20th Special Forces Group Gains Insight on Battle of Baltimore

By. Dr. Julie Shively

BALTIMORE—The Maryland Army National Guard’s 20th Special Forces Group Augmentation Detachment gained some insight into the history of the Maryland National Guard when they participated in the Battle of Baltimore staff ride on August 10, 2024.

The staff ride, which given by Dr. Julie Shively, the Maryland National Guard, command historian and Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Heft, historian noncommissioned officer, started at the end of Sparrows Point. The British offloaded approximately 4,500 infantry and Marines to destroy Baltimore with the support of British naval gunfire there.

Next the group traced their march to North Point, where the British regulars fought the Maryland Militia of 3,000 men, among them the 5th Maryland, whose lineage is carried by today’s 1-175th Infantry Regiment.

The Soldiers learned that “the battle is won before a shot is fired.” After the Maryland Militia’s delaying action and subsequent retreat to Baltimore, the British marched to Hampstead Hill. There, the British troops encountered over 15,000 men from Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, including both free and enslaved individuals. These forces, led by Marylander Maj. Gen. Samuel Smith had spent the past year preparing to defend Baltimore.

The British Navy could not destroy Fort McHenry and support the ground troops, thanks to the
interlocking fields of fire from other batteries. After one flanking maneuver, the Maryland Militia skillfully repulsed, the British retired from Maryland and, soon, from the now-sovereign United States.

“The Battle of North Point and the defense of Baltimore in 1814 offers a truly unique perspective for MDARNG soldiers,” said Heft. “It was our predecessors in the Maryland Militia who turned the tide not just in the battle but in the outcome of the war.“

The MDNG History Office offers staff rides to any unit that wants to use history to teach and reinforce military strategy, tactics, and the Principles of War. If your unit is interested in participating, please contact Dr. Julie Shively at julie.d.shively.civ@army.mil.