Humanitarian· War of 1812
Portsmouth NH conflagration
Not every Marine action in the war involved an enemy.
On 22 December a major fire broke out in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, near the navy yard, and Marines turned out to fight it. The detachment from the Marine Barracks was joined by forty-two Marines from the frigate Congress, then in port, who landed under First Lieutenant William Strong and worked alongside the ship's crew and the townspeople against the flames. Despite their efforts the fire spread through part of the town and destroyed a number of buildings, including the residence of Daniel Webster. The episode is a reminder that Marines posted at navy yards served as a ready disciplined body for civil emergencies as well as combat, and that the duties of a yard guard ran well beyond standing sentry over ships and stores.
Podcast episodes on War of 1812
Record no. 228