To the War of 1812 list: Does anybody have any detailed information on the 21st Maryland Infantry Regiment? It was commanded by Lt. Col. Philip Reed. In 1814, they fought the Battle of Caulk's Field, in Kent County, Md., near Chestertown, the county seat of Kent County. Kent County, is on the Eastern Shore of Maryland; it touches the Chesapeake Bay. I have some general history on the engagement, from some Internet sources and Robert S. Quimby's, "The U.S. Army in the War of 1812: An Operational and Command Study (Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, Mich., 1997). An up and coming British Naval Officer, Capt. Sir Peter Parker, commanded a naval unit that had been attacking targets in the Chesapeake Bay area. He was ordered to rejoin the main British fleet, but reportedly said: "I must first have a frolic with the Yankees." Capt. Sir Parker landed a unit of about 260 troops in Kent County, Md. Lt. Col. Reed had a force of 170 men. An experienced commander from the Revolutionary War, he built a strong defensive position near Mr. Caulk's house. His unit repulsed several furious British charges. The Americans suffered only three soldiers with light wounds (although what was a "light wound" in an era without antibiotics?); in contrast, the British lost nine immediately dead, and nine wounded. Of the nine wounded, six passed away later. Capt. Sir Parker was among the subsequent dead; he was wounded in the leg, but he did not think it to be a grave injury. However, he bled to death. Capt. Sir Parker's body was apparently transported back to the U.K., preserved in rum. At his funeral, he was eulogized by his cousin, Lord Byron. My great++++ grandfather, Elijah Willis, fought as an enlisted man in the unit. Prior to serving in the War of 1812, Lt. Col. Reed was an officer in the War of Independence. In addition, before the War of 1812, Reed was a U.S. Senator, who proposed an Amendment to the Constitution that would have prohibited Americans from receiving princely titles from foreign powers. The Amendment may have been ratified by enough states-- but somehow, it just got lost in the historical process. It is sometimes referred to as the "real" 13th Amendment (no slight to the powerful Amendment that abolished slavery in our land). After the War of 1812, Reed became a member of the House of Representatives. He may be one of the few people to have gone from Senator to Congressman. Also, after the war, Reed was promoted to the rank of Brig. Gen. Apparently, battlefield promotions were liberally granted in this era. Thanks. Bill Volonte William J. Volonte Attorney at Law 117 Central Avenue Hackensack, NJ 07601-4207 Tel.: (201) 883-0777; Fax: (201) 883-0767 H: (201) 659-4941; Cell: (201) 780-4327 E-Mail: H: volonte@promail.com; O: volonte@qmail.com

Hi Recently while researching Hyatts, I found these two: Joseph Hyatt a private in captain John S. See's Company of INf in the Regt. of NY Detached Militia commanded by LT Col Jonathan Varian and Samuel Hyatt, a private in Capt.. Edward Loverich's Co. of the Detached Militia in 93 and 64 Consolidated Regt. of the NYS Infantry. Can any one identify units and tell me what area of Ny they were from. Thank you Marilyn Bess --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.804 / Virus Database: 546 - Release Date: 11/30/2004