Your Maryland

"The Burning of Havre de Grace"

Havre de Grace, Maryland Photo by Harry Blum Flickr/Creative Commons

On a beautiful morning in May 1813, the people of Havre de Grace awoke to a terrifying sight.Out on the bay were the towering masts of a British fleet, and rowing toward them were landing craft filled with Redcoats. Admiral Cockburn, “The Scourge of the Chesapeake,” had brought his reign of terror to the place the Marquis de Lafayette had named "Harbor of Mercy". As his raiders swept ashore, the American militia fled, leaving only one defiant Irishman standing in their way.

Ric Cottom

Ric Cottom came to Baltimore more than four decades ago and never left. Formerly the editor and publisher at the Maryland Historical Society, he now runs the Chesapeake Book Company, publishing Chesapeake regional history, biography, and environmental studies.

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Lisa Morgan

Lisa Morgan covered the local arts community as co-creator and host of WYPR’s award-winning program The Signal from 2004 to 2015. She has created and produced many programs for WYPR, including news stories, features, commentaries, and audio documentaries. She taught audio production at Goucher College and has done voice-over work for a variety of clients. The Weekly Reader is her latest project.

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