London Town in the American Revolution

Though lacking in battlefields and Revolutionary heroes, the few hundred people who called London Town home were just as rocked by the Revolution as everywhere else. Originally established as a port on the South River, London Town played a crucial role during the war as a riverside transportation hub. Located along the King’s Highway—a major colonial road—and connected by the South River Ferry, it served as a convenient mustering point for troops and supplies. Its strategic location, while important, wasn’t prominent enough to attract enemy attacks—a fortunate advantage that proved useful more than once in 1776. 

Before independence was even declared, London Town was part of an evacuation effort for Maryland official state papers (land records, court documents, etc). In February 1776, under armed guard, the papers made their way from Annapolis to Upper Marlboro, where they would be less vulnerable if the capital was ever occupied. During this evacuation, the papers were ferried over the South River, and with the permission of William Brown, briefly housed in the big brick tavern that still stands on the site today. 

London Town's location also made it an ideal rallying point for the local militia. On March 7, 1776, the presence of the British ship the HMS Otter in the Chesapeake Bay caused the South River Battalion, led by Colonel John Weems, to be dispatched out to London Town. Their orders were to “quarter them [the men] there, part on this, and Part on the other side of the Ferry, and should the Man of War and her Tenders attempt any Landing there, that he be ready to repel them.” Though nothing came of this, another panic caused by the loyalist Governor Eden’s flight from Annapolis on the HMS Fowey caused the militia to be dispatched again to the town on June 25, 1776.  

The HMS Otter had been seizing merchant ships until it was chased away. In the minds of many, the HMS Fowey was guilty of a far worse crime: freeing enslaved people. Though the HMS Fowey did nothing more than a hasty retreat down the Chesapeake Bay and back to England, its refusal to give up two men (either enslaved people or indentured servants) who ran aboard reminded Marylanders of the HMS Fowey’s early trip to Virginia to pick up their loyalist governor, Lord Dunmore. His proclamation freeing all those enslaved by or indentured to patriots as long as they fought for the British caused outrage and panic amongst white people across the colonies. In London Town, the South River Battalion was under express orders “to prevent servants, or slaves, making their escape from their masters.” While many enslaved people did take the opportunity to try for their freedom by running to the British, none ever got the chance at London Town. Amidst all the upheaval, enslaved residents here found very little different about their daily lives. 

Although the town itself was never the site of another major Revolutionary drama after the HMS Fowey’s departure, many of its citizens went on to play their part in the fight for American Independence.

Experience their stories during Revolutionary London Town on Saturday, July 12th and Sunday, July 13th, 10:00am – 4:00pm. Chat with living history interpreters, hear the Declaration of Independence read out loud, drill with soldiers, make crafts, and play the brand-new Revolutionary London Town spy game! This event is included with admission (members are free!).