History Chesapeake Bay

revised map of john white s original theodore debry. in 1590 version, chesapeake bay appears named first time.



later (1630) version of 1612 map captain john smith during exploration of chesapeake. note map oriented west @ top.

in 1524, italian explorer giovanni da verrazzano, (1485–1528), in service of french crown, (famous sailing through , thereafter naming entrance new york bay verrazzano narrows , including in 20th century, suspension bridge named him) sailed past chesapeake, did not enter bay. spanish explorer lucas vásquez de ayllón sent expedition out hispaniola in 1525 reached mouths of chesapeake , delaware bays. may have been first european expedition explore parts of chesapeake bay, spaniards called bahía de santa maría ( bay of st. mary )or bahía de madre de dios. ( bay of mother of god ) de ayllón established short-lived spanish mission settlement, san miguel de gualdape, in 1526 along atlantic coast. many scholars doubt assertion far north chesapeake; place in present-day georgia s sapelo island. in 1573, pedro menéndez de márquez, governor of spanish florida, conducted further exploration of chesapeake. in 1570, spanish jesuits established short-lived ajacan mission on 1 of chesapeake tributaries in present-day virginia.

the arrival of english colonists under sir walter raleigh , humphrey gilbert in late 16th century found colony, later settled @ roanoke island (off present-day coast of north carolina) virginia company, marked first time english approached gates chesapeake bay between capes of cape charles , cape henry. 3 decades later, in 1607, europeans again entered bay. captain john smith of england explored , mapped bay between 1607 , 1609, resulting in publication in 1612 in british isles of map of virginia . smith wrote in journal: heaven , earth have never agreed better frame place man s habitation. new laying out of captain john smith chesapeake national historic trail , united states first designated all-water national historic trail, created in july 2006, national park service of u.s. department of interior following route of smith s historic 17th-century voyage. because of economic hardships , civil strife in mother land , there mass migration of southern english cavaliers , servants chesapeake bay region between 1640 , 1675, both of new colonies of province of virginia , province of maryland.

american revolution present

the chesapeake bay site of battle of chesapeake (also known battle of capes , cape charles , cape henry) in 1781, during french fleet defeated royal navy in decisive naval battle of american revolutionary war. british defeat enabled general george washington , french allied armies under comte de rochambeau march down new york , bottle rampaging southern british army of lord cornwallis north , south carolinas @ siege of battle of yorktown in yorktown, virginia. marching route newport, rhode island through connecticut, new york state, pennsylvania, new jersey , delaware head of elk susquehanna river along shores , partially sailing down bay virginia. subject of designated national historic trail under national park service washington-rochambeau revolutionary route.

the bay again see conflict during war of 1812. during year of 1813, base on tangier island, british naval forces under command of admiral george cockburn raided , plundered several towns on shores of chesapeake, treating bay if british lake . chesapeake bay flotilla, fleet of shallow-draft armed barges under command of u.s. navy commodore joshua barney, assembled stall british shore raids , attacks. after months of harassment barney, british landed on west side of patuxent @ benedict, maryland, chesapeake flotilla scuttled, , british trekked overland burn capitol in august 1814. few days later in pincer attack , sailed potomac river attack fort washington below national capital , demanded ransom nearby port town of alexandria, virginia.

there so-called oyster wars in late 19th , 20th centuries. until mid-20th century, oyster harvesting rivaled crab industry among chesapeake watermen, dwindling breed skipjacks , other workboats supplanted recreational craft in latter part of century.

in 1960s, calvert cliffs nuclear power plant on historic calvert cliffs in calvert county on western shore of maryland began using water bay cool reactor.