Hampton, Virginia, Pillaged By British-- Part 1

From the June 22, 2013, Hampton Roads, Va. Daily Press "War of 1812: British raiders pillage Hampton" by Mark St. John Erickson.  Again, the go-to guy for anything War of 1812-related in eastern Virginia.

British Rear Admiral George Cockburn landed soldiers and Marines on the north shore of Hampton Roads during the pre-dawn hours of June 25, 1813.  He had already led incendiary raids along the shores of northern Chesapeake Bay in the spring, including the May 3rd plundering and burning of 40 houses in Havre de Grace, Maryland.

But "nothing prepared Americans for the outrages his troops committed after overwhelming a furious but hopelessly outnumbered defense and sacking of the town of Hampton."

So villainous was the trail of plunder, homicide and sexual assault left largely by the French soldiers who made up part of Cockburn's command that one incensed Virginian offered a reward of $1,000 for the admiral's head and $500 for each of his ears, the Niles Weekly Register of Baltimore reported.

Mean Old Cockburn.  --Brock-Perry