Welcome to the Maryland State Society
United States Daughters of 1812 website!
The War of 1812 (1812-1815) is often referred to as the forgotten war. In American History, little is known of this war.
Britain’s defeat at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 marked the end of the American Revolution but the beginning of new challenges for the United States. Thirty years after signing the Treaty of Paris, Britain’s recognition of the United States, the two countries found themselves in conflict again due to British interference with American trade. Though ill-prepared, the United States declared war on Britain on June 18, 1812. A series of defeats included the burning of Washington, D. C. on August 24, 1814. However, when the British set their sites on Baltimore, a vital seaport, the United States was able to stop the enemy’s advance. It was then that Francis Scott Key, a Washington attorney, was inspired to write the Star-Spangled Banner which would later become our National Anthem; a symbol of our endurance. It is for these reasons that the United States Daughters of 1812 so proudly hail as decedents from those who made sacrifices during this period in the history of our country.
In Maryland there are three Chapters:
- Mary Young Pickersgill (1776-1857), was a young widow who was commission in 1813 to sew two flags for Fort McHenry in Baltimore;
- Miss Kitty Knight (1775-1855) was an early American heroine credited for saving part of Georgetown during the War of 1812; and
- Governor William Smallwood (1732-1792) served in the 1st Maryland Regiment as Brigadier General, the Governor of Maryland, and the first President-General of the Maryland Society of the Cincinnati.
To learn more about becoming a member, visit our Membership Section on this website. Come join this wonderful group of women dedicated to preserving our history as we “Follow the Star-Spangled Banner Trail.
In 1812 friendship,
Carol T. Whitsell
President, Maryland State Society,
U.S. Daughters of 1812