Though it was
the political epicenter of Delaware for much of the
eighteenth century, and among its voices of dissent were signers of the
Declaration of Independence – the city of New Castle was spared the
effects of armed conflict and the hardships of occupation. Had Major
General William Howe decided to sail into Delaware Bay instead of the
Chesapeake during the summer campaign of 1777 to capture Philadelphia,
the fate of New
Castle may have been very different. But the British
commander decided that the defenses on the upper Delaware River posed a
serious threat to his fleet.
In late August of 1777, an armada of 265 ships carrying over 15,000
English and Hessian troops reached the head of the Elk River in
Maryland. From there they pushed north towards Philadelphia. On
September 3rd, after a series of ambushes and delaying actions staged
by Colonial forces, Howe’s lead units engaged the light infantry and
cavalry of General William Maxwell at Cooch’s Bridge. This was to be
the only battle between American and English forces on Delaware soil
during the Revolution. The Continentals made a valiant stand; but the
overwhelming odds in personnel and firepower eventually meant yielding
the position to the British. |
As it
was, the engagement at Cooch’s Bridge was less than fifteen miles
from New Castle.
This
important port city and the surrounding area were
probably spared the ravages of war for a couple of reasons. First of
all, General Howe’s decision to approach Philadelphia from a landing on
the northern Chesapeake lengthened his campaign to capture the rebel
capital by nearly a month. There would be little time to consider
additional targets, as General Washington was quickly moving his forces
in order to counter a British strike from the south.
Secondly, General William Howe was known to be somewhat sympathetic to
the American cause. As an elected Member of Parliament in 1774, he
voiced his opposition to the Coercive Acts, which were designed to
subdue colonial defiance of English rule by making an example of the
Massachusetts colony. And while he was always a loyal and proficient
officer, it is highly unlikely that Howe would have engaged in a
scorched earth policy. |

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THE EAGLE AND CANNON TAVERN AND ENVIRONS
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THE LIBRARY IN OLD NEW CASTLE
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British
officers
were far less benevolent in their conduct during the
war of 1812. After blockading the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay, British
naval forces and marines under the command of Admiral Sir George
Cockburn wreaked havoc along the Delmarva Peninsula. During the spring
of 1813 they sacked and torched several towns and villages including
Frenchtown, Fredericktown, Georgetown and Havre de Grace. And on August
24th, 1814, Washington, D.C., would be set ablaze. Only the torrential
rains from a hurricane that blew in on the following day would save the
city from total destruction.
Trouble with England had been brewing for several years, and aware that
the port cities in the mid Atlantic states would be the prized
objectives of British aggression, the citizens of New Castle had
completed construction of an arsenal by 1811. But other than
a naval
bombardment at Lewes, the state of Delaware and the city of New Castle
were once again unscathed by this second round of Anglo-American
hostilities. |
OLD TOWN HALL
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JAIL BEHIND
THE COURTHOUSE
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Whether
it
was a matter of providence or a bit of the Quaker philosophy
imparted to the area after William Penn landed here in 1862, there is
certainly an uncanny peaceful spirit to this pristine colonial village
on the Delaware. THE ARSENAL itself has also
served as a hospital, and
for most of its existence as a school. The state purchased the building
in the 1950s, and today it is leased as a tavern and restaurant.
Ed, the creative director of American Public House Review and I cap off
our day in New
Castle with pints of Greenville Pale Ale
in the EAGLE AND CANNON TAVERN - the
very attractive and agreeable pub room at THE
ARSENAL. We are joined by the barkeep from Jessop’s, and
together along
with the bartender here we enter into a lengthy discourse on politics,
world religions and spirituality. At some point during these polite and
amiable proceedings I lean back, take a sip of beer, and muse to myself
about William Penn.
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This
is probably what that honorable Quaker had envisioned – a place
where swords would be turned into plowshares and arsenals into ale
houses. |
THE
ARSENAL
AT OLD NEW CASTLE
30 MARKET STREET
NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 19720
(302) 323 1812
www.arsenal1812.com
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