Bread and Cheese Creek
Bread and Cheese Creek is a tributary of the Back River in Baltimore County, Maryland. The creek is 3.2 miles (5.1 km) long, with headwaters just east of the Baltimore city line. It flows east through Baltimore County before emptying into the Back River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed area of the creek is 1.85 square miles (4.8 km2).
The name Bread and Cheese Creek dates to colonial times and is of unknown origin. Local legend, however, maintains that it derived its name during the Battle of North Point during the War of 1812. The tradition is that the stream was a popular resting spot for soldiers to eat their rations, which often consisted of hardtack (bread) and cheese.
Brigadier General John Stricker and his troops of 3,200 men made camp along Bread and Cheese Creek on the evening of September 11, 1814, waiting the British advance. On the morning of September 12, 1814, “scouts returned with the news that the British were advancing slowly and that General Ross, Rear-Admiral George Cockburn, and their staffs were eating breakfast at the Gorsuch farm. When Stricker’s officers heard that the British were enjoying themselves at Gorsuch’s, several of them volunteered to dislodge them.” According to popular legend, “Daniel Wells (age 18) and Henry G McComas (age 19) spotted General Ross having previously seen him at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814.” They each took shelter behind some trees and “fired simultaneously." As Ross fell (struck through the arm and chest), the British troops fired at the smoke generated from their rifles, killing them both.
After the mortal shooting of Ross, the British under Colonel Arthur Brooke advanced through the Bouldin family farm to attack the American line anchored at the junction of North Point Road and Trappe Road. General Stricker's line consisted of the 27th, 5th, 39th and 51st regiments of Maryland Militia, supplemented with a company from Hagerstown and several companies of troops from Pennsylvania. The Battle of North Point lasted for several hours during the afternoon. Brooke sent his 4th Regiment of Foot in a flanking maneuver to unsettle the American left, which led to Stricker's 51st regiment and elements of the 39th regiment to retreat in some disorder. The remainder of the Americans traded volleys with the invaders until they eventually retreated in good order when their ammunition began to become low.
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