War Hits Home

Sotterley and other nearby plantations paid a heavy price in the War of 1812. British blockades impeded trade in their principal cash crop, tobacco, and enemy raids plundered the region. In June 1814 British forces landed near Sotterley and scattered about 300 American militia camped there. After burning a house and a warehouse full of tobacco, the British left with 48 of Sotterley’s slaves. The British also enticed slaves to leave the plantations as a way to acquire local knowledge and cripple the economy. Roughly 4,000 enslaved men, women, and children escaped to the British, and many were trained for the military. Four Sotterley slaves who fled in June 1813 returned to help others escape.

Maryland · United States