| Raid on Chesconessex Creek | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theWar of 1812 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |  United States | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| George Urmston James Scott | John G. Joynes | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Several hundred marines and sailors | Garrison of one fort (Unknown amount ofVirginia militia) | ||||||
  Chesconessex Creek Location within Virginia | |||||||
On June 25, 1814, aBritish maritime force landed at Chesconessex Creek,Virginia, to attack an American fort. The British forces, several hundredRoyal Marines,Colonial Marines and sailors, landed from Royal Navy vesselsAlbion,Dragon andEndymion. They were commanded by Lieutenant George Urmston of theAlbion. The commander of the first British landing boat, LieutenantJames Scott, had requested permission to attack the fort as the commander of itsVirginia militia garrison, Captain John G. Joynes, had previously threatened to "blow [him] to hell" if he attempted it.
The British were assisted by a guide, one of Joynes' slaves who had escaped. They landed close to the fort which fired one round from its six-pounder cannon before the garrison fled. Scott took items of Joynes' uniform and his sword as trophies. Before the British withdrew to their ships, taking the captured cannon, they destroyed the fort and some nearby guardhouses.
Britain and the United States had beenat war since 1812, when American forces launched an ultimately unsuccessful invasion of the British colony of Canada. Since 1813 theRoyal Navy had carried outa campaign inChesapeake Bay, raiding the shorelines of Virginia and Maryland. The raids targeted public buildings and supplies in a hope of diverting American troops from the Canada front and persuading U.S. civilians to advocate for peace at a time when British forces were engaged in theNapoleonic Wars.A peace treaty between Britain and France was signed on April 11, 1814, releasing resources for the American war.[1]
An American log-and-earth fort had been established at Chesconessex Creek on Chesapeake Bay. It was armed with a single six-pounder cannon and commanded by Captain John G. Joynes, who led an artillery company attached to the 2nd Regiment of Virginia militia.[2] Joynes had served throughout the war and in 1813 was recommended for promotion and command of an intended battalion of artillery by Virginia congressmanThomas M. Bayly.[3] Many of the raids in the Chesapeake Bay had been led by Royal Navy LieutenantJames Scott. Joynes was outraged by the raids and, during a visit toHMSAlbion under a flag of truce, he warned Scott that he would "blow you to hell if you put your foot within a mile of my command ... I would give you such a whipping as would cure you from rambling at night".[4][5] Scott saw this as a challenge and gained the permission of his commander, Rear AdmiralGeorge Cockburn, for a raid to be made against Joynes' post.[4][6]
Scott had scouted the area around the fort before the raid and on 25 June commanded the lead British boat, directed by a local guide who was one of Joynes' escaped slaves.[6][4] Other runaway slaves who had joined theCorps of Colonial Marines formed part of Scott's force. The runaways formed an important part of the British force; their knowledge of American positions and the local landscape allowed the British to raid further inland than otherwise would have been possible.[6] The overall command of the British force was with Lieutenant George Urmston, first lieutenant of theAlbion. The British troops comprised several hundred sailors,Royal Marines and Colonial Marines fromAlbion,Dragon andEndymion.[7][8] Joynes' battery was manned by a force of theAccomac Shire militia.[7]
Favourable wind and wave conditions allowed the British to approach the fort undetected by cover of night.[7] Scott's boat landed at 1:30 a.m., on the shore around 0.25 miles (0.40 km) in front of the fort, which opened fire at point blank range with its six-pounder cannon to no effect.[7][4] With drawn sword, Scott led his marines in a charge over the ramparts, catching the Americans by surprise.[4] Other British forces worked around the rear of the fort.[7] The American garrison broke and ran almost immediately, Joynes being seen by Scott to run away unarmed and clothed only in his sleeping shirt and boots. Scott formed a group of his marines into line at the fort's entrance, but was only able to fire one significant musket volley before the Americans disappeared into the forest.[4]
The British troops dismounted the American cannon, which was taken back to the fleet, and destroyed the fort. Scott took Joynes' hat, coat, and sword from his office as trophies.[4] A number of American guard houses in the area were also burnt.[8]
Cockburn reported the raid to his superior Vice AdmiralAlexander Cochrane by letter on 25 June, enclosing a report by Urmston. Cockburn noted that it was the third American battery and second gun captured by his forces in shoreline raids since 9 May.[8] The raid was a complete success, removing the threat posed by the fort and disheartening local American forces.[4] The raid, together with theOcracoke raid of 1813 and thePongoteague raid of 30 May 1814, helped develop the Colonial Marines' reputation as enthusiastic, obedient and effective troops. They went on to serve in the AugustBattle of Bladensburg andBurning of Washington, the US capital.[9]
Scott gave the clothing he had captured from Joynes to a black sergeant of the Colonial Marines, eliciting a letter of complaint from the American that he had allowed them to be worn by "a G[o]d d[amne]d black nigger".[6] Joynes went on to become colonel and commander of the 2ndRegiment of Virginia Militia.[2]
Urmston was promoted to commander on Cockburn's recommendation for good service in the American theatre in 1814, and he remained in this rank at death in Dieppe, France, in 1820.[10] Scott went on to serve as aide-de-camp to Cockburn during his land campaign and was present at Bladensburg and Washington. He was mentioned in dispatches ten times during the war and went on to command ships in theFirst Opium War and ended his career as an admiral andknight commander of the Order of the Bath.[11][12]
