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38-769: Wickes was born sometime in 1735 in Kent County , Province of Maryland . His home was on Eastern Neck Island , in the family home, Wickliffe. Prior to the American Revolution, Wickes was captain of the merchant ships the Neptune and the Ceres . On March 28, 1776 the Continental Congress allowed the purchase of the 18-gun brig which would be renamed the Reprisal . In May of the same year, Wickes

76-636: A Nor’Easter near the Grand Banks around October 1, and Reprisal foundered with the loss of all hands except the cook. Louis H. Bolander , the assistant librarian at the Naval Academy , wrote an article on Wickes in 1928, entitled "A Forgotten Hero of the American Revolution." Appearing in Americana, in April 1928, the article closed with a fitting epitaph for Capt. Lambert Wickes: "Thus closed

114-530: A career distinguished for patriotism, gallantry and humanity, for not a single charge of cruelty or harshness was ever breathed against him by any one of his many prisoners. Franklin, who knew him well, said of him, 'He was a gallant officer, and a very worthy man.' " Two ships in the United States Navy have been named in his honor. The two iron balls on each side of a magnetic compass, used to balance out and counteract magnetic variations based on

152-569: A number of prizes in the West Indies and had a sharp engagement with HMS  Shark , beating her off and escaping into port. On October 24, 1776, Wickes was ordered to France with Benjamin Franklin and his two grandsons as passengers. On November 27, while approaching the coast of France, Captain Wickes received Ambassador Franklin's permission to engage two brigs, and captured them both:

190-609: A ship's location, are traditionally called "Lamberts", in his honor. Kent County, Maryland Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland . As of the 2020 census , its population was 19,198, making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown . The county was named for the county of Kent in England. The county is part of the Mid-Eastern Shore region of

228-593: The Delaware Capes and reached Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , on 9 March with a cargo of sorely needed gunpowder for the patriot forces. Four days later, the Marine Committee purchased Wild Duck , renamed her Lexington after the Battle of Lexington (the first battle of the war), and turned her over to Wharton and Humphry for fitting out. Commanded by Capt. John Barry , Lexington dropped down

266-619: The Delaware River 26 March and slipped through the British blockade 6 April. The following day she fell in with British sloop Edward , a tender to the frigate Liverpool . After a fierce fight which lasted about an hour Edward struck her colors . Lexington took her prize into Philadelphia and as soon as the ship was back in fighting trim, Barry put to sea again. On 26 April Lexington encountered Sir Peter Parker 's fleet sailing to attack Charleston, South Carolina . Two of

304-684: The Kent County Sheriff's Office is Dennis Hickman. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 413 square miles (1,070 km ), of which 277 square miles (720 km ) is land and 136 square miles (350 km ) (33%) is water. According to the Maryland Geological Survey, the highest point in Kent County is 102 ft above sea level, approximately 2.25 mi west of Coleman's Corner (shown on maps as "Coleman"), just northeast of

342-887: The Thirteen Colonies was a brig purchased in 1776. The Lexington was an 86-foot (26 m) two-mast wartime sailing ship for the fledgling Continental Navy of the Colonists during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). Originally named the Wild Duck , Abraham van Bibber purchased her for the Maryland Committee of Safety , at St. Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies in February 1776. She soon got underway for

380-584: The mean center of U.S. population in the 1790 census . In 1793, the county had its first newspaper, called Apollo , or Chestertown Spy. It was succeeded by local papers such as the Chestertown Gazette . Washington College , the oldest college in Maryland, is located in Kent County. It was the first college charted in the nation after the Declaration of Independence and was founded by William Smith in 1782. George Washington authorized

418-491: The 22nd, they took and scuttled a brig before arriving off Dublin Bay . The next morning they took another brig and released a ship bringing sugar, rum, and cotton from Jamaica . After placing prize crews on both vessels, they resumed their voyage around Ireland. On the 24th they stopped and released a smuggler and the next day took their last prize, a snow . When they sighted ship-of-the-line HMS  Burford near Ushant on

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456-561: The 26th, the American ships scattered and made their way individually to safety in France. Lexington remained at Morlaix , a Brittany fishing village, throughout the summer, hemmed in by British warships. However, France, under strong British diplomatic pressure, ordered the American ships out of French waters 12 September. Lexington got underway the next morning but made little headway because of light wind. She lay becalmed near Ushant on

494-410: The 8,165 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.4% were non-families, and 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 45.6 years. The median income for a household in

532-536: The British ships gave chase on 5 May off the Delaware Capes. HMS  Roebuck and Liverpool chased Lexington for eight hours and came close enough to exchange fire with the American ship before Barry managed to elude his pursuers and reach Philadelphia safely. Lexington and Reprisal dropped down the Delaware to Cape May on the 20th, there joining Wasp and Hornet . Liverpool stood off

570-587: The Continental vessels Lexington and Dolphin joined Reprisal and constituted a squadron under Wickes' command. Setting sail from St. Auzeau on May 28, the ships cruised around Ireland in June, July, and August; during one phase of the voyage, the three ships captured 15 ships in five days. On September 14, Wickes left France in Reprisal , in company with Dolphin , bound for home. The ships encountered

608-471: The Delaware Capes preventing the American ships from escaping to sea. On 28 June Pennsylvania's brig Nancy arrived in the area with 386 barrels of powder in her hold and ran aground while attempting to elude British blockader Kingfisher . Barry ordered the precious powder rowed ashore during the night leaving only 100 barrels in Nancy at dawn. A delayed action fuse was left inside the brig, which exploded

646-413: The armed packet-boat Swallow , carrying mail between Britain and its ally Portugal , after a hard action of 40 minutes duration. During the battle, Reprisal suffered two officers seriously wounded and one man killed. During the remainder of this foray against British shipping, Wickes took five additional prizes and left them at Port Louis . Wickes moved Reprisal to Lorient , but was ordered to leave

684-602: The brigantine joined Reprisal and Dolphin for a cruise seeking the Irish linen fleet scheduled to leave Dublin early in June. The American ships, commanded by Capt. Lambert Wickes , got underway 28 May and were carried far to westward by heavy winds. Approaching Dublin from the north they entered the north channel 18 June and hove to off the Mull of Kintyre . During the next four days they captured nine prizes, sinking three, releasing one, and retaining five. Heading south again on

722-615: The brigantines George and La Vigne . On November 29, still some distance from Nantes , Wickes had to drop anchor because of unfavorable winds. Four days later Wickes hailed a fishing boat, which took Franklin and his grandsons ashore at the village of Auray . Setting sail in January 1777, Wickes took Reprisal to sea on a cruise which took her to the Bay of Biscay and the mouth of the English Channel . On February 5, his ship captured

760-442: The county was $ 50,141 and the median income for a family was $ 63,507. Males had a median income of $ 41,046 versus $ 35,161 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 29,536. About 5.1% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. Kent County Public Schools is the school district for all of Kent County. This county contains

798-673: The county, in 1693. John Cadwalader is buried in the Shrewsbury churchyard. The eulogy on his tomb was written by Thomas Paine . Kent County was granted home rule in 1970 under a state code. In the early post-Civil War era , Kent County was heavily Confederate -leaning and leaned towards the Democratic Party . William McKinley was the only Republican to carry the county between 1876 and 1924. After that, although carried by Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman during

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836-553: The county. The population density was 72.9 inhabitants per square mile (28.1/km ). There were 10,549 housing units at an average density of 38.1 per square mile (14.7/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 80.1% white, 15.1% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.7% were English , 18.7% were German , 15.5% were Irish , 7.9% were American , and 5.8% were Italian . Of

874-537: The first county seat was New Yarmouth. The seat was briefly moved upriver to Quaker Neck, and then to the site of modern Chestertown . Before the American Revolution , New Town on Chester, now Chestertown, was a port entry for the counties of Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne's. The county has a number of properties which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Kent County was

912-709: The five consecutive Democratic victories between 1932 and 1948, the county trended Republican relative to national voting. Currently, along with Talbot County further south, Kent County is the most politically competitive county on the Eastern Shore of Maryland . In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won it with 52.8% of the vote to Democrat John Kerry 's 46.1%. In the 2008 United States Presidential Election , Barack Obama won Kent County by 48 votes more than John McCain . In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won Kent County by 28 votes over Democrat Barack Obama. In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won Kent County with 48.7% of

950-474: The following incorporated municipalities: The United States Census Bureau recognizes the following Census-designated places in Kent County: Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include: 39°14′N 76°06′W  /  39.23°N 76.10°W  / 39.23; -76.10 USS Lexington (1776) The first USS Lexington of

988-495: The latter under the command of Capt. John Barry – kept boats from HMS Kingfisher at bay and succeeded in landing some 200 barrels of the precious powder. In this engagement, Wickes' brother, Richard Wickes , was killed while serving as third lieutenant in Reprisal . This engagement became known as the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet . Clearing the Delaware capes on July 3, Reprisal , under Wickes' sterling seamanship, captured

1026-588: The mouth of Still Pond Creek. Kent County has a 209-mile shoreline, including Eastern Neck Island. The Chesapeake Bay is on the west, Sassafras River on the north, and the Chester River on the south. The eastern border with Delaware is part of the Mason–Dixon line. Nearby cities: Baltimore, MD; Washington D.C.; Philadelphia, PA; Wilmington, DE As of the 2010 U.S. census , there were 20,197 people, 8,165 households, and 5,272 families living in

1064-416: The oldest Episcopal Church in Maryland used continuously as a place of worship. The earliest part of the building was constructed in 1711. It is located approximately nine miles west of Chestertown. Christ Church, frequently called I.U., was founded in 1765. Colonel Philip Reed a Continental Army and War of 1812 soldier is buried here. Shrewsbury Church is believed to be the first structure erected in

1102-463: The port in 24 hours by the French government—the port authorities apparently stirred to action by bitter remonstrances from the British government. Wickes, however, claimed that Reprisal had sprung a leak and needed to be careened for hull repairs. Wickes proved to be skillful at gaining time; as, on several occasions, he thwarted the intentions of the French government to have him sail. In April 1777,

1140-466: The powder just as a boatload of British seamen boarded Nancy . This engagement became known as the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet . On 10 July Lexington slipped to sea. On the 27th she captured Lady Susan , a ship of Lord Dunmore 's Tory Fleet which operated out of the Chesapeake Bay . This privateer was commanded by William Goodrich, a member of the notorious Tory family which had plagued

1178-651: The return voyage, British frigate Pearl overhauled the brigantine just short of the Delaware Capes 20 December and captured her. The commander of the frigate removed Lexington' s officers, but left 70 of her men on board under hatches with a prize crew . But by luring their captors with a promise of rum , the Yankee sailors recaptured the ship and brought her to Baltimore. Lexington , now with Capt. Henry Johnson in command, sailed for France 20 February 1777 and took two prizes before reaching Bordeaux in March. In France,

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1216-675: The shipping of Virginia and Maryland . ( Richard Dale , one of seven members of the Lady Susan crew who signed on Lexington, later won fame under John Paul Jones .) Early in September, Lexington took another sloop, Betsy . About a fortnight later lightning struck Lexington forcing the brigantine home for repairs. Lexington anchored off Philadelphia 26 September, and two days later Barry relinquished command. With repairs completed, Lexington , Capt. William Hallock in command, got underway for Cape Francois to obtain military cargo. On

1254-528: The spring and summer of both 1813 and 1814, residents faced immediate threats from the enemy as the British terrorized the Chesapeake, looting and burning farms and towns. Kent County citizens and local militia were tested and stood their ground with ingenuity and determination during the burning of Georgetown, the rescue of the Kitty Knight House and the Battle of Caulk's Field . St. Paul's,

1292-521: The state. Along with Caroline and Garrett Counties, it is one of three counties in the state that are not part of a metropolitan statistical area . In 1608, Captain John Smith explored and mapped a portion of what is now Kent County. In 1642, the governor and council appointed commissioners for the Isle and County of Kent. This act appears to have led to the establishment of Kent County. In 1675,

1330-493: The use of his name and gave the college its largest gift of 50 guineas . Washington served on the Board of Visitors and Governors for five years. The college has been host to four United States Presidents, including George Washington, Harry S. Truman , Dwight D. Eisenhower , and Franklin D. Roosevelt . All were awarded honorary degrees from the college. The War of 1812 was the only war Kent County experienced on its soil. During

1368-544: The vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton 's 45.7%, and a 20-year record high of 5.7% of the vote for third-party candidates . In 2020, Joe Biden flipped the county, winning it by 134 votes. The members of the County Council as of 2022 are: Kent County lies wholly in Senate District 36 and elects three House of Delegates Members who serve at-large countywide. Members listed below as of 2018 are: The head of

1406-821: Was the Reprisal's captain and he was ordered to sail into battle against the British frigate Roebuck which was opening the Delaware River to British ships. Wickes would later be designated as number 11 on the Continental Navy's seniority list. The Committee of Secret Correspondence of Congress , by arrangement with the Marine Committee , issued orders for Capt. Wickes to proceed to the West Indies in Reprisal and bring out munitions for use by General Washington 's army. In addition, Wickes

1444-602: Was to transport William Bingham to his post, the French possession of Martinique , as agent for the American colonies. Reprisal passed down the Delaware River from Philadelphia during the latter part of June 1776. While en route, Reprisal went to the aid of the harried Continental 6-gun brig Nancy — bound from St. Croix and St. Thomas with 386 barrels of gunpowder — which was being chased by six British men-of-war . In order to save Nancy , her captain, Hugh Montgomery , ran her aground. Reprisal and Lexington –

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