That was the high-water mark of British attempts in the Chesapeake Bay area to subdue its former colony. The Treaty of Ghent in December 1814 ended the conflict, which had also raged in New Orleans and throughout the Great Lakes region.

Compared to the Revolutionary War, in which heroes risked their lives, fortunes, and honor, and the Civil War with its blood-soaked battlefields, the War of 1812 gets little attention. But anyone who takes a trip down the Northern Neck, or eats crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, or crosses the Potomac River on the Nice Bridge should remember: Two hundred years ago, enemy Redcoats sailed these waters. Now their descendants are among our very best friends.

POSTSCRIPT

Through Tuesday, Baltimore is hosting 18 tall ships and dozens of naval vessels as part of its kickoff of the War of 1812 Bicentennial. The tall ships, including the 290-foot-long USCGC Eagle and the skipjack Martha Lewis, are available for touring, and the Navy's Blue Angels will put on an air show.

It's a big bombs-bursting-in-air spectacular. For more information, see starspangled200.com.