British Invasion of Maine Leads to Statehood-- Part 2

American support for the War of 1812 was weakest in New England and at one point, these states threatened to secede from the Union, something they were completely against when the Southern states did the very same thing less than 50 years later.  In Castine, Maine, town officials condemned the declaration of war in June 1812 and they didn't much like President Madison either.  To them, the war would just disrupt the trade they so depended on for livelihood.

In early July 1814, a British squadron of ships, including the bomb ship HMS Terror, sailed into Pessamaquoddy Bay and took possession of Fort Sullivan, the town of Eastport and the islands and villages in the bay.

They left 800 soldiers in Eastport and built fortifications that mounted some 60 cannons.  The town remained under British control for the rest of the war.  In September of that year,the HMS Terror took part in the British attack on Fort McHenry, guarding Baltimore, Maryland and the source of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The British left main around the middle of 1815, long after the wra was over.

Maine, at the time, was a part of Massachusetts, which state did little to protect Maine.  This led to calls for secession.  In 1820, Maine became the 23rd state as part of the Missouri Compromise.

--Brock-Perry