Lothian in Anne Arundel County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Bitter End
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Don Morfe, December 26, 2014
1. Bitter End Marker
U.S.S. Scorpion Project, 2010
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Joshua Barneys Chesapeake Flotilla was trapped in the shallows just upriver from here. With orders to keep his boats out of enemy hands, Barney reluctantly ordered his men to destroy the flotilla when the British approached. They laid trains of gunpowder to explosives aboard each barge. As the British rounded Pig Point south of here on August 22, 1814, the Americans touched off the first fuse.
"Should (the British) advance upon you with an overwhelming force, you will effectually destroy the flotilla by fire.
Secretary of Navy William Jones to Joshua Barney, August 12, 1814.
Diving into History
The remains of the approximately 16 flotilla barges were lost to time, sediment, and the shifting river. Underwater archeological research, begun in 1978, uncovered the wreckage of one vessel, possibly the flagship Scorpion.
(Caption:)
Divers excavate an 1812 vessel believed to be the flagship of the Chesapeake Flotilla.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War of 1812 • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1814.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic. 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mount Calvert: A Confluence of Three Cultures (approx. 1.2 miles away); Billingsley (approx. 1.2 miles away); Tomb of Dr. William Beanes (approx. 1½ miles away); a different marker also named Billingsley's Point (approx. 1.8 miles away); Mount Calvert Historical and Archaeological Park (approx. 1.8 miles away); Mount Calvert Federal Period Plantation House (approx. 1.8 miles away); Mount Calvert Manor (approx. 1.8 miles away); African-Americans at Mount Calvert (approx. 1.9 miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. Billingsley's Point (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Chesapeake Bay Flotilla. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on February 27, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Don Morfe, December 26, 2014
2. Bitter End Marker
Photographed by Don Morfe, December 26, 2014
3. Patuxent Water Trail
Waters in Jug Bay Area have shallow mud flats. Warning hand carried boats only -danger of grounding at low tide.
Photographed by Don Morfe, December 26, 2014
4. Invasive Catfish-Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 8, 2018
5. Destruction of Barney's Flotilla
"Should (the British) advance upon you with an overwhelming force, you will effectually destroy the flotilla by fire.” - Secretary of Navy William Jones to Joshua Barney, August 12, 1814.Close-up of Gerry Embleton painting on marker
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 8, 2018
6. Divers excavate an 1812 vessel believed to be the flagship of the Chesapeake Flotilla.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 8, 2018
7. War of 1812
Credits. This page was last revised on November 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 30, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 826 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 30, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 5, 6, 7. submitted on December 8, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
