Baltimore's Defenders Day-- Part 3: The "Old Defenders"

While the "Old Defenders" survived, they were the ones who fought the battle, the commemorations of Defenders Day revolved around them.  Following the War of 1812, many of the "Old Defenders" became civil leaders of Baltimore.

While they were still alive, ceremonies began with rallies and speeches at Baltimore's Battle Monument and then the militia units marched out to the North Point Battlefield (on occasion taking a steamboat)where a sham battle would take place.

One of the unfortunate results of this was that more militia died from the exertion   A few even died when actual musket balls were fired during the sham battle.

In 1822, an unusually hot day in Baltimore the combination of heat and the wool uniforms produced a significant loss that caused the cancellation of it the following year.and heat than died on the actual battlefield in the war.

--Brock-Perry