seventh medical school in the United States. In 1840, by order of the Maryland state legislature, the non-religious St. Mary's Female Seminary was founded in St. Mary's City. This would later become St. Mary's College of Maryland, the state's public honors college. The United States Naval Academy was founded in Annapolis in 1845, and the Maryland Agricultural College was chartered in 1856, growing eventually into the University of Maryland. Immigration and religion Since the abolition of anti-Catholic laws in the early 1830s, the Catholic population rebounded considerably. The Maryland Catholic population began its resurgence with large waves of Irish Catholic immigration spurred by the Great Famine (1845–49) and then continued through the first half of the 20th century. Italian immigration and Polish immigrations also supplemented the Catholic population in Maryland. Baltimore was the third largest point of entry for European immigrants on the Eastern seaboard for much of this period. Although greatly increased, the Catholic population has never become a majority in the state. War of 1812 After the Revolution, the United States Congress approved construction of six heavy frigates to form a nucleus of the United States Navy. One of the first three, the USS Constellation, was constructed in Baltimore. Constellation became the first official U.S. Navy ship put to sea, deploying to the Caribbean Sea to participate in the Quasi-War against France. During the War of 1812 the British raided cities along Chesapeake Bay up to Havre de Grace. Two notable battles occurred in the state. The first was the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814, just outside the national capital, Washington, D.C. The British army routed the American militiamen, who fled in confusion, and went on to capture Washington, D.C. They burned and looted major public buildings, forcing President James Madison to flee to Brookeville, Maryland. The British next marched to Baltimore, where they hoped to strike a knockout blow against the demoralized Americans. Baltimore was not only a busy port but also suspected of harboring many of the privateers despoiling British ships. The city's defenses were under the command of Major General Samuel Smith, an officer and commander of the Maryland state militia and a United States senator. Baltimore had been well fortified with excellent supplies and some 15,000 troops. Maryland militia fought a determined delaying action at the Battle of North Point, during which a Maryland militia marksman shot and killed the British commander,