The English Civil War was a very big deal in the 17th Century. Things didn't go well for Charles I, who lost his head in 1649. Oliver Cromwell ruled as dictator... er, 'Lord Protector' of the Commonwealth of England until his death in 1658. After that, the whole Commonwealth idea sort of collapsed in a heap. In 1660, England got a new king, Charles II, who returned in triumph from French exile and made a lot of changes – but was wise enough to keep his head¹.

As historically aware persons know, the first battle of the war was fought at Edgehill in Warwickshire in 1642. That's as it should be. When an English monarch and his people fall out, they should settle the matter on home turf. But oddly, what some historians call the last battle of the war was fought near the Chesapeake Bay – in North America! Yes, the English Civil War went transatlantic. The thrilling encounter, known as the Battle of the Severn, involved troops carrying, respectively, the flags of the Commonwealth and Maryland. For 30 whole minutes, North America was part of the epic clash between Cavaliers and Roundheads.

It has a lot to do with Lord Baltimore, so let's start with him.

Lord Baltimore and Maryland

George Calvert, originally an MP from Yorkshire, had to resign when he came out as a Catholic. Instead of public office, Charles I gave him an Irish peerage, and he became 1st Baron Baltimore. In 1632, Lord Baltimore petitioned for a charter for a colony to the north of Virginia, largely because the Virginians wouldn't let him or any other Catholics live there². George died before the charter was sealed, so his sons Cecil and Leonard took over the business, with Cecil becoming the new Lord Baltimore and Leonard the first colonial governor of Maryland. After Leonard's death in 1647, Cecil appointed William Stone, a Puritan, as governor, just to satisfy everyone's desire for diversity.

Maryland was named for Charles I's wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, who was a French Catholic. Under the 1649 Maryland Act of Toleration, all Christians were welcome. Maryland was an open-minded place, admitting the Catholic, the Protestant, and the odd (such as Quakers). Unfortunately for the proprietors, this free mixture led to trouble in the form of Puritans, who were anything but tolerant.

Trouble in the Palatinate

Maryland was a palatinate – Lord Baltimore was its Lord Protector, holding his charter directly from the king. Baltimore owned all the land, and could decide who settled there. In 1649, he let several hundred Puritans from Virginia in. They moved into the area around the Severn River in a settlement they called Providence. The Puritans served two purposes: letting them in placated Parliament, which had declared itself in charge, and the belligerent Puritans were supposed to keep hostile American Indians at bay. Just to make sure it was clear that Maryland was on the side of the royalists, Governor Stone declared that everyone had to sign a loyalty oath to Lord Baltimore, who was a supporter of the exiled King Charles II.

In 1652, Parliament sent commissioners and troops to enforce the idea that Maryland belonged to them. At first, Stone, intimidated by the Parliamentary forces, stepped back. In 1654, he resigned. But in 1655, Stone got word that Lord Baltimore's charter was still in effect, and he was still governor. So he organised a military force to put down the Puritans and take back control of the colony from the Roundheads. His force of around 250 men collected 10-12 boats, and set off up the Chesapeake Bay with its multiple inlets and rivers to do battle and enforce authority in Maryland. The royalists travelled by boat up Spa Creek, and made camp there on 24 March, 1655.

The Battle of the Severn

Unbeknownst to the royalists, a Puritan force of 170 armed men had come up behind them and cut off their retreat down Spa Creek. Stone's royalists gathered on Horn Point, at the mouth of the Severn River. After a brief and fruitless parley, the two sides prepared for battle on Sunday, 25 March.

There was a slight delay while the Puritan commander, Fuller, sent a messenger back to his ship to retrieve the Commonwealth banner. It was the only one in the colonies, and it was fitting that it should be flown at this, the only battle on North American soil. Once the accoutrements were in place, fighting could commence.

The conflict involved pikemen and musketeers. Although the royalists had some advantage in numbers, a lot of the Puritans were veterans of the real Civil War in England. They knew how this played out. They yelled, 'God Is Our Strength!' Apparently, one needed a slogan, so the royalists yelled back, 'Hey for St Maries³!'. Everyone seems to have been concerned with making this a proper battle.

The Parliamentary forces fired a volley, then advanced with pikes. The Maryland royalists were routed. Their rearguard, hiding behind a large tree trunk, failed to slow down the Roundheads with their fire. They were overrun, and either fled or were captured. In half an hour, it was all over. Casualty count: royalists, 40 dead, 32 wounded. Puritans, 4 dead, a few wounded. The Puritans won. Now comes the controversial part.

Governor Stone had asked for quarter. That means that, according to the rules, none of the prisoners should have been harmed. However, the next day, four of the prisoners were executed. Then the wives of Providence – the Puritans' wives – stepped in. They told their husbands to show mercy... and they did. Further executions were prevented, including that of Governor Stone and his second-in-command, future governor Josias Fendall⁴. However, the defeat at the Severn had serious consequences for Catholic colonists: they lost their civil rights again.

Aftermath

Witnesses to the Battle of the Severn tattled to Oliver Cromwell, who wanted the whole thing settled. In 1656, the Calverts regained control of their colony, and restored religious freedom to all. The Calverts continued to rule until after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Eventually, the settlement of Providence was renamed Annapolis for Queen Anne of blessèd memory. Annapolis, incidentally, became the site of the United States Naval Academy.

Young people who attend school in the United States are almost invariably subjected to courses in Civics and US History. Somewhere during those courses, they are usually informed without much explanation that many early English settlers came to North America seeking 'religious freedom'. A brief look at the way in which religious conflicts such as the English Civil War spilled over into the colonies helps to provide needed context: some of the fussing that went on in the colonies was over who was going to be tolerated where.

Oh, and Maryland can add another flag to its collection.

Fictional Fun and Sober Reading

Have you run out of Young Adult Fiction novels, and are itching to read a historical yarn about all these Maryland doings? Try Strong Arm of Avalon by Mary Theresa Waggaman (1904). The action involves our young heroes in the Battle of the Severn. Note: the Puritans are the Bad Guys, and the inevitable Indian Princess is thrown into the mix.

Do you hunger for soberer fare? Then why not read a Puritan eyewitness account of the affray? 'Babylon's Fall' is the title of this 1655 writing by Leonard Strong, who insists that the Puritans won 'through the glorious presence of the Lord of Hosts' rather than superior ability at musket loading. That's his story, and he's sticking to it.

You want to hear the royalists' side? Good for you, impartiality never hurt anybody. Try John Langford's 'Refutation of Babylon's Fall'.