Chester in Queen Anne's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Enemy Occupation
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
| | War of 1812 | |
Photographed by Don Morfe, January 31, 2015
1. Enemy Occupation Marker
Kent Island served as an ideal base of operations for the British in August 1813, as it was already an important link between Marylands eastern and western shores. The British took over the Kent Island-Annapolis ferry, including a cargo of cattle, and used the ferry landing as one of several encampments. As many as 3,000 British troops conducted raids along the middle Bay from Kent Island.
As part of a strategy to disrupt the American economy, the British offered freedom to slaves who escaped their masters and joined the British. More than 150 slaves came from the Eastern Shore. The British destroyed many Kent Island plantations in the short time they held the island.
From the landing of cannon on Kent Island, it appears to be the intention of the enemy to keep possession of it for some time
Captain Charles Gordon, August 7, 1813.
An estimated 4,000 slaves fled their American masters to pursue freedom with the British. Many former slaves were trained to fight alongside the British as the Colonial Corps of Marines.
Nearby places to explore the War of 1812:
✴️ Slippery Hill Site Area where Americans skirmished with British troops advancing on Queenstown
✴️ Easton Site of an armory and the earthworksof Fort Stoakes
Click or scan to see
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✴️ Queenstown Where British approached by land and water in a surprise attack August 13, 1813
✴️ St. Michaels Town that twice repulsed British attacks.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1813.
Location. 38° 58.488′ N, 76° 14.918′ W. Marker is in Chester, Maryland, in Queen Anne's County. It is on Piney Narrows Road. The marker is located on the grounds of the Chesapeake Heritage Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chester MD 21619, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. 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 distance of this marker: War Along the Chesapeake (within shouting distance of this marker); Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway (within shouting distance of this marker); Byway Destinations (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Byway Destinations (within shouting distance of this marker); Crossing the Narrows (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line);
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 27, 2022
2. "O! say can you see
" side of the marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. Maryland's Eastern Shore (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 27, 2022
3. War in the Chesapeake side of the marker
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, November 21, 2017
4. Enemy Occupation Marker
Photographed by Don Morfe, January 31, 2015
5. Chesapeake Heritage Center-frontal view
Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,002 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 14, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 2, 3. submitted on August 28, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on January 31, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on February 14, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
