the command of Rear Admiral George Cockburn took possession of Hampton Roads at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, which stopped traffic in and out of the bay. This effectively closed major ports such as Norfolk in Virginia and the Port of Baltimore in Maryland. Beginning in spring, Cockburn conducted raids on towns along the Chesapeake. The raids involved the destruction or removal of property including crops and livestock. On May 3, Cockburn burned most of Havre de Grace, Maryland. Additional Maryland coastal towns, Georgetown and Fredericktown, were burned on May 6. First Lady Dolley Madison called Cockburn's raids "savage", and Cockburn threatened to capture and parade her through London. Cockburn established a policy that if a town kept no guns or militia, he would leave them unharmed. Vice Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren was Cockburn's immediate superior, and he was headquartered in Bermuda. Warren believed he did not have enough ships to blockade the American coast. During May, he received two battalions of marines and additional ships. He issued a May 26 proclamation that New York and the Mississippi River were in a state of formal blockade. The same proclamation also listed as blockaded the South Carolina ports at Charleston, Port Royal, and Savannah. Royal Marines were sent to the Chesapeake Bay because of its naval stores, ships, dockyards, and foundries. Norfolk, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. were among the immediate targets. Opposing forces United Kingdom Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren was the commander of North America and the West Indies during the summer of 1812, and in January 1813 Rear Admiral George Cockburn reported to Warren in HMS Marlborough. For the raid on St. Michaels, Cockburn had eight ships and 45 barges, including two battalions of Royal Marines and an army regiment. The forces that came ashore were under the command of Lieutenant James Polkinghorne of the Royal Navy. After the battle, he filed a report with Commander Henry Loraine Baker of the Royal Navy. Baker commanded HMS Conflict, a sloop with 10 to 12 guns (a.k.a. cannons or artillery pieces). The men used barges, which were propelled by oars and small sails, to reach the shore. The barges had a small gun, or "carronade". United States The United States had few federal troops near St. Michaels in 1813. Fighting was usually conducted by the state militia. Maryland's militia was organized into three divisions with a total of 12 brigades