Resources

Reports & Studies

Interactive Battlefield Maps 

Chesapeake Explorer App

The Chesapeake watershed is home to several thousand species of plants and animals, such as the blue crab and the bald eagle. The region is steeped in history, including the legacy of American Indians, the arrival of Europeans in the New World, the inspiration of the American Revolution, and the tragedy of the Civil War. Across the watershed are spectacular landscapes, such as the Shenandoah Mountains, the Susquehanna River Valley and Smith Island. The Bay’s waters represent a rich cultural heritage that includes world-renowned waterfowl hunting, trophy sport fishing, and the tradition of watermen who harvest fish, crabs and oysters. Chesapeake Explorer includes trails and activites along the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail that includes Prince George's County site associated with the War of 1812. 

War of 1812 Classroom Resource via ThinkPort

Thinkport is a gateway to Maryland Public Television’s educational offerings for PreK-12 teachers and students, child care providers and families.  With hundreds of standards-aligned resources, Thinkport is a perfect destination for educators to access high-quality, trusted content that will inspire students and transform learning.  And a catalog of credit-bearing online courses supports early childhood and K-12 educators with opportunities to meet their 21st century professional learning needs. 

In 2012, an interactive website was created with classroom resources about the War of 1812. The website is a production of Maryland Public Television/Thinkport in collaboration with the Friends of Fort McHenry and the National Park Service. The content of this website was supported in part by the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, the National Park Service and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, and developed with the support of the Living Classrooms Foundation and the Friends of Fort McHenry. 

"Hold the Fort!" Game

Created by the National Park Service, Hold the Fort! puts players in charge of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, responsible for the defense of the fort and the city. The game begins by introducing players to the situation in September 1814: after two years of war, the British have invaded Washington D.C. and burned the White House and are now sailing up the Chesapeake to attack Baltimore. Fort McHenry stands in their way -- but victory or defeat depends upon the player's nerve and wits. During the game, two mini-games let players take on two other roles at the fort: Music Corp: Play traditional songs on fife and drum a la Guitar Hero. Gun Captain: Aim and fire a cannon at the approaching British ships, trying to drive them back.

Smithsonian Star-Spangled Banner Educational Resources

Created by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, download lessons and activities for your classroom. All activities are linked to National History Standards. 

UMD "Beyond the Battle: Bladensburg Rediscovered"

Every year, University of Maryland Special Collections & University Archives staff work together to create relevant and interesting exhibits on topics that are of interest to the University, the community, and to scholars.

In 2014, “Beyond the Battle: Bladensburg Rediscovered” was the featured gallery exhibit and opened to the public in August 2014, just in time for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bladensburg. We joined the rest of the State of Maryland in celebration of the War of 1812 and the Star Spangled Banner. 

This website endures including a very detailed history, timeline, historic photos, and more. 

Public Television Documentaries

Source Materials

Primary Sources

“The Bladensburg Races.” Magazine of American History, Vol XIX. July 1914: 204-211

Ball, Charles. Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Charles Ball, a Black Man, Who Lived Forty Years in Maryland, South Carolina and Georgia, as a Slave Under Various Masters, and was One Year in the Navy with Commodore Barney, During the Late War.  New York:  Published by John S. Taylor, 1837.

Barney, Mary. Biographical Memoir of the Late Commodore Joshua Barney. Boston: Gray and Bowen, 1832 :263-268

Callcott, Margaret Law, ed. Mistress of Riversdale. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.

Gleig, George Robert. A Narrative of the Campaigns of the British Army at Washington and New Orleans. London: John Murray, 1821.

Hunt, Gaillard. The Writings of James Madison. Vol VIII. New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1908. 294-297

Madison, Dorthy Todd, ed. Memoirs and Letters of Mrs. Madison. Boston: Houghton Mifflin and Co., 1886.

McKenney, Thomas. “Battle of Bladensburg.” The Portico. Vol 5, 1818: 359-370.

Secondary Sources

Adkins, Milton. “Bladensburg Dueling Ground.” Magazine of American History, Vol 25. 1891: 18-34

Borneman, Walter. 1812: The War that Forged a Nation. New York: Harper Collins, 2005.

Brackenridge, Henry. History of the Late War, Between the United States and Great Britian. Philadelphia, PA: James Kay and Brother, 1836.

Burstein, Andrew. Madison and Jefferson. New York: Random House, 2010

“The Battle of Bladensburg.” Magazine of American History, Vol 14. 1885: 438-457

Lord, Walter. The Dawn’s Early Light. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994.

Lossing, Benson J. Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1868. (Chapter XXXIX)

Mahan, Alfred Thayer.  Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812. Vol 2. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1905

Marine, William M. The British Invasion of Maryland 1812-1815. Baltimore: Society of the War of 1812, 1913.

Pitch, Anthony. The Burning of Washington. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1998.

Standiford, Les. Washington Burning. New York: Crown Publishers, 2008

Williams, John S. History of the Invasion and Capture of Washington and of The Events Which Preceded and Followed. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1857.

Wharton, Anne Hollingsworth. Social Life in the Early Republic. Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1902.