Last Survivor of the Battle of Baltimore Was From Cecil County

A war of 1812 reenactor during the Havre de Grace celebration.

As decades slip all too quickly by once young soldiers grow old.  While aging the defenders often recall their battles, remembering stirring times until that final voice is silenced.  That time was rapidly approach in 1896 for soldiers of the War of 1812, when the Utica Morning Herald reported that only fourteen pensioners remained.

In that group was a Cecil County centenarian, Elijah B. Glenn.  He had been born at Carpenter’s Point in August 1796.   Glenn was the “last survivor of the ‘Old Defenders who saved Baltimore from the British attack” in September 1814, according to the Cecil Democrat.  He died on July 25, 1898, at 102 years of age at the home of his granddaughter, Mrs. John E. Barcklow in Newark, NJ according to the New York Times.  The private joined the Maryland Militia when he was 18, serving in Captain Peter Pinney’s company, the 27th Maryland Regiment, which fought at the Battle of North Point.

A reenactor from the Ship’s company talks to visitors to his tent during the War of 1812 celebration in Havre de Grace.

Leave a Reply