Military
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Captain John Smith visited the island in 1608 and gave it its name. Ambrose White patented part of it in 1670, and John Crockett and his sons’ families settled there in 1686. In 1814 it served as the headquarters of a British fleet ravaging Chesapeake Bay, and from there the fleet sailed to attack Fort McHenry near Baltimore. The Rev. Joshua Thomas, in a prayer, predicted the failure of the expedition. It was during this attack that the Star-Spangled Banner was written.
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