Bracing for an Attack

During the War of 1812, Easton was expected to be a British target. A two-story brick armory in the center of town housed cannon, small arms, and military stores for all of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and Fort Stoakes, an earthwork built to protect Easton from a waterside attack, reportedly accommodated 500 men. Two armed barges on the Tred Avon River added security. British raiders terrorized the Eastern Shore in 1813 and 1814, attacking Queenstown, St. Michaels, Fredericktown, and Georgetown and plundering numerous farms and plantations. Fort Stoakes was never tested, however, and Easton survived unscathed.

Maryland · United States