Major Gen. Sam Smith, Baltimore mayor and defender during 1812.
When compared to the bumbling actions of so many other citizen-soldiers during the War of 1812, the city of Baltimore was lucky to have Maj. Gen. Sam Smith. He was 63 in 1814 when the battle of Baltimore took place but he still had another good twenty-plus years ahead of him of public service at that point.
To appreciate Smith, you have to appreciate the situation during the War of 1812. Baltimore was the third largest city in the young United States but it was
Born in Carlisle, Pa., he was the son of a wealthy merchant who moved to Baltimore when Smith was a young boy. Smith had already fought the British all through the Revolutionary War. He served at Long Island, Brooklyn Heights, Harlem Plains, White Plains, Brandywine, Monmouth and survived the winter at Valley Forge. He also served at commander of Fort Miflin on the Delaware River, which managed to delay Admiral Howe’s fleet for 40 days, a situation that contributed to Burgoyne’s surrender.
He must have been a remarkable man. Smith foresaw that the British would attack Baltimore in force and he was determined that the city would be able to defend itself. He appointed himself the city’s chief defender and set about rebuilding Fort McHenry at the harbor’s entrance and preparing an army of militia to beat off a British attack. Unfortunately, if the record of the War of 1812 teaches anything it’s that American civilians had a famously bad time getting along and agreeing about what to do. There were too many egos at stake. Smith, however, was not just a soldier but a politician. Whomever he couldn’t order around, he managed to cajole or threaten until they assisted in the defense of Baltimore.
It’s worth noting that Smith was called back to service in 1835 at age 83, when Baltimore was overwhelmed by riots brought on by the failure of the bank of Maryland. With the city major recently resigned and the city in flames, old Smith was sworn in as mayor and restored order. He ran the city for three years. He died in 1839 at age 87.
Oddly, the city he so strongly fought for hasn’t done much to honor him. There are no highways or bridges named after him — that honor goes to Francis Scott Key. However, there is a nine-foot tall statue of Smith in a small park at the intersection of Pratt and Light streets. The inscription reads:
MAJ. GEN. SAMUEL SMITH
1752-1839
Under his command the attack
of the British upon Baltimore
by land and seas, September 12-14,
1814, was repulsed.
Member of Congress 40 successive years.
President of the United States Senate.
Secretary of the Navy.
Mayor of Baltimore.
Hero of both wars for American Independence.
