British forces occupied Tilghman and Poplar islands in the spring of 1813 and again in October 1814, using their position for ready access to Annapolis, Baltimore, and other potential targets. In 1814 a regiment of a thousand men began building winter barracks on Tilghman, but the troops left within a month. During the blockade, Clement Vickars, captain of the sloop Messenger, repeatedly ran between Easton and Baltimore until Messenger was captured off Poplar Island on November 11, 1814, with its cargo and passengers, though Vickars and his crew escaped.