Tobacco to Tomcats

Tobacco to Tomcats... St. Mary’s County since the Revolution

Written by

Sandy Shoemaker

Illustrations by

Mary Lou Troutman

Edited by

Lois Coryell, Karen Boyd, and Lynn Rudigier

Printed & Designed by StreamLine Enterprises Leonardtown, Maryland

Acknowledgements

I owe a great deal of thanks to a number of local historians who have gone before me. Edwin Beitzell, Aleck Loker, and others have done much in the research and preservation of our local history. Most of all, though, I must thank Regina Coombs Hammett whose work, History of St. Mary’s County, Maryland 1634-1990, is the definitive work on the subject. She has done an exhaustive amount of research and covers all manner of county history with a great deal of interest and scholarship. It is no exaggeration to say that my work could not have been done without her.

I also wish to thank those people working to preserve the rich oral traditions of our area. Most notably, the work of the Southern Maryland Documentation Project and its journals, SlackWater, Volumes I, II, and III, are wonderful glimpse into the often overlooked history of vanishing portions of our community. I have relied on the work of oral historians for this project, but also admire their efforts in helping to save the words and thoughts of fascinating members of our community.

Again, I must thank the members of the research staff at the St. Mary’s County Public Library in Leonardtown-Lois Coryell, Karen Boyd, and Lynn Rudigier-for working for the funding for this project and for editing the work and offering valuable suggestions and direction. They also had the added burden of securing photographs for this work and did so admirably. For the photos, we must thank Carol Moody at the St. Mary’s County Historical Society, Carolyn Laray at the St. Mary’s County Office of Tourism, and John Romer at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Thanks also go to Genie Posnett, Norma Durkin, and Janeen Grohsmeyer for permis- sion to use their art work and, of course, to our illustrator, Mary Lou Troutman. Once again,

Mary Lou handled every request thrown her way with professionalism and her patented sense of humor. She has been a joy. Thanks also go to Ronnie and his staff at Streamline Printing for production of the work.

Finally, I wish to thank my very supportive family, including our newest addition, Jacob, who watched me finish this work from a bouncy chair and was always the best company I could ask for. Sandy Shoemaker

This book was made possible by a generous grant from the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Library Development and Services. The Division continually offers support and funding to Maryland county libraries, which allows us to improve and enhance services to our patrons.

Many thanks to David Paul and the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association, Inc. for providing World Wide Web access for this book at www.somd.lib.md.us. This allows an un- limited number of people to gain knowledge and enjoyment from using the book. All of the people mentioned above have my thanks also - their interest and encouragement made it much easier to gather information and photographs. Members of the reference staff, Karen and Lynn, were invaluable for editing and good ideas.

Lois Coryell

Reference Supervisor

St. Mary’s County Memorial Library

Further reading on local legends:

Moll Dyer: She Still Walks This Land by Janeen Grohsmeyer. Suitable for elementary school children. Contact folktales_smd@yahoo.com.

Moll Dyer: Sing My Soul to the Sea by Janeen Grohsmeyer. Suitable for teens and adults. Contact folktales_smd@yahoo.com.

Table of Contents

Author’s Notes

Introduction—What is History? ............................................................................................. 7

Chapter 1—St. Mary’s County and the War of 1812 .............................................................. 11

Chapter 2—St. Mary’s County and the Civil War ............................................................... 23

Chapter 3—Hammond General Hospital ................................................................................ 31

Chapter 4—Camp Hoffman .................................................................................................. 35

Chapter 5—Emancipation and Reconstruction ....................................................................... 41

Chapter 6—Life on Cedar Point ............................................................................................. 49

Chapter 7—Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland .................................................. 59

What is a Community? ........................................................................................................... 67

Chapter 8—Tobacco Culture .................................................................................................. 69

Chapter 9—Life of the Watermen ......................................................................................... 79

Chapter 10—St. Mary’s County’s African-American Community ...................................... 93

Chapter 11—The Amish Community of St. Mary’s County .................................................. 113

Chapter 12—Education .......................................................................................................... 119

Chapter 13—St. Mary’s Historic Churches ............................................................................ 131

Chapter 14—Transportation .................................................................................................. 141

Chapter 15—Folklore and Traditions .....................................................................................151

Time Line ............................................................................................................................... 164

Glossary ................................................................................................................................... 172

Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 176

About the Author and Illustrator ............................................................................................ 179

It is very easy to say that history is simply things that happened a long time ago, but how do we know what Maryland was like 100 years ago? What about 350 years ago when Maryland first became a colony? Think about what people who study history will be able to look at 350 years from now to learn about you and your family. There are records like your birth certificate, medical records at your doctor’s office, and your school records in the principal’s office. There are also photographs and videotapes to show what you look like and computer records that will last for hundreds of years. How many of these things do you think that historians have from

100 years ago? How about 300 years ago? Without all of these things, it can be more difficult to learn about the history of St. Mary’s County.

We learn about the history of our county in several different ways. The first is through some- thing called primary sources. Primary source documents are records with clues about the past left by the people who lived in Maryland. These include records from court cases and other government documents, wills and inventories taken when people died, journals or letters, pic- tures, and oral history, like stories and legends. Just like the records of your life, all of these records can give us clues about what life was like in Maryland in the past.

Unfortunately, there are problems with getting information from the past. Many things that are important now were not written down long ago. Also, technology has changed the way that we keep records. Most people did not have computers to keep information, even as little as 50 years ago. They had to write all records out by hand. Many of the records that were kept did not survive over the years. Paper is a very delicate material and only lasts if it is cared for properly. There were fires that destroyed documents and some were simply lost over time.

Another problem with using primary sources from the past is that they may only show one point of view on a particular topic. Sometimes people write to convince readers to think the same

way as the writer. Other times, writers may not have enough information to tell the whole story. This does not mean that we cannot use these documents. It simply means that we have to look at them very carefully and ask ourselves some very important questions. We have to think

about who wrote the document, why it was written, and for whom it was written. For example, people write articles in the newspaper everyday. Some of these articles are designed to make people think a certain way. They are not always objective, or free from opinions and bias.

We also have to remember that for many years only wealthy men could afford to go to school and get an education. Many people never learned to read and write and, so could not leave us any letters or journals. There were many women, servants, and slaves that never got a chance to leave us any information, either. Also, the American Indians who lived in Maryland for thou- sands of years did not have a written language. All that is know about them comes from the Englishmen who met them when they arrived in Maryland. Despite all these problems, primary sources are often the best source of information about our past.

The other important way that we can learn about life in Maryland long ago is through a science called archaeology. Archaeology is the science of uncovering, or excavating, everything that people have left behind. Imagine everything that someone could discover about you if they looked at what you threw away. They could tell what you eat, what you wear, and what you do for fun. That is the kind of information that archaeologists try to discover by looking at things that the people who lived in Maryland left. These materials, called artifacts, are often the only clues that we have about the lives of most people in Maryland. Archaeology is especially im- portant when learning about life in Maryland when it was still a colony. There are very few written records from that time still left.

Look around your room and think about what would be left if it were in the ground for 300 years. Cloth and wood can not survive for all that time, but what about things made of metal? Colonists used metal pots and pans to cook their food and metal tools to help them do their work. Archaeologists also find pieces of pottery that settlers used as dishes and clay pipes that they used for smoking tobacco. All of these things are clues about what colonists in Maryland used in their everyday lives.

Archaeologists also find clues about what life was like for the native people in Maryland before the English arrived. They find tools that the natives made from stone and from the bone of animals. They find arrowheads that the Indians used to hunt deer in the forests. Unfortunately, many of the things that natives used in their everyday life did not survive in the ground long enough for us to discover them. This can make learning about the lives of the natives even more difficult.

Archaeologists don’t always have to find artifacts in the ground to tell us about people who lived long ago. Most colonists and natives built houses that were made of wood. Wood does not last in the ground for 350 years. In fact, very few buildings from the 17th century still survive today. But, as the wood rots in the ground, it leaves a stain in the soil that looks very different from the ground around it. Archaeologists can carefully look at the soil and see these differences. These stains are called postholes and when archaeologists find several of these, they know that a building once stood on that spot.

We are going to learn together in this book about the history of St. Mary’s County after Mary- land became a state in a new nation. We will learn about events that affected the country and the world like the Civil War and the World Wars. We will also learn about things that happened just here in the county. St. Mary’s County has changed a great deal since the 1800’s. Maybe members of your family have been here since then, or maybe you and your family have just moved here—either way, there is plenty of exciting history for us to study.

Chapter 1:

St. Mary’s County and the War of 1812

_After the American Revolution, the United States officially became an independent country. Maryland was one of the brand new states in the young country. Despite all

the drastic changes in government during the American Revolution, life in St.

Mary’s County continued much the same as ever. Most of the 15,000 people in the county were farmers, growing tobacco as their cash crop. Manufacturing and industry were beginning in other parts of the state, but St. Mary’s County was still 98 percent agricultural.

American citizens were no longer under the control of Great Britain, but there were still prob- lems between the United States and England. Many people thought that the English govern- ment was not treating the United States fairly. American ships trading with other countries were attacked by British ships. The government in England would not send representatives to meet with the new American government.

The British were also guilty of the impressment of American sailors. British ships would stop American ships claiming they were looking for deserters, or people who had run away from the British navy. If they could not find the people they were looking for, they would take Ameri- can sailors and make them serve in the British Navy. Many Americans considered this kidnap- ping and were very angry. Some Americans called for a war against England.

A group of politicians from the South especially wanted the United States to go to war. They were called the “war hawks” and were led by two men named John Calhoun and Henry Clay. These men were also interested in the United States sending people to settle in the west. They called this westward expansion. People were afraid to live in the west because they were being attacked by tribes of American Indians living there. The war hawks believed that the British were helping the American Indians and encouraging them to attack

Americans. Politions thought that a war against England would stop the English from helping the American Indians and supplying them with weapons. The war hawks also thought that the United States should own all the land in North America. They wanted to own Canada, which was a British colony, Florida, which belonged to the Spanish, and the Louisiana Territory which was claimed by the French.

Not everyone agreed with the war hawks. Many people, some of them in Maryland, did not want another war with England. They thought that the problems with England could be solved by negotiations and compromise. These people were members of the Federalist Party. There were debates in the Congress about going to war. Eventually, there was a vote and the war hawks won. President James Madison declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812.

In many ways, the United States was not ready for another war against a powerful country like England. The United States did not have a navy to help fight battles on the water. England had the largest and strongest navy in the world. The United States also did not have a very large regular army. To help the soldiers, the U.S. government used militia units, or volunteers, just like they had during the Revolutionary War. The British army had been fighting wars for years. They were very well trained and had plenty of supplies.

Instead of a navy, the United States hired private owners of ships to help fight the British. These men were called privateers. They were paid to attack British ships and capture them. As a reward, they were allowed to keep some of the goods from the captured ships. Many ships, especially from Baltimore, helped the American cause in this way. Some of the ships were a type called schooners. They came to be known as “Baltimore Clippers.” They were fast ships that could move around easily. The commanders of these ships had some success capturing British ships.

Baltimore Clippers

Possibly the most successful part of the American effort in the War of 1812 was the use of privately owned ships. The owners of these ships were called privateers. Their job was to capture as many British ships as they could. The most successful privateers were on ships that came to be called “Baltimore Clippers.” The Clippers were a type of ship called a schooner. They were very fast ships that also maneuvered very easily. This meant that they could catch ships that they were chasing and outrun ships that were chasing them.

During the war, 126 privateers worked around the Chesapeake Bay out of Baltimore harbor. They captured over 500 British ships.

The most successful privateering ships were the Rossie, the Rolla, the Corn-et, and the Chasseur. These ships were all built in Balti- more in a shipyard owned by a man named Thomas Kemp.

The most famous of the Baltimore Clippers was the Chasseur, which came to be known as the Pride of Baltimore. The captain of the Chasseur was a man named Thomas Boyle.

In all, Captain Boyle and his crew captured or sank 17 British ships in just over a year between 1814 and 1815. Today, there is a replica of the original Pride of Baltimore that tourists can visit in the Baltimore har- bor. The Pride of Baltimore II was built in

1988 to replace the first Pride of Baltimore replica which sank in 1986. When the Pride II is not in its home port, it travels all over the world as a representative of Maryland and its rich maritime history. The Pride II and its crew have traveled more than

The United States was terri- bly overmatched at sea. The British set up a blockade of most of the East Coast. This blockade meant that no

ships could trade goods to or from the United States. Many people relied on trade for their living. People were unable to get supplies that they needed for everyday life. Manufacturers could not get their goods to the people who wished to buy

them. The economy was hurt by this lack of trade. St. Mary’s County tobacco farmers could not trade their tobacco crop. It was the only way they had to make a living.

Unfortunately, the American army did not have much more success than its navy did. In De- cember of 1812, the British Navy sailed into the Chesapeake Bay and then into the Patuxent River. They set a blockade that would last more than a year. In August, 1814, the British sent troops to march toward the capital city of

Washington, DC. The British troops landed at Benedict in Calvert County then marched to Bladensburg where American troops at- tempted to stop them. The Americans were no match for the better trained and experi- enced British troops. Although the Ameri- cans fought bravely, the British marched on to Washington. When the British reached

Washington, DC, there were only perhaps one thousand American soldiers to defend the

city. In late August, 1814, the British cap- tured Washington and burned many govern- ment and private buildings to the ground.

Mary Lou Troutman

From there, the British set their sights on Baltimore, the largest city in Maryland. They attacked Fort McHenry at the mouth of Baltimore harbor in what became the Battle of North Point, but American soldiers in the fort refused to surrender. The fort withstood a fierce attack that lasted long into the night. During the battle, a lawyer named Francis Scott Key who had family ties to

St. Mary’s County was trapped on a British ship in Baltimore harbor. He watched, afraid that the American soldiers in the fort would not be able to hold off the British attack. In the morn

proved that they could stand against the British.

ing, he saw that the American flag was still flying over the fort. He wrote a poem called The Defense of Fort McHenry that would become this country’s national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. The Americans

Although Americans did have some success against the British during the War of 1812, many people in St. Mary’s County suffered a great deal. No battles were fought here, but British ships remained in the waters around the county for the whole length of the war. These ships held soldiers that frequently came ashore and raided farms and homes. Unfortunately for the people

living in the county, there were no regular army soldiers stationed in St. Mary’s County. There were some volunteers, but american soldiers were needed to help with other parts of the war effort so they could not be spared to protect the county.

In July of 1813, the British landed soldiers on St. Clement’s, St. Catherine’s, and St. George Islands. They burned houses, cut down trees, and destroyed fences and other pieces of property. That same month, between two and three thousand British soldiers landed at Point Lookout. These soldiers stole property from people’s homes and livestock from their farms. They even took four county residents prisonerBenjamin Williams, Robert Armstrong, Mordecai Jones, and James Biscoe. One witness said that the British “plundered everything and anything rob- bing even the women and children of their clothes and destroying such articles as it did not suit

The Star Spangled Banner

On September 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key went to a British ship in Baltimore harbor to try and negotiate for the freedom of Dr. William Beanes. Dr. Beanes had been captured by the British on their march to Washing- ton. While Key was in the harbor, the British attacked Fort McHenry in an attempt to invade Baltimore. The Americans fought off the British all night. In the morning, Key saw that the American flag was still flying over the fort meaning that the Americans had not been defeated. In commemoration, Key wrote a poem called the Defense of Fort McHenry. The poem was printed in a handbill and then in a Baltimore newspaper. The words were put to the British song To Anacreon in Heaven written by John Stafford Smith. The Star Spangled Banner became a popular anthem of the United States. It was officially adopted as the National Anthem on March 3, 1931 after 21 years of debate. The following is Francis Scott Key’s original poem:

O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there. O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? On the shore dimly seen thro’ the mists of the deep, Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam, In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:

’Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave! And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion, A home and a country should leave us no more?

Their blood has wash’d out their foul footsteps’ pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave. O thus be it ever when free-men shall stand Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation;

Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!” And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Thomas Swann at Point Lookout

In the summer of 1813, the Postmaster General of the United States, Gideon Granger, set up lookouts along the coast of the Chesapeake Bay to report to the military near Washington, DC. These lookouts were supposed to let the military know about any activity by the British that they could see. A letter was sent everyday from the lookouts to military commanders in the north. One of these stations was set up at Point Lookout. A man named Thomas Swann was there in the summer of 1813 sending letters every day about everything he saw from the point. Some of these letters have been found by historians. An historian named Stuart Lee Butler wrote an article about Thomas Swann’s letters in 1978 called

“Thomas Swann and the British in St. Mary’s County.”

According to Butler, Swann describes British ships off the point in all of his letters. These ships were a constant threat to the people who lived along the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Swann de- scribes several times when the British ships landed and took property from farms. On August 23, 1813, his