Havre de Grace in Harford County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Screaming Rockets
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
Photographed By Bill Pfingsten, April 6, 2013
1. Screaming Rockets Marker
The British confiscated belongings, destroying anything they did not take, and set fire to the buildings in town. Although initial reports said that every building in Havre de Grace was burned except one, later reports stated that 20 to 40 of the approximate 60 dwellings were lost.
"The air seemed alive with Congreve rockets, squirming and hissing about like so many fiery serpents"
=Daniel Mallory, Short Stories and Reminiscences of the Last Fifty Years, 1842.
[Painting caption]
This Charles Hubbell painting called The Rockets' Red Glare depicts the Congreve rockets the British used in their attack on Havre de Grace.
Image courtesy of NASA.
[Inset caption]
Congreve 12-pound Shell Rocket, circa 1808. Congreve rockets were used by the British to create chaos and terror as they raided Havre de Grace during the War of 1812.
Image (C) Brown University Library
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
this page online
Location. 39° 32.378′ N, 76° 5.099′ W. Marker is in Havre de Grace, Maryland, in Harford County. Marker can be reached from Commerce Street. Marker is on the Havre de Grace Promenade near the Concord Point Lighthouse end. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Havre de Grace MD 21078, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. America's 25th Earth Day (a few steps from this marker); Gold Star Families Memorial Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Our Wetland Home (within shouting distance of this marker); A Crucial Connection (within shouting distance of this marker); Principio Destroyed (within shouting distance of this marker); Birds by the Bay (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); British Landing (about 300 feet away); The point where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Havre de Grace.
Regarding Screaming Rockets. Congreve rockets were used primarily to cause a fire when they exploded. Only two people were killed by direct hits from these rockets during the War of 1812. The first was one of the fleeing militiamen from Havre de Grace who received a direct hit.
Photographed By Bill Pfingsten, April 3, 2013
2. Screaming Rockets Marker
Photographed By Bill Pfingsten, April 6, 2013
3. Congreve Rocket being launched
Photographed By Bill Pfingsten, April 6, 2013
4. Diagram of Congreve Rocket
Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2013, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 474 times since then and 13 times this year. Last updated on December 23, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 6, 2013, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.
