Digging for Answers at Caulk's Field-- Part 3

The Americans ambushed the British and in an hour-long battle, 14 British soldiers (actually Marines and sailors), died, including Captain Peter Parker, the expedition leader and captain of the HMS Menelaus.  He bled to death from a gunshot wound.  You would not generally expect a ship's commander to lead an onshore expedition like this.  Normally that job would fall to junior officers.  Three Americans were wounded.

With their commander dead and the Americans holding the high ground, the Brits retreated back to the ship.

The ship then participated in the Battle of Baltimore (Fort McHenry) and left the Chesapeake after that failed.  Fort McHenry, of course, is what inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Archaeologists are looking for where the forces actually stood and where camp was made.  According to Julie Schablitsky, "It's really like a crime scene.  You have to let the artifacts-- the evidence-- tell you what was going on."

Two sets of post-battle reports exist, one British, one American.  She enlisted the help of the New Jersey-based Battlefield Restoration and Archaeological Volunteer Organization to scour the field and mark each artifact with a flag.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry