Dundalk in Baltimore County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

To Honor the Heroes

Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

To Honor the Heroes Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 26, 2020

1. To Honor the Heroes Marker

Inscription. Baltimore successfully resisted the British assault in September 1814, thanks to thousands of determined volunteer citizen-soldiers. The following year a grateful city laid the cornerstone for the Battle Monument in downtown Baltimore, the first War of 1812 memorial in the nation.

Here on the North Point battlefield, the First Mechanical Volunteers dedicated a monument in 1817 to fallen comrade Aquila Randall. Nearby, Battle Acre was dedicated in 1839 for a monument to all the citizen-soldiers.

“I can picture to myself the sensation of those who in far distant days will contemplate this monument…and the melancholy event which as caused our assemblage at this spot.”
Captain Benjamin C. Howard dedicating the Aquila Randall Monument, July 21, 1817.

Who Fired the Shot?
British commander Robert Ross was killed in a skirmish prior to the Battle of North Point. A monument in Baltimore honors Daniel Wells and Henry McComas, who some say fired the fatal shot; others credit Aquila Randall.

(Inscription beside the Aquila Randall Monument)
The monument to Aquila Randall as it appeared in the 1850s was originally located

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where General Ross fell.

(Inscription beside the Wells and McComas Monument)
The monument to local heroes Daniel Wells and Henry McComas is shown decorated for Baltimore’s sesquicentennial in 1880.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

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 series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 21, 1899.

Location. 39° 16.71′ N, 76° 29.164′ W. Marker is in Dundalk, Maryland, in Baltimore County. It is on North Point Road. The marker is located in North Point Battlefield. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Dundalk MD 21222, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Baltimore Metro Region and in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, 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

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 26, 2020

2. To Honor the Heroes Marker

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: Proud of Our Stand (here, next to this marker); Hitting Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Squeeze Tactic (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Delay Tactic (about 400 feet away); Home of the Brave (about 400 feet away); Battle Acre (about 500 feet away); Witness to Battle (about 500 feet away); At Patapsco Neck (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dundalk.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, May 25, 2015

3. To Honor the Heroes Marker

Across North Point Road from St. Casimir's Saving Bank at 3101 North Point Road.

The Battle Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, May 25, 2015

4. The Battle Monument

An 1823 engraving of Battle Monument by its designer Maximilian GodefroyClose-up of image on marker

The Aquila Randall Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, May 25, 2015

5. The Aquila Randall Monument

The monument to Aquila Randall as it appeared in the 1850s was originally located where General Ross fell.Close-up of image on marker

The Wells and McComas Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, May 25, 2015

6. The Wells and McComas Monument

The monument to local heroes Daniel Wells and Henry McComas is shown decorated for Baltimore’s sesquicentennial in 1880. Close-up of photo on marker

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, September 27, 2015

7. The Battle Monument

The Aquila Randal Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, May 25, 2015

8. The Aquila Randal Monument

Sacred
To the memory of
Aquila Randall
who died in bravely defending
his Country and his Home
on the memorable
12th of September, 1814
Aged 24 Years.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, July 31, 2011

9. The Wells and McComas Monument

Credits. This page was last revised on August 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 6, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,261 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 26, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on October 17, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.