The War of 1812

During the War of 1812, British vessels blockaded the mouth of Delaware Bay to disrupt shipping patterns and supply lines and cause economic hardship in the Mid-Atlantic. When crews attempted to land at Lewes to replenish their ships, companies of well-organized local militia repelled them, and the British commander's attempt to negotiate for supplies also failed. After warning Lewes officials that any suffering would be their own responsibility, British ships subjected Lewes to heavy cannon fire and bombardment by Congreve rockets on April 6-8, 1813, the first use of this new technology against Americans. Although a famous political rhyme later minimized the attack, personal letters from the era recorded extensive damage from the intense 22-hour bombardment. Local volunteer soldiers, manning a sizable fortification that stretched from this site westerly along the canal, prevented the British from advancing there, though not elsewhere, and the fort in Lewes closed in 1815 immediately after the war.

Lewes, Delaware · United States