A Sassy Lady

Georgetown, Maryland is located on the Sassafras River, perhaps six miles from the Chesapeake. Two villages are located across from each other, Frederictown and Georgetown, just shy of a low bridge across the River. In the War of 1812, the British came up the River. Their ships received musket fire from the shores. Once at the towns, they shelled and burned the towns to the ground. In fairness to the British, Georgetown served as an important supply base during the Revolution and local sympathies were clearly aganst the British in 1813.

A local spitfire, the red-headed Catherine (Kitty) Knight lived in the brick mansion at the top of the hill, overlooking the Sassafras River. Before the British shelled the towns, Admiral George Cockburn climbed the hill to warn Kitty that he was about to bombard her home and the one adjacent to it. The adjacent home housed a bedridden neighbor.

Kitty, a niece of a Maryland Assembly member, told the Admiral that she refused to leave her home. "If you burn this house, you burn me with it." The Admiral was so impressed that he spared the houses from his destructive bombardment.

The view of the upper Sassafras from below the spared houses.

Brio stayed at The Granary, a marina just downstream of the bridge and Kitty's home. We were told that it had a terrific restaurant which was rated highly by its owner. Never to be dissauded by any conflicts of interest, we decided to celebrate the Sassafras.

Off next to Havre de Grace. Our weather eye is focused on when a window will open for our trip from Cape May to New York Harbor. It looks like by waiting a few more days, we will be rewarded with winds from the south. Those have been scarce for two weeks!

Cheers,

Brio