Near Croom in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Changing Guard

Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

Photographed by Anacostia Trails Heritage Area

1. Changing Guard Marker

Inscription. Nottingham was the Chesapeake Flotilla’s base in July and early August 1814. The town was hastily abandoned on August 21 as the British moved in. An enemy rear guard protected this important landing while the main force invaded Washington. British vessels here took on wounded soldiers and artillery as the Washington campaign ended.

“Came...to the town of Nottingham...Not an individual was to be seen in the streets, or remained in the house; while the appearance of the furniture, &c., in some places the very bread left in the ovens, showed that it had been evacuated in great haste.”
– British Lt. George Robert Gleig

As British troops marched toward Nottingham they discovered two American militiamen who claimed to be out squirrel hunting. They balked when officers asked why they were hunting with bayonets.

1814 British Map of Nottingham Encampment Sketch of the March of the British Army by Robert Smith, 1814

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

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series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1814.

Location. 38° 42.633′ N, 76° 42.264′ W. Marker is near Croom, Maryland, in Prince George's County. It is at the intersection of Nottingham Road and Tanyard Road, on the left when traveling east on Nottingham Road. Marker is at a sharp bend on Nottingham Road, about 400 feet north of the intersection with Tanyard Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Upper Marlboro MD 20772, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Nottingham Schoolhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); The Town of Nottingham (within shouting

Photographed by F. Robby, August 20, 2013

2. Changing Guard Marker

distance of this marker); The War of 1812 (within shouting distance of this marker); Nottingham (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary (approx. 1.2 miles away); Shaded Reprieve (approx. 1.7 miles away); Smithville United Methodist Church (approx. 2.4 miles away); Woodland Indian Villages on the Patuxent River (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Croom.

Photographed by F. Robby, August 20, 2013

3. Changing Guard Marker

The Nottingham Schoolhouse is in the background.

Squirrel Huntering image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 15, 2013

4. Squirrel Huntering

As the British marched toward Nottingham they discovered two American militiamen who claimed to be out squirrel hunting. They balked when officers asked why they were hunting with bayonets. Close-up of Gerry Embleton painting on marker

Sketch of the March of the British Army<BR by Robert Smith, 1814 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 15, 2013

5. Sketch of the March of the British Army

Close-up of map on marker
Beineke Library, Yale

British Map of the Nottingham Encampment image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 15, 2013

6. British Map of the Nottingham Encampment

Close-up of map on marker

The Squirrel Hunters image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 15, 2013

7. The Squirrel Hunters

Close-up of Gerry Embleton painting on marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 10, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2012, by Anacostia Trails Heritage Area of Hyattsville, Maryland. This page has been viewed 836 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 26, 2012, by Anacostia Trails Heritage Area of Hyattsville, Maryland. 2, 3. submitted on August 24, 2013, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 25, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • F. Robby was the editor who published this page.