Of particular interest to this area was the capture of the Union steamer Harriet De Ford. The sequence of events started off of Windmill Point and ended at the head waters of Dymer's Creek, both nearby locations. The event - the last, bold Confederate exploit on the Chesapeake Bay in the Civil War - was a significant Southern success, but it was quickly overshadowed by the assassination of President Lincoln and the surrender of the Confederacy.

The drawings for this presentation were prepared by students from the Lancaster High School Art Class.

In spring of 1865 General Robert E. Lee was searching for some way to provide his army with supplies., A proposal was presented that involved the capture of a steamer that could be taken to the Northern Neck where the supplies would be unloaded and moved to Petersburg by a wagon train under the direction of Colonel Mosby. The individual to head up this mission was Captain Thaddeus Fitzhugh.

On March 31, 1865, under the cover of darkness, Captain Fitzhugh, Lieutenant Dutton and 28 men left Windmill Point in three open boats with sails and oars.

Reaching the mouth of the Potomac, the group was held up for three days because of high winds and strong currents.

On the 3rd of April they were able to cross the mouth of the Potomac and head up the Bay to Cedar Point, where they hid their boats along the shoreline.

The next night they proceeded in their boats to Herring Bay, where they captured one of the many vessels at anchor there. This was to be their base of operation.

The next morning Fitzhugh selected nine of his best men. Dressed in clothes belonging to the crew of the boat they had just captured, they headed for the wharf. Posing as wood choppers who wanted to go to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the group was able to gain passage on the Harriet De Ford

The Harriet De Ford was less than a year old. She was a one-masted propeller-driven vessel - length 115.6: beam 19.3: depth 7.1: 149 tons - and considered one of the fastest steamers on the Bay.

When the De Ford was five miles away from the dock, Fitzhugh took over the pilot house and with a blast of the whistle signaled the rest of his men to take over the rest of the boat. The steamer returned to Fair Haven, where Fitzhugh picked up the rest of his men. They cut the telegraph line, released their prisoners and the passengers, and headed on down the Bay.

On April 5, 1865 Commander F.A. Parker (shown on the far left) commander of the Potomac Flotilla stationed at St. Mary's Maryland was informed by a telegraph from Gideon Wells , Secretary of the Navy (bearded man on the left) about the capture of the De Ford. In the telegraph Wells instructed Parker to "use your best exertions to recapture the steamer or overtake the rebel party". Parker immediately set out with a fleet of ten gunboats.

Having learned of Lee's defeat at Petersburg, Fitzhugh discarded the plans to rendezvous with Mosby in Dividing Creek and headed for Dymer's Creek, where he would unload the supplies plus a number of contrabands and have a Captain Henderson take them to Kilmarnock to sell. The money would then be sent to Lee.

After all supplies were unloaded the De Ford was set on fire. It was at this time, around 4 p.m., that it was reported to Fitzhugh that Union gunboats had been sighted coming up the creek.

After responding to a false report of the De Ford being in Indian Creek the fleet of Union gunboats learned that the De Ford was in fact in Dymer's Creek. They began to shell the shoreline as they proceeded up the creek in defense of possible attacks from the shore.

To those who resided along the creek it was the most exciting and perilous time of their lives. Many homes and outbuildings were shelled, causing residents to flee into nearby fields and ravines. To view a second person oral history account of the shelling click on this link. To view pictures of the George house where "Aunt Betsy" was during the event click here

Reaching the De Ford the Union gunboats observed that she had been burned to the waterline. They proceeded to finish her off by firing a large number of rounds into her.

The residents of Kilmarnock returned the goods they had bought after being threatened with loss of life unless they did so.

On the same day that Lee surrendered Captain Henderson was captured and sent to the prisoner-of-war camp at Point Lookout.

But what happened to Captain Fitzhugh? On the 16th of April he wrote his report outlining the attack. At that time he was in Fredericksburg. It is believed that he got out of the area and moved to Kansas, where died in the early 1900s.