Activities

On September 18, 2022, the German Society formally dedicated a monument to Brigadier General John Stricker (1759–1825), Hero of North Point. The multi-year project was originally conceived as part of the bicentennial celebrations of the War of 1812 and the Defense of Baltimore (September 12, 1814). The monument is located in the gardens of the Zion Church of the City of Baltimore.

The bronze bust of John Stricker atop the monument is based on the 1816 portrait of Sticker painted by Rembrandt Peale. The sculptor was Francesca Schuler Guerin, Director of the Schuler School of Fine Arts.

Pictures of the Dedication Ceremony

Of Swiss German ancestry, John Stricker was born and raised in Frederick, Maryland. After having served in the Revolutionary War, Stricker settled in Baltimore.

Stricker was still active in the militia in 1814, and thus came to play a critical role in the defense of his adopted city when the British attacked Baltimore in September 1814.

The planned two-pronged attack on Baltimore included the naval bombardment of Ft. McHenry and an overland attack by troops who had landed on North Point peninsula.

American troops under Brigadier General John Stricker were sent to meet the invading army halfway up the peninsula on September 12. The resulting battle delayed their march on the city until the next day.

This gave the city’s defenders critical time to prepare fortifications at Hampstead Hill (now Patterson Park). Stricker and his men rejoined the main defensive line at Hampstead Hill. The Baltimore defenders put up a strong defense on September 13th, so that British hopes of success now depended on the successful bombard-ment of Ft. McHenry.

With the failure to take the fort (as documented in the words of the Star-Spangled Banner), the British decided to withdraw on September 14. Boarding their ships, the British army sailed south to New Orleans, where they would be defeated by American forces led by Andrew Jackson.

In addition to being the Hero of North Point, General Stricker was a significant figure in Baltimore’s civic life, although he declined offers of political office. He served as vice president of the German Society and was instrumental in the Society obtaining its state charter in 1818.