And as we send Favourite Cousin and Cousin-in-law back home to the Oo Es Eh we’re as good as our word in sharing the story of when a Maryland town took the Michael out of the British.
A subject that King Charles noticeably decided not to drop into his banter in front of Congress in his speech up the road in Washington DC.
Too busy having a friendly dig at Donald Trump over the burning of the White House… ‘a small attempt at real estate redevelopment.’
St Michaels‘ part in the American story is heralded on the Chesapeake Bay coastline of Maryland but little known across the pond.
But the small Marylander community are rightly proud of their part in protecting the nascent nation as ‘the town that fooled the British.’ in the War of 1812.
All of which you can discover for yourself, and you should as an extension to visiting the US capital 85 miles to the west, at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
Light the lantern of freedom
The story goes though that in the early morning of August 10, 1813 the citizens reportedly placed lanterns high in the trees, on ships’ mastheads, and on the roofs of buildings.
So that the enemy would be fooled into firing over the town.
And so the British Redcoats rowed their boats along the Miles River, on a dark and stormy night.
The British appeared at Parrot’s Point at 4am, where the Americans had two cannons waiting for them.
As 300 British marines marched on shore, William Dodson and the Marylanders took aim.
Shots heard around the world
The museum’s curators tell us that the Americans “’were able to get maybe two shots. And then they grabbed their flag and ran back to town.’
After the Americans disappeared into the mist, the British got back in their boats, and trained their cannon on St. Michaels.
But they were not successful, shooting over the town.
St Michaels, just like every small town, big city and shotgun shack across the US will celebrate Modern America’s 250th all across the year.
And the good news for us is that they’re not playing Hide and Seek with today’s British visitors.