Navigating Between Friend and Foe: Jacob gibson in the War of 1812

摘要

"We were fortunate enough not to have a man hurt, although the grapeshot flew like hail in the town, and their balls passed through a number of houses." So reported a letter to Baltimore's Niles Weekly Register regarding the defense of St. Michaels from British attack on 10 August 1813. For a seemingly small, inconsequential town on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake, St. Michaels was ripped by conflict in the spring and summer of 1813. Warships of a hostile navy advanced up the bay, confiscating or destroying farm crops, liberating slaves, raiding towns, and seizing local boats that dared to cross the waters. Not everyone ashore supported the war, and some neighbors engaged in what seemed like treasonous acts-aiding the British by selling provisions to feed their sailors and troops.