Caulk's Field

Today we'll find out about Caulk's Field, an Eastern Shore Battlefield that has miraculously survived the centuries more or less intact - meaning it can still provide information about the war as it was fought on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. SHA Chief Archaeologist Julie Schablitsky provides the details...

Caulk’s Field: Maryland’s Best Preserved War of 1812 Battlefield

To commemorate the War of 1812 bicentennial, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) secured a National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) grant to conduct an archaeology survey across Caulk’s Battlefield.  The battle was an American win and the site remains relatively unaltered. DBED chose the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) and University of Maryland (UM) to carry out the archaeology survey and mapping project to determine troop and artillery locations, areas of intense fighting, and battlefield boundaries. 

During the month of August 1814, the citizens of Kent County observed a British ship and associated barges in the Chesapeake Bay. Captain Peter Parker anchored his frigate, HMS Menelaus, just off of Poole’s Island in an attempt to keep the eastern shore militia from coming to the aid of the Americans in western Maryland. Parker and his men came ashore several times to take supplies from the local farms and to burn private property to keep it from being used by American troops. 

Drawing of HMS Menelaus and Eclair by Lt. William Innes Pocock.

On the night of August 30, 1814, the British burned and looted Richard Frisby’s farm and took four enslaved African American men as captives.  When Captain Parker interrogated the slaves that night, he learned the location of American Lieutenant Colonel Philip Reed’s camp. The British landed around 11:00 that evening to search out and destroy the American camp, take prisoners, and extract information from the troops regarding the protection of Baltimore.  

View of British taking livestock, supplies, and slaves (Courtesy the Patuxent River Naval Air Station)

At 11:30pm that same night, Reed received word from his picket that the British landed near Waltham’s farm. Believing their intent was to burn and pillage, Reed took his men and marched towards Waltham’s farm. Within minutes he learned the British were actually in pursuit of them! At this point, he countermarched, moved his camp into Caulk’s field and positioned the troops on “the rising ground about three hundred paces in the rear—the right towards Caulk’s house and the left retiring on the road, the artillery in the centre, supported by the infantry on the right and left.”  A fortified line took the center of the field, and an advance troop of Americans lay in wait for the British.

As soon as the British came into view, the Americans fired into them and then fell back to the fortified line with the artillery. The British attempted to take the American left flank, but were unsuccessful. They continued to push the front American line and forced Reed to fall back. After almost an hour of fighting, Reed’s men were running low on ammunition, but they held their position. Casualties escalated rapidly into the dozens, and Captain Peter Parker was killed in the action. Finally, the British quit the field and returned to the Menelaus.

Colored map of the battle at Caulk’s field drawn by Acting Commander Henry Crease while aboard the HMS Menelaus. Reed’s account places his left flank on the road, not the artillery as shown here.

The Archaeology

In the spring and fall of 2012, the SHA and UM archaeologists, along with volunteers from BRAVO, conducted a metal detector survey across 40 acres of the battlefield.  The archaeologists searched for lead and ferrous munitions (musket balls, buck shot, rifle shot, and canister shot), brass clothing buttons, and other battle-related artifacts. Where each artifact was found, an archaeologist mapped the location with a total station to record its exact position.

View towards northeast of battlefield and archaeologists setting up total station to record the exact location of artifacts. 

After the artifacts were mapped, they were collected and taken back to the SHA laboratory for processing and cataloging.  The musket balls were studied closely, measured, and weighed. Lead shot was separated into three main categories: buckshot (.25-.36 cal.), rifle/pistol shot (.37-.58 cal.) and musket shot (.59-.75 cal.). British and American lead musket shot can be distinguished from each other by measuring the diameter of the ball. The standard issued British gun during the War of 1812 was the Brown Bess musket. It had a 0.75-inch bore and was loaded with 0.69-0.70-caliber lead shot. The Americans held guns with smaller bores and therefore, their musket shot measures approximately 0.62 inches in diameter. 

Archaeologists recovered 35 pieces of shot from Caulk’s Field : 

• 8 British musket shot - 6 dropped and 2 fired

• 11 American musket shot - 7 dropped and 4 fired 

• 7 unidentified fired musket shot

• 3 rifle shot 

• 4 buck shot 

• 2 heavily impacted unidentified shot 

All of the shot pictured above was fired out of a musket aimed at a soldier. All of the above appear to have missed their mark. 

Most of the recovered musket shot was unfired, suggesting the lead balls were likely dropped during loading of a gun or perhaps spilled out of a cartridge box.

In addition to musket shot, archaeologists collected military buttons, canister shot, and other pieces of brass and iron. Based on the patterns of the artifacts, it is now possible to see where the different troops stood and fought on the landscape.  For example, a concentration of dropped American musket shot show where the Kent County men stood as they fired towards the oncoming British, while dropped British musket shot shows how far up field they pursued the Americans. This week archaeologists are surveying an additional 40 acres of agricultural field along MD 21 in an attempt to find how far back the Americans fell from their initial position. By the end of the project, we will have reconstructed the entire battle.

NOTICE: The battlefield is privately owned and trespassing is prohibited. Metal detecting was only performed under the guidance of professional archaeologists. 

Welcome

Join us and explore War of 1812 Archaeology!

The Maryland State Highway Administration's archaeologists are joining in the state's commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812, and we want to share our latest finds with you - so follow us here as we excavate War of 1812 battlefields, encampments, and even a shipwreck! In addition to sharing details of the sites we've found along Maryland's highways, we'll be featuring guest posts by archaeologists who are doing their own work on 1812-related sites, in Maryland and anywhere else such sites might be found. 

We hope you’ll stop by often to read about our efforts to uncover new and fascinating stories about this remarkable time in our nation’s history.

About the War of 1812

Look, it’s no secret that the War of 1812, sandwiched between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, is basically the neglected middle child of significant early American wars. But we have arrived at the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, and it is time to start paying a little more attention to this obscure, but nonetheless significant, conflict. Here’s a short synopsis for those of you who are not completely conversant with the history:

In the early 19th century, the British and the French were fighting the Napoleonic Wars, and the Americans were getting hassled all the time. The United States, fresh from the Revolution, was neutral during the Napoleonic conflicts, but American ships were caught in blockades, had their goods confiscated by the British or French, or had their crews impressed into the Royal Navy. Very exasperating. On top of all that, the British were encouraging Indian groups in the west to attack frontier settlements, and supplying the Indians with weapons. They were probably a little worried about American threats to invade and annex parts of Canada. There was a lot going on, is what I’m saying. 

Sick of getting pushed around by the British, President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain on June 18, 1812. America wasn't really ready for a war. We didn't have much of a navy. So President Madison issued Letters of Marque and Reprisal to private ship owners. We might have been unprepared for war, but DANG were Marylanders ready to privateer the heck out of the British Navy. If you've ever heard of a Baltimore Clipper, this is probably why. The clipper ships enjoyed tremendous glory and usefulness as privateers during the conflict. A clipper called the Chasseur, commanded by Captain Thomas Boyle, was especially brash, impertinent, and therefore awesome. Go read the Wikipedia page if you have time. 

In 1814, feeling pretty good about themselves after sorting out Napoleon, the British initiated a three-part strategy for a war with the United States. First, they sought control of the Hudson River.  American incursions into Canada had initiated conflict along the northern border in 1812, and the British counter in this area had the potential for catastrophic consequences to the United States.  Second, the British launched an attack on the Chesapeake region and the Nation’s Capital as a political statement.  In part, this campaign was retribution for the burning of Fort York (Toronto) by American forces in 1812.  The British were also getting seriously annoyed about all those privateers from the Chesapeake, so another major focus was "that nest of pirates" in Baltimore. Finally, a western attack directed at New Orleans sought to control the Mississippi River, halt America’s westward expansion, and isolate the young democracy. 

In the past, the War of 1812 was considered a sidelight of American history…some even say the “forgotten war.”  Happily, as a result of the bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812, the public is beginning to recognize the significance of the War in the evolution of the newly independent United States and its fledgling experiment in democratic rule.  Today many historians view the War of 1812 as a decisive crossroads that profoundly affected the nation’s development, a second war for independence. It wasn’t a blip, it wasn’t a hiccup, it was a seriously big deal and it is packed with fascinating stories. Like plucky underdogs? You’re going to LOVE the War of 1812. 

Here in Maryland, it is well-remembered - and for good reason. Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay were national centers of settlement, commerce, and government. The British Chesapeake Campaign was a reflection of the region’s strategic importance, and placed Maryland at the core of national events.  Maryland saw more military actions during the War of 1812 than any other state.  The War of 1812 tested the young democracy and its diverse population including slaves and freemen, forged a national identity, and created a new international political framework.  On a local level, Maryland’s contributions to the defense and heritage of the nation include the pivotal clash at Fort McHenry, which may have ensured the nation’s survival, and inspired our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. 

The United States’ successful, solitary stand against the British Empire greatly enhanced the country’s international prestige and forced Great Britain to acknowledge the full economic and political sovereignty of their former colony. The war consolidated the emerging democracy and forged the nation into a unified whole with a new national outlook.  For the first time, citizens began to perceive themselves as a distinct, American people.

Archaeology of the War of 1812

We’ll have details and highlights of excavations all over Maryland and anywhere else the War of 1812 left traces behind -- so follow along and make new discoveries with us. 

Working on a War of 1812-related site? We want to hear from you! Contact us at SHACulturalResources@gmail.com or in the comments section. 

10/22/2013 by Lisa Kraus