On June 15, 1814, a British force of about 160 Royal Marines and 30 Colonial Marines, former slaves, took Lower Marlboro without resistance. After occupying the town overnight, they burned warehouses full of tobacco, stole a schooner, livestock, and poultry, captured a civilian named J. W. Reynolds, and left with thirteen escaped slaves. A June 20, 1814, account in the Baltimore American & Commercial Daily Advertizer said they opened feather beds, broke out doors and windows, and tore houses to pieces inside, leaving them of very little value. Charles Ball, a former slave born in Calvert County, may have lived in Lower Marlboro; he served as a cook with the U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla during both battles of St. Leonard Creek and, after being present at the Battle of Bladensburg, later said the militia ran like sheep being chased by dogs.