The Bombardment of Lewes

In March 1813, the Royal Navy under the command of Commodore John P. Beresford established a blockade of the Delaware Bay and River and conducted raids along the coast to disrupt maritime commerce and shipping. One of two fortifications protecting the town of Lewes stood at this location, mounted with several cannons and manned by the state militia under the command of Colonel Samuel Boyer Davis. On April 6, after Delaware authorities refused a demand to provide supplies, British ships bombarded the town for twenty-two hours with Congreve rockets. American batteries damaged enemy vessels, causing the British to withdraw on April 7, though they maintained the blockade until 1815.

Lewes, Delaware · United States