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The Town that Fooled the British In 1814 the British, reinforced after the fall of Napoleon, planned to attack large harbor towns, like Baltimore. For practice they decided on several smaller targets. St. Michaels built a number of successful privateers during the war:
As a result the British attacked St. Michaels twice in August 1813, both times unsuccessfully (once on the 11th and again on the 26th.) This gave the name "the town that fooled the British" to St. Michaels. Years later the story circulated that this was the result of the townsfolk hanging lanterns in trees to get the British to shoot over the town. As the town was attacked in the post-dawn morning hours, this story is most likely made up years after the fact. In any case, nothing can detract from the fact that St. Michaels was one of the few towns on the Chesapeake that successfully defended itself against British attacks . . . twice.
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