News and Views

By Richard Thompson

Sunday, September 11, 1814, was not an ordinary Sunday in the city of Baltimore.  In what would be the last full year of the War of 1812, British troops had invaded Washington and had burned public buildings, including the Capitol and the White House.  Their fleet then headed up the Chesapeake Bay, as they intended to capture and destroy Baltimore.

On this particular Sunday, many people in the city did what they always did -- they went to church.  The congregation at the Wilkes Street Methodist Church included members of the Maryland Militia who were ready to defend the city and who brought their rifles and muskets with them.  They did not bring the weapons into the Sanctuary, however; they stacked them outside the front door.

During the worship service, lookouts spotted the British fleet coming up the Patapsco River from the bay and fired signal cannon to let the people of the city know that an attack was imminent.  The pastor at the Wilkes Street Church abruptly shut his Bible and closed the service with the following benediction:  "My brethren and friends, the alarm guns have just fired.  The British are approaching and commending you to God and the word of His Grace, I pronounce the benediction, and may the God of battles accompany you."

The worshipers then left quickly, many heading for their homes.  The militia members grabbed their firearms from outside the church and ran to their assigned locations to defend the city.

Over at the Light Street Methodist Church there was a similar scene when worship suddenly ended.  But at this church, Pastor John Gruber dismissed his congregation with a blessing that concluded, "May the Lord bless King George, convert him, and take him to heaven, as we want no more of him."

Very early the next morning, British troops began landing at North Point, several miles southeast of the inner harbor.  Over the next few days, American troops and the citizens of Baltimore would successfully defend the city against a British attack, which came both by land and with the bombardment of Fort McHenry.  By the following Sunday, when people came back to church, the British fleet was retreating down the Chesapeake Bay and the citizens of Baltimore were celebrating.

Sources:  Walter Lord, The Dawn's Early Light, 1972; Steve Vogel, Through the Perilous Fight, 2013