Henry Lee

The first casualties of the War of 1812 resulted from Americans fighting Americans. On the night of July 27, 1812, Baltimore erupted into violent riots against those who opposed the weeks-old war, including Revolutionary War hero "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. Lee found himself barricaded in a house with supporters of a Federalist newspaper editor who had spoken out against war. When the mob attacked, the besieged men defended themselves, causing the death of a ringleader and further inciting the pro-war mob. Near morning, city leaders finally intervened, escorting the Federalists to jail for their own protection. That night, angry citizens broke in and brutally attacked the men, killing sixty-year-old veteran James McCubbin Lingan. Lee was smuggled out of the city and survived, although he never recovered from his wounds. He died six years later, when his son Robert E. Lee was only eleven.