Battle of Caulk's Field | |||||||
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Part of the War of 1812 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
British Empire | United States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sir Peter Parker † | Philip Reed | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Royal Navy Royal Marines | 21st Regiment of Maryland Militia | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
124–250 | c. 200 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
41 | 3 |
The Battle of Caulk's Field was fought during the War of 1812 in Kent County, Maryland, United States, between a small British Army force commanded by Captain Sir Peter Parker and American militia forces commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Philip Reed. Parker, who was operating in the Chesapeake Bay region as part of the British campaign against Baltimore, Maryland, landed on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay to move against Reed's militia encampment. The British attacking force encountered American skirmishers, who conducting a fighting retreat, drawing the British towards the main American line. Parker was mortally wounded during the fight, and the British force withdrew after Parker fell. Later British setbacks at the Battle of North Point and the Battle of Fort McHenry led the British to abandon their campaign against Baltimore. In 2012, the battlefield was the site of an archaeological survey.