of the wrecks, including one vessel dubbed the Turtle Shell Wreck', followed in 1979. The Turtle Shell was lying in the main river channel near Wayson's Corner , and covered by five feet of mud,
2891-410: The size of the boat, varying from 32 pdrs. and 60 men, to 18 pdrs. and 40 men. I found here laying above the flotilla under its protection, thirteen merchant schooners, some of which not being worth bringing away I caused to be burnt, such as were in good condition, I directed to be moved to Pig Point. Whilst employed taking these vessels a few shots were fired at us by some of the men of the flotilla from
2950-462: The town on 3 August. The first six companies of the 1st battalion embarked for Santander to support the attack and arrived on 4 August. This force re-embarked on 10 August for an intended attack on Gitaya , its destination changing to Portugalete, where it arrived on 12 August. After the marines had destroyed a fort that the French had abandoned, the marines re-embarked and returned to Santander. The force disembarked at Zumaia on 18 August, along with
3009-414: The town the day before. On 10 July, the battalion re-embarked, intending to go to Portugalete , but returned to Castro shortly afterwards. The French, unawares that the marines had returned, launched an unsuccessful counter-attack against the fort's Bilbao gate. Major Williams was appointed commander of the fort on 30 July. The Royal Navy attacked Santander from 30 July onwards, with the French evacuating
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#17328451166753068-503: The unit would result in better discipline and cohesion. The 2nd Battalion was dispatched to Berry Head on 14 January aboard HMS Diadem and HMS Latona , having boarded on 12 January. Within a month of the battalion's arrival in Berry Head Fort, the intensive drill bore fruit. The 2nd Battalion embarked on the ships HMS Romulus , HMS Diomede , HMS Nemesis , and HMS Fox on 30 March, set sail on 7 April with
3127-646: Was a motley collection of barges and gunboats that the United States assembled under the command of Joshua Barney , an 1812 privateer captain, to stall British attacks in the Chesapeake Bay which came to be known as the " Chesapeake campaign " during the War of 1812 . The Flotilla engaged the Royal Navy in several inconclusive battles before Barney was forced to scuttle the vessels themselves on August 22, 1814. The men of
3186-525: Was a self-propelled floating artillery battery in commission with the United States Navy from 1812 to 1814. Scorpion was sloop-rigged and could also be propelled by oars. She probably was built under contract for the U.S. Navy in 1812 for service during the War of 1812 . Lieutenant Edmond P. Kennedy assumed command of the ship at Norfolk , Virginia, in September 1812. On 29 March 1813, Scorpion
3245-603: Was disembarked at Chatham on 20 May 1815. After Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig in October 1813, the French troops retreated to France. A provisional government was formed, the Triumvirate of 1813 , which invited the exiled Prince William VI of Orange to The Hague. A token British force accompanied the Prince of Orange to the Netherlands in November 1813. Most of the British army was fighting
3304-407: Was forced to retreat and landed his men at Pig Point , near Upper Marlboro, Maryland . Barney and his men then marched to assist in the defense of Washington, leaving Scorpion and the rest of the flotilla to be burned by a detail of men under Lieutenant Solomon Frazier to prevent the capture of the ships by the British. For more than a century, the remains of some of the flotilla were visible in
3363-710: Was ordered to the Potomac River to serve in the Potomac Flotilla , which was to protect Washington, D.C. Since Lieutenant Kennedy was to command the flotilla, Lieutenant George C. Read became the commanding officer of Scorpion on 4 May 1813. On 18 February 1814, Scorpion reported for duty at Baltimore , Maryland, in Commodore Joshua Barney 's Chesapeake Bay Flotilla and became Commodore Barney's flagship . On 24 May 1814, with Major William B. Barney , Commodore Barney's son, acting as captain of Scorpion ,
3422-554: Was so impressed that he requested they would be placed under his command, but was rebuffed by the Admiralty. Given the heterogeneous nature of the battalion, and its deployment in Spain immediately after inception, Major Malcolm felt that the 2nd Battalion was lacking in discipline. He requested that the 2nd Battalion be deployed to the barracks at Berry Head Fort in Torbay , so that drilling of
3481-578: Was spent raiding the entrance to the Yeocomico River , which concluded with the capture of four schooners at the town of Kinsale, Virginia . On 7 August, the battalion stormed a gun battery of three artillery pieces, situated on the Coan River (a few miles below the Yaocomico river). During the Chesapeake campaign the 3rd Battalion participated in the Battle of Bladensburg , the attack on Washington , and
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