25
fter a brief interlude between wars with Britain, Baltimore’s
maritime community proved even more decisive during the
War of 1812.
With America again at war, the Port’s shipyards moved into
full production. Baltimore commissioned more privateers than
any other American seaport, launching about 120 ships which
captured more than 500 British sloops. The
Chasseur
, built in Fell’s
Point,
captured 11 vessels on her first trans-Atlantic crossing;
during her second, the
Chasseur
outdid that by single-handedly
beleaguering shipping traffic up and down the entire English coast
to become hailed as the “Pride of Baltimore” upon her return.
Still licking the wounds Baltimore’s fleet inflicted during the
Revolution, British soldiers torched Washington, D.C., in August
1814 and turned north, seeking revenge on Baltimore’s “nest of
pirates.” Chains were stretched across the water from Fort McHenry
to Lazaretto Point, attached to a row of scuttled schooners, to
prevent the greatest invasion fleet ever in American waters from
entering Baltimore’s harbor.
Francis Scott Key found himself in the wrong place at the right
time: detained aboard a ship during the British bombardment of
Fort McHenry, he jotted down lyrics on the back of a letter which
became the story line for America’s national anthem — “The Star-
Spangled Banner.”
Of all the watercraft produced by Chesapeake Bay shipbuilders,
none is more famous than the “Baltimore Clipper,” smallish
schooners whose maneuverability and terrific speed — twice
that of other merchant ships — made them ideal for warfare and
interdiction. With their V-shaped hulls and tall masts to support
relatively large sails, these ocean antelopes could sail close to
or “clip” the wind. Since they sacrificed cargo space for speed,
Baltimore Clippers were best-suited for low-volume, high-profit
commercial ventures such as spice, tea and mail deliveries.
Disposing of the spoils of war required legitimate merchant
channels, which boosted Baltimore’s economy. Fell’s Point became
home to more ship captains and owners, whose upscale residences
featured wallpaper, interior and exterior trim, even chair rails.
Samuel Kirk became America’s most celebrated early 19th-century
silversmith; his ornate repousse silverware decorated all the best
tables. Kirk, like others whose business lived and died on the
strength of imports and exports, set up shop hard by the harbor
at Market (later Baltimore) Street. Samuel Kirk and Sons was later
bought by the company that neighboring competitor Charles
Stieff had founded in 1892.
Facing page: Fort McHenry, the
birthplace of the national
anthem. Above, left: Clipper
ships also delivered cargo,
including cigars. Above, center:
An historic sketch from1799
shows the
Constellation
and
L’Insurgente
battling. Above,
right: Fort McHenry protected
Baltimore Harbor during
theWar of 1812.
Baltimore Clippers
