Stricker

John Stricker
(1758-1825)

John Stricker, a Maryland Militia officer, fought in both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He is best known as commander of the Baltimore brigade in the Battle of North Point during the British attack on Baltimore on September 12, 1814.

During the War of 1812, John Stricker commanded the Third Brigade, Third Division of the Maryland Militia. When the British attacked Baltimore on September 12, 1814, Major General Samuel Smith, overall commander of the defense of Baltimore, dispatched Stricker with approximately 3,200 men to block the enemy's overland advance from North Point. During a preliminary skirmish, British General Robert Ross was mortally wounded. The following Battle of North Point lasted about two hours until the British outflanked Stricker's left and the Americans retreated in an orderly fashion to the city's main defenses at Hampstead Hill.

John Stricker resigned his commission on November 10, 1814, and in 1816 Baltimore City commissioned Rembrandt Peale to paint his portrait to honor him and others, including Major General Samuel Smith and Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry, for their successful defense of Baltimore. He was a member of the Society of Cincinnati and became a merchant and president of the Bank of Baltimore (1824-1825). He died on June 23, 1825, and was buried in Westminster Burying Ground, Baltimore.

Excerpt from the Maryland Online Encyclopedia, http://www.mdoe.org/strickerjohn.html, Ralph Eshelman

John Stricker embodies the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission's theme of Courage: Marylanders have exhibited extraordinary courage, even when faced with overwhelming odds, in defense of our freedoms. Learn more about the Commission and its mission, goals, and themes.