Middle Ground of the War of 1812 by Scott Sheads

Author:Scott Sheads
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The Chesapeake Campaigns 1813–15: Middle ground of the War of 1812
ISBN: 9781780968537
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

A bird’s-eye view of Craney Island (1819), a half-mile long and 200 yards wide at the mouth of the Elizabeth River, which commanded the approach to Norfolk, Va., with a fortified blockhouse and magazine shown on the right. (National Archives and Records Administration, Ralph E. Eshelman)

“The Yankee Torpedo.” On July 24, 1813, an explosion occurred in Lynnhaven Bay when an American torpedo prematurely exploded near HMS Plantagenet with “the concussion of an earthquake” and sending water cascading upwards of 80ft, emphasizing American naval ingenuity in the Chesapeake campaign. (Library of Congress)

At daybreak on June 22, 60 British barges and two schooners landed two amphibious assault columns 2 miles west of the island under Col. Sir Thomas Sydney Beckwith and Lt. Col. Charles James Napier. The landing force of some 2,292 men went ashore north of Hoffler’s Creek near the mouth of the Nansemond River. Their strategy was to attack Craney Island via a 450-yard-long bridge known as the “thoroughfare” which connected the island to the mainland, but they were prevented by the deep waters of Wise’s Creek on their approach. The British artillery and Congreve rockets had little effect, while American fire from the island’s battery inflicted casualties on the British and the land assault to take the island failed. The second phase of the attack would be made by Rear-Admiral Cockburn.

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