In May 1813, British Rear Admiral George Cockburn, seeking to examine and clear the upper river, led his full force toward Georgetown and Fredericktown, which he considered places of some importance, and the Sassafras, the only upper river he had not examined and cleared. Militia fired upon Fort Duffy and from across the river at Pearce Point Fort, and, provoked by the resistance, the British destroyed much of both towns. Cockburn had previously ordered two watermen to warn their countrymen against acting in the same rash manner as the people of Havre de Grace, who had paid the price of resistance, but Fredericktown and Georgetown suffered the consequences of ignoring the warning. According to legend, Georgetown resident Kitty Knight successfully appealed to Admiral Cockburn to spare her home and that of her elderly neighbor.