Benedict is an unincorporated town and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in Charles County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States, located on the Patuxent River in southern Maryland. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 261.

Demographics

Benedict first appeared as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2010 U.S. Census.

History

Originally a fishing village along the Patuxent River in the southern

Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an Kingdom of England, English and later British colonization of the Americas, British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the A ...

in the late 17th century, it was named Benedict-Leonardtown for Benedict Leonard Calvert, (1700–1732), 15th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, serving under his older brother, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron and Lord Baltimore, (1699–1751).

War of 1812

In the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Benedict was the location where the British Army led by General Robert Ross landed on August 18, 1814, after having fought fierce naval battles with American naval forces in the Patuxent. From Benedict, the British began their march to Washington, D.C., routing a larger American force at the Battle of Bladensburg before ultimately burning the capital. Following this, they failed to capture

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

in the Battle of Baltimore.

Civil War

Benedict was the site of Camp Stanton, constructed in October 1863 for the Maryland 7th Regiment. Camp Stanton was also the location where the Maryland 19th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops was formed on December 19, 1863, with freed slaves who were purchased for their freedom by the United States Government to serve as soldiers. This unit distinguished itself at the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...

. Some of its members included the Rev. William Saunders Crowdy and his brother Daniel, of a plantation in St. Mary's County. A school was established on the site to educate the black soldiers, most of whom had received no education when they were slaves. The school was run by Samuel C. Armstrong.

Benedict today

Adjacent to the town is the Benedict Bridge, a bridge where Maryland Route 231 crosses the Patuxent River from Charles County into Calvert County. The town also has one or two seafood restaurants, and a Catholic church, St. Francis de Sales, that celebrates mass in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Maryland Census-designated places in Charles County, Maryland Maryland populated places on the Chesapeake Bay