John Adams Webster

John Adams Webster (Baltimore Sun, August 30, 1964)

John Adams Webster (1789-1877) was the type of capable, experienced, and loyal able-bodied seaman that every skipper needs to keep his ship in tip-top condition. Joshua Barney, a demanding captain with decades of experience, depended on Webster and was handsomely rewarded.

During the War of 1812, Webster served with Barney on the privateer Rossie, which early in the contest had brought back many prizes. His next assignment was the U.S. Chesapeake Flotilla. Webster commanded a row barge throughout the Patuxent River campaign then marched overland with the flotillamen to Bladensburg. Protecting Barney’s right flank during the last desperate stages of the battle, Webster lost his horse and had his hat shot off during the retreat.

Back in action without his wounded skipper a few weeks later at Fort Babcock in Baltimore, Maryland, John Adams Webster again distinguished himself by protecting Fort McHenry’s flank. As an unexpected complication, in the midst of a British attack, he had to defend himself against one of his own sailors, “an obstinate Englishman” determined to blow up the American powder magazine.

Webster’s shoulder was permanently injured in the fracas, but he continued to serve as a captain in the revenue service for decades more, on one occasion losing his left thumb fighting pirates near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

excerpt from "In Full Glory Reflected: Discovering the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake" by Ralph E. Eshelman and Burton K. Kummerow