Battle of Caulk ' s Field The Battle of Caulk ’ s Field occurred during the War of 1812 . Similar to the Battle of Craney Island a year earlier , American militia units were able to repulse a British landing attempt along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay . Background . As part of the British attacks on Washington , D . C . and Baltimore , Sir Peter Parker , captain of the frigate HMS Menelaus , was ordered to sail into the upper Chesapeake Bay in order to keep Eastern Shore militia units from crossing the bay to aid Baltimore . Battle . Royal Navy units landed late on August 30 ; the battle was sometime after midnight in the early morning of August 31 . The site , in Kent County on Maryland ' s Eastern Shore , is commemorated with a granite marker . The battle occurred east of the hamlet of Georgetown and south of Fairlee ( then called Belle Air ) . " Georgetown Crossroads " is sometimes referred to , but that location is miles away and is now known as Galena . On September 12 , 1814 , the Boston " Independent Chronicle " trumpeted the good news . After the humiliating burning of Washington , it was a relief : " HUZZA FOR THE MILITIA " ! “ We do not recollect ever to have read of a more brilliant and decisive exploit by a handful of militia hastily rallied by a partizan officer , than that described in the following extract of a letter , on the correctness of which the fullest reliance may be placed : - - Nat . Int . " “ Chester Town Md . , Sept . 1 . " “ On or about the 20th … the British frigate " Menelaus " , rating 38 , carrying 49 , and pierced for 54 guns , commanded by Sir Peter Parker , Bt . made her appearance in view of Rock Hall , upon which Lieut . Col . Reed called out the 21st regiment of the Maryland militia . “ On Sunday the 28th , the enemy came on shore at the farm of Mr . Henry Waller , being on the Chesapeake Bay about seven miles above Rock Hall , and burnt his dwelling houses , barns , all other outhouses , wheat in the granary and stack , and in short destroyed every thing by fire that they possibly could – his loss is estimated at 8 or 10 thousand dollars . “ On Tuesday the 30th they went to the farm of Richard Frisby , Esq . adjoining Waller ’ s … and committed the same disgraceful and degrading acts ; his loss is supposed to be about the amount of Waller ’ s . At each of the aforesaid places they set fire to the property and made their escape to the frigate , before the militia could get down to attack them . “ On Tuesday morning also they landed and went to the house of James Frisby it is supposed for the purpose of burning him out . However Mrs . Frisby prevailed upon them to spare the property . They took with them some poultry and said they intended that day to attack and defeat Col . Reed and his militia near Bell Air , and then to go and get supper at Chester town . – “ True in part to their promise , about half past 11 o ’ clock that night they landed , between 200 and 300 men , headed by Sir Peter Parker ; having a few days before taken 4 of Richard Frisby ’ s negroes , they made one of said negroes pilot them to the American encampment about two and a half miles from the bay shore . Though very recently made , our videtts observed their movements , and gave information thereof to the Colonel , who prepared the action and did fight them with from 150 to 160 militia men , not one of whom except himself had ever been in an engagement ; the action lasted a half an hour or upwards . On the American side there were three privates wounded , not supposed dangerously , and one taken prisoner . On the British one Master ’ s Mate , one Midshipman , 3 privates killed , and 5 wounded left on the field of battle , two of them died of their wounds yesterday , one deserted – Sir Peter received two wounds , the last of which was in the head , and killed him instantaneously ; he fought in front of the marines ( such bravery merited a better cause . ) One of the prisoners , the captain of the foretop , who received only a flesh wound in the thigh , says he fought by the side of Sir Peter when he was killed . On their retreat they called at a house some distance from the field of battle , and got a blanket and sheet , it is supposed to wrap Sir Peter in . Reed attributed Parkers fatal wound to " a buck - shot . " In 1902 , Justice Robert Calder , whose father reportedly fought in the battle , maintained that the fatal shot was fired by Pvt . Henry Urie , a militiaman from Rock Hall , who was " strategically located . . . on the over - hanging limb on a huge willow tree . . . his blunder - buss loaded to the muzzle with all the hardware , bolts , nuts , nails , etc . , in his barnyard . " A shoe was found the morning after the battle with the following written on the lining , viz , No . 20169 Parker , Capt . Sir Peter , Bt . Yesterday 1st Lieut . Creose [ sic ; actually Crease ] of the " Menelaus " sent a flag on shore by Capt . Evans , last master of an American trading schr . from N . York , who was paroled on honor for eight hours with a written communication to the Colonel proposing an exchange of prisoners , that is the private they took prisoner , Capt . Evans and others for an equal number of the " Menelaus ’ s " men … . Col . Reed sent three officers to the bay shore to confer with British officers concerning said exchange ; from the above we doubt not Sir Peter is killed . We are informed by the prisoners that a great many of the wounded were carried off the field of battle by the enemy , and we presume some of the dead with Sir Peter . After the retreat of the enemy , the militia found muskets , cutlasses , boarding pikes , one grenade and one rocket and some poles , & c . supposed to have been brought to be used in discharging the grenade rocket . ” It was embarrassing for an upper - class officer like Parker to be killed in such a small fight . It is understandable that the British report of the battle differs . Lt . Henry Crease , RN , reported to Adm . Cochrane : “ An intelligent black man gave us information of two hundred militia being encamped behind a woods , distant a half mile from the beach … One hundred and four ( infantry ) with twenty pikes were landed at eleven o ’ clock at night . ” Lt . Crease and Lt . Pearce led the two divisions . “ After a march of between four or five miles in the country , we found the enemy posted on a plain surrounded by woods . ” Crease said the attack put the militia into full retreat ; that Lt . Pearce “ routed the enemy ” and that his men “ gained and passed the camp … Finding it impossible to close on the enemy from the rapidity of their retreat , having pressed them upwards of a mile , I deemed it prudent to retire , taking with us from the field twenty - five of our wounded … From three prisoners ( cavalry ) taken by us we learnt their force amounted to five hundred militia , a troop of horse and five pieces of artillery , and … I am led to believe their numbers much greater . Repelling a force of such magnitude with so small a body as we opposed to them will , I trust , speak for itself , and although our loss has been severe I hope the lustre acquired to our arms will compensate for it . ” Results . American militia units had won a victory with only 3 wounded . The British lost at least 25 killed , wounded and missing .