War of 1812 Cannons - Lewes Delaware
by Kim Bemis
Title
War of 1812 Cannons - Lewes Delaware
Artist
Kim Bemis
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The grand old cannons featured in this fine art photograph were part of the battlements protecting the town of Lewes, Delaware, during the war of 1812.
Although today, one might wonder how the small and trendy beach town of Lewes could be the location of an important battle, its location at the mouth of the Delaware river and the Atlantic Ocean gave the town its strategic significance. The Delaware was an integral part of the shipping route for Philadelphia. An intrusion at that location by the British would have given them a foothold into the mid-Atlantic region, including a proximity to the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
In March of 1813, a small group of British ships sailed into the Delaware Bay to create a blockade against shipping goods into Philadelphia. The British demanded provisions for their fleet from the town of Lewes. Upon their rebuff, the British began a cannon bombardment on Lewes that lasted 22 hours. Short of ammunition, locals, along with troops assembled at the town, gathered 800 cannonballs that the British had volleyed. Finding that the cannonballs were a perfect fit for the American cannons, the townspeople returned the volley, damaging some of the British ships. Without provisions and with some damage, the British flotilla withdrew from the Delaware.
Uploaded
October 30th, 2014
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