From the Jan. 25, 2013, Capital Gazette.com "Around Annapolis: War of 1812 Exhibit opens at State House" by Diane M. Rey.
On August 20, 1814, the HMS Menelaus was at anchor off Annapolis. The British fleet sailed past the port and shortly thereafter, Washington, D.C. was captured and burned. Then the fleet sailed past again on its way to attack Fort McHenry protecting Baltimore. Annapolis, however, was never directly attacked.
A new War of 1812 exhibit opened at the Maryland State House on Jan. 14, 2013 "The Enemy Nearly All 'Round' Us." The centerpiece is a 16-by-24-foot enlargement of a painting by Frederick artist Richard Schlecht showing British ships off Annapolis as seen from the State House dome. A circular inset on the painting shows the 38-gun frigate Memelaus under full sail.
Hundreds of slaves escaped to the British ships, seeking their freedom. On April 2, 1814, British Admiral Sir Alexander Cochran issued an emancipation proclamation to any slaves who joined the Colonial Marines and settled in British colonies. Some 700 Maryland slaves took him up on it, 21 of them from Annapolis.
The exhibit also has a personal log of a British officer on the Menelaus.
--Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
No comments:
Post a Comment