Attack of the HMS Nimrod: Wareham and the War of 1812

On the morning of June 13, 1814, the British warship HMS Nimrod attacked the town of Wareham, Massachusetts. As a center for shipbuilding and iron, Wareham was a perfect target for the British fleet. When the lead barge deceptively appeared with a white flag at its bow, Wareham never suspected anything but a truce and was ill prepared for the attack. A raiding party with six barges and two hundred men burned the town's cotton mill, destroyed its vessels and took its citizens as hostages. Wh...