Port Deposit in Cecil County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
John A. J. Creswell
Photographed by William Pfingsten, July 17, 2007
1. John A. J. Creswell Marker
Born at this house at Creswell’s Ferry, now Port Deposit, in 1828, John Creswell graduated from Dickinson College and became a lawyer. He was elected to the General Assembly in 1861, became Adjutant General in 1862, was elected to Congress that same year and to the United States Senate in 1864.
He served as President Grant’s Postmaster General from 1869 to 1874, in charge of Republican Party patronage. He returned to Elkton where he was the acknowledged head of the State’s Republican Party until his death in 1891.
Erected by Maryland Historical Society and Maryland Historical Trust.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Government & Politics • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant, and the Maryland Historical Trust series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1828.
Location. 39° 36.301′ N, 76° 6.925′ W. Marker is in Port Deposit, Maryland, in Cecil County. It is at the intersection of Main Street (Maryland Route 222) and Center Street ( Route 276), on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Deposit MD 21904, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Wilmington, on the Eastern Shore, and in Greater Philadelphia. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking
this page online
Also see . . . John Angel James Creswell - Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. (Submitted on May 27, 2012, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)
Additional commentary.
1. A Letter of Introduction Written by Senator Creswell
On January 17, 1865 John Angel James Creswell wrote a letter so that my Great Grandfather William E. Thompson (GAR, 24 yrs old) could go from Centreville, MD to Winchester, VA to recover the body of Confederate friend James Tilghman Earle, Jr. who had died in the hospital during Civil War. The letter is reproduced in Image No. 3 on this page.
James Tilghman Earle (b. 11 Mar 1840 Queen Anne’s County) was the son of Samuel Tilghman Earle and Mary W. Brundige. He was a Private in Company B, 1st Regiment
Photographed by William Pfingsten, July 17, 2007
2. Creswell's Home
There is a Creswell Hall marker in Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland
I did some checking on the 1st Maryland Cavalry and, while they were in several fierce battles in July and early August of 1864 around Winchester, there were no major battles in that area on 9 Sep when James died. He could have been killed in a minor skirmish. However, Winchester was the site of a major Confederate hospital. Therefore, perhaps, he had been wounded in one of the battles the month or two before and died of his injuries in the hospital in Winchester.
— Submitted May 27, 2012, by Robert Thompson of Undisclosed Location.
Collection of Robert Thompson
3. A Letter of Introduction to Major General Phil Sheridan
Click on image to enlarge. The letter, written from the House of Representatives and dated January 17, 1865, reads, “Permit me to commend to your favorable attention Wm. E. Thompson, late lieut. in the Army of the United States, who desires to obtain a pass to Winchester for the purpose of recovering and bringing home the dead body of James J. Earle, Jr., a Confederate soldier from Maryland, who lately died in Hospital. ¶ Lieut. Thompson’s errand is purely one of mercy and humanity, and I bespeak for him all assistance consistent with the good of service.” It is signed “with great respect, Your Obedient Servant, John A. J. Creswell.”
Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2007, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,937 times since then and 67 times this year. Last updated on February 15, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2007, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 3. submitted on May 27, 2012, by Robert Thompson of Undisclosed Location.
