St. George Island
The only engagement to take place in Maryland during the American Revolution occurred on St. George Island in St. Mary’s County, a Southern Maryland island near the Potomac’s confluence with the Chesapeake Bay. St. Mary’s County militia engaged Lord Dunmore’s fleet as they attempted to make landfall on the island.
St. George Island 362 miles away
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In all, there were five large skirmishes and numerous smaller operations on St. George’s Island in July and August 1776.
The Battle of St. George Island was the largest battle of the American Revolution fought in Maryland. When the British fleet was first spied off Point Lookout, local men who had been marching to Annapolis to join the march to New York City were quickly recalled. Before they could return, though, ten boats full of British soldiers landed on the island, foraging for water and wood and dumping smallpox-ridden bodies of those who had died during the journey from Virginia. The local Maryland militia, under Captain Rezin Beall, arrived the next day. By lining up in the bushes on the shoreline, they were able to remain hidden until the landing boats were within firing range and so prevented the British from landing a second time. Captain Beall was severely wounded and had to be removed from service. The only casualty was a British mid-shipman on the Roebuck.
In addition to these events on St. George’s Island, Lord Dunmore’s forces also caused trouble up and down the Potomac River while seeking wood and water, burning down at least one plantation, including the house, several outbuildings and some stacks of wheat. The British were forced back to their ships when Colonel Grayson with his Prince William Volunteers arrived. The fleet then returned to St. George’s Island where they avenged themselves by setting fire to all the houses, fields and woods thereon. After seeing the strength of the local resistance, Lord Dunmore decided to flee the Chesapeake region.