“Come, ye rogues; come, ye rogues; roundheaded dogs.” – Maryland Commemorative Silver Half Dollar Coin

Today, the Maryland Commemorative Silver Half Dollar Coin remembers the Sabbath Day battle between the Puritans and Lord Baltimore’s men 361 years ago.

From A History of Anne Arundel County by Elihu Samuel Riley, published in 1905:

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About the 20th of March, 1655, Governor Stone started from St. Mary’s to bring the unruly Puritans of Providence into subjection to Lord Baltimore’s government.

The forces of the Governor consisted of one hundred and thirty men. Part of these marched by land up the southern peninsula, and were ferried across the mouths of rivers and creeks in eleven or twelve small boats which the Governor had pressed into his service.

Advised of the advance of the St. Mary’s forces, the Puritans sent messengers to meet the Governor, whom they found at Herring Bay, in Anne Arundel county.

No satisfactory answer being received, the Puritans sent another message, of which they declared “that those that sent it, were grieved at their hearts that ever it went out of their hands.”

This message recited that having considered “the present transaction on your part, and have not a little marveled that no other answer of the last message hath been made, than what tendered rather to make men desperate than conformable; yet, being desirous of peace, do once again present, to your serious consideration, these ensuing proposals.”

These proposals were: “If you will govern us so as we may enjoy the liberty of English subjects; and that we be, and remain indemnified in respect of our engagement, and all former acts relating to the replacement and government; that those who are minded to depart, the Province, may freely do it without any prejudice to themselves or estate; we are content to own yourself as Governor and submit to your government. If not, we are resolved to commit ourselves into the hands of God, and rather die like men, than be made salves.”

No answer was returned to the proposals; but, the Puritans declare, that the “paper in scorn” was sent back to them.

The proposals of peace were not only rejected, but the messengers were seized. Three escaped and carried the news of the treatment of embassy back to Providence.

On the appearance of Governor Stone and his fleet at the mouth of the Severn, Captain Fuller, commander of the Puritans, called his counselors together, and sent his secretary, Mr. William Durand, and another of his counselors, on board the merchant ship Golden Lyon, Rogers Heamans, captain, then lying in the harbor.

There they made a requisition upon the captain for the services of himself, his ship and his crew in defense of the town.

Durand, at the same time, posted on the mainmast a proclamation by which Heamans “was required in the name of the Protector and Commonwealth of England, and for the maintenance of the just liberties, lives and estates of the free subject thereof, against an unjust power, to be aiding and assisting in this service.”

Heamans manifested a real or fictitious unwillingness to take part in the engagement, but says, after seeing the equity of the cause, and the groundless proceedings of the enemy, he offered himself, ship and men, for the service, to be directed by the same counselors.

Dr. Barber, a partisan of Governor Stone, says, Heamans was hired by the Puritans to take the part he afterward played.

Heamans relates that, on seeing the “company of sloops and boats making towards the ship, the council on board, and the ship’s company would have made shot at them, but this relator commanded them to forbear, and went himself upon the poop in the stern of the ship, and hailed them several times, and no answer was made.

“He then charged them not to come nearer the ship, but the enemy kept rowing on their way and were come within shot of the ship.

“His mates and company having had information of their threatenings, as well against the ship as the poor distressed people, resolved to fire upon them without their commander’s consent, rather than hazard all by the enemy’s nearer approach.

“Whereupon he ordered them to fire a gun at random to divert their course from the ship, but the enemy kept still course right with the ship, and took no notice of any warning given.

“He then commanded his gunner to fire upon them, but one of his mates, Mr. Robert Morris, who knew the country very well, the malice of the adversary against these people who were then near worn out with fears and watchings, made shot at them, which came fairly with them.

“Whereupon they suddenly altered their course from the ship, and rowed into the creek, calling the ship’s company dogs, rogues and round-headed rogues, and with many execrations and railings, threatened to fire upon them in the morning.”

Governor Stone entered the mouth of Spa Creek, which forms the southern boundary of the present city of Annapolis, and landed his forces on Horn Point, a peninsula opposite Annapolis, and south of Spa Creek.

While the Governor was landing his men, Captain Heamans fired another shot upon them.

“The shot thereof lighting somewhat near to them, the Governor deemed it most prudent to send a messenger on board the Golden Lyon to know the reason of their conduct, with directions to the messengers to inform the captain of the ship, that he (Gov. Stone) thought the captain of the ship was satisfied.”

To which, Captain Heamans, who and a younger brother,” Mrs. Stone says, “were great sticklers in the business,” answered in a very blustering manner —

” Satisfied with what? I never saw any power Captain Stone had, to do as he hath done, but the superscription of a letter. I must, and will, appear for these in a good cause.”

“The same night,” says Heamans, “came further intelligence from the enemy in the harbor, that they were making fireworks against the ship.”

On this the Puritans “commanded a small ship of Captain Cut’s, of New England, then in the river, to lie in the mouth of the creek to prevent the enemy’s coming forth in the night, to work any mischief against the ship.”

The St. Mary’s men evidently looked upon the campaign as one of certain triumph, and like Goliah of Gath, before the armies of Israel, they defied the hosts of the Puritans.

Approaching on the morrow by a narrow neck of land, near which their vessels were moored, the Cavaliers, with sound of drum and railings loud, called to their enemies:

“Come, ye rogues; come, ye rogues; roundheaded dogs.”

On this the Captain of the Golden Lyon fired his fourth and this time, fatal shot, killing one of the St. Mary’s men.

The day, the 25th of March, was the Sabbath, but religion and fighting are professions the Puritans always mix.

So, while the Governor was putting his troops in martial array, the Puritans were already in his rear.

Their little band of one hundred and twenty, under Capt. Wm. Fuller, had marched out of town, around the head of Spa Creek, a detour of six miles, and now appeared behind the Governor’s army.

The sentry of the St. Mary’s men fired the signal shot, when “Captain Fuller still expecting, that then at least, possibly they might give a reason of their coming, commanded his men, upon pain of death, not to shoot a gun, or give the first onset, setting up the standard of the commonwealth of England, against which the enemy shot five or six guns, and killed one man in the front before the shot was made by the other.”

“Then,” continues Mr. Leonard Strong, “the word was given, ‘In the name of God fall on; God is our strength.’ ”

The cry of the St. Mary’s men was: “Hey, for St. Mary’s.”

Thus the battle of the Severn began. The charge was fierce but brief.

“Through the glorious presence of the Lord of Hosts,” says the contemporary author, “manifested in and towards his poor, oppressed people, the enemy could not endure, but gave back; and were so effectually charged home, that they were all routed, turned their backs, threw down their arms, and begged for mercy.

“After the first volley of shot, a small company of the enemy, from behind a great tree fallen, galled us, and wounded divers of our men, but were soon driven off.

“Of the whole company of Marylanders, there only escaped four or five, who ran away out of the army to carry news to their confederates. Capt. Stone, Colonel Price, Capt. Gerrard, Capt. Lewis, Capt. Kendall (probably Pendall), Capt. Guither, Major Chandler, and all the rest of the counselors, officers, and soldiers of the Lord Baltimore, among whom both commanders and soldiers, a great number being Papists, were taken, and so were their vessels, arms, ammunition, provisions, about fifty men slain and wounded.

“We lost only two men in the field, but two died since of their wounds.

“God did appear wonderful in the field, and in the hearts of the people, all confessing Him to be the only worker of this victory and deliverance.”

However much the Puritans attributed the fate of battle to the Almighty, after the contest was once over, they laid aside His precepts and proceeded to close matters after their own will.

Dr. Barber, an author of that period, writing in the interests of the St. Mary’s men, says:

“After the skirmish, the Governor, upon quarter given him and all his company in the field, yielded to be taken prisoners, but two or three days after, the victors condemned ten to death, and executed four, and had executed all, had not the incessant petitioning and begging of some good women saved some, and the soldiers others; the Governor himself being condemned by them and since begged by the soldiers, some being saved just as they were leading to execution.”

Those who were executed were Mr. William Eltonhead, Lieut. William Lewis, Mr. Leggett, and John Pedro, a German.

Governor Stone, though his life was spared, was treated with great cruelty, and, while in prison, suffering from a severe wound received in the battle, neither his friends nor his wife were allowed to visit him.

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The Maryland Commemorative Silver Half Dollar Coin shows with an image of a Puritan couple.

Maryland Commemorative Silver Half Dollar Coin