SEPTEMBER 11, 1814: British capture Fort O'Brien and Machias, District of Maine.
SEPTEMBER 12-15, 1814: Also the death of British Major General Robert Ross.
After sacking Washington, D.C., British commanding officer Robert Ross led a force of roughly 4,000 men north to Baltimore. On 12 September, during the Battle of North Point, Ross was mortally wounded; Colonel Arthur Brooke then assumed command and defeated Brigadier General John Stricker's 3,200 American troops.
The British advanced until they came upon recently prepared fortifications around Baltimore. Judging the defenses too strong to be attacked, the British withdrew.
Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Alexander Cochrane led an unsuccessful naval attack on Fort McHenry. The spectacle inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner."
As for Ross. his comrades preserved his body in rum and sent it to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for burial, where his remains received a hero's welcome.
--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.
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