A Travel Guide to the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake: Eighteen Tours in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia

by Ralph E. Eshelman

Overview

Welcome to War of 1812 tidewater country. Here, in the waters and on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, Americans fought to preserve their recently won independence from the British. Detailing sites from Maryland to Virginia to the District of Columbia, this portable guidebook points readers to the war’s most important battlefields and historic places.

The book is organized into eighteen tours. Five Historic Route Tours guide enthusiasts down the same roads and past the same buildings that proved critical in the struggle. Thirteen Historic City, Town, and Regional Tours feature key sites in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Visitors can pick a tour and follow the President and First Lady as they fled Washington, D.C., or British troops as they landed at North Point, or the Declaration of Independence as patriots saved it from the invaders.

The tours are organized geographically to make trip planning easy. All are accessible by car or on foot; bike and water excursions are also suggested where appropriate. Each tour includes a brief history and information every visitor will need to know, such as the address, phone number, website, parking availability, days and hours of operation, and entrance fees. The guide is richly illustrated throughout, showing many structures that no longer exist and numerous historic sites not visible from public roads. Detailed maps direct visitors to each site.

Tourists can step back in time as they travel the same roads and waterways that American and British troops did two centuries ago.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801898372
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	05/15/2011
Series:	Johns Hopkins Books on the War of 1812
Edition description:	20
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ralph E. Eshelman is a cultural resource consultant, historian, researcher, and writer.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations vii

Overview 1

Part 1 Historic Route Tours

British Invasion Tour (Maryland) 9

Battle of Bladensburg Tour (Maryland) 40

Saving the Declaration of Independence Tour (District of Columbia, Virginia) 59

First Family Flight Tour (District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland) 65

Battle of North Point Tour (Maryland) 78

Part 2 Historic City, Town, and Regional Tours

Maryland

Annapolis and U.S. Naval Academy Tour 101

Baltimore Tour 111

Southern Maryland Tour 135

Maryland Eastern Shore Tour 147

Head of the Chesapeake Tour 160

Frederick Tour 173

Virginia

Alexandria Tour 177

Greater Norfolk Tour 184

Richmond and Petersburg Tour 201

Tappahannock Tour 207

Central Virginia Tour 211

Other Tidewater Virginia Sites 217

District of Columbia

Washington, D.C., Tour 221

Acknowledgments 245

Appendixes

A Suggested Walks 249

B Suggested Bicycling Areas 254

C Canoe, Kayak, and Small Boating Areas 259

D Boat Excursions 265

Suggested Reading 269

Index 271

Editorial Reviews

Eshelman offers context, directions, maps and other pertinent details for those with a taste for exploring sites related to the war.
—Richmond Times-Dispatch

An exceptional companion volume to the previous book that allows readers an unrivaled view or all the battles and campaigns . . . If you like your history both immediate and personal, this is the book for you!
—Blaine Taylor, Sea Classics

A Travel Guide to the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake is a first-rate tool for those exploring the Chesapeake Theater.
—Command Sergeant Major James H. Clifford, USA-Ret., On Point

From the Publisher

A Travel Guide to the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake is a first-rate tool for those exploring the Chesapeake Theater.

— Command Sergeant Major James H. Clifford, USA-Ret.

On Point

An exceptional companion volume to the previous book that allows readers an unrivaled view or all the battles and campaigns... If you like your history both immediate and personal, this is the book for you!

— Blaine Taylor

Sea Classics

The Chesapeake Bay area was a theater of war for the latter years of the War of 1812, i.e., 1813–14. This book offers two types of tours, either by the actual historic routes (Part 1), or by particular sites (Part 2). For example, in the first part, readers can trace the invading British forces or follow James and Dolley Madison as they fled Washington. Walking, biking, and boating are covered. Part 2 offers 13 city, town, and regional tours. VERDICT Throughout, useful sidebars present detailed information on operating hours, fees, parking, and more; however, there is no listing for eating or overnight accommodations, and the maps are outdated. Despite these detriments, this will be a useful part of a larger toolkit for traveling the war.—D.L.P.

Library Journal

An exceptional companion volume to the previous book that allows readers an unrivaled view or all the battles and campaigns . . . If you like your history both immediate and personal, this is the book for you!

Sea Classics - Blaine Taylor

A Travel Guide to the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake is a first-rate tool for those exploring the Chesapeake Theater.

On Point - Command Sergeant Major James H. Clifford

Eshelman offers context, directions, maps and other pertinent details for those with a taste for exploring sites related to the war.

Richmond Times-Dispatch