How Yeocomico Church Got Linked to Poisoning
Yeocomico Church in Kinsale, VA Yeocomico Church has been abandoned numerous times—including a dormant stretch of over 30 years between the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Then, in the chaotic summer of 1814, American fighters found themselves in the crosshairs of history when British forces accused them of what effectively amounted to war crimes. General John P. Hungerford and 650 American soldiers set up camp at the ruinous church grounds to defend the area against more than 1,200 invading British troops raiding along the Potomac River. The drama spiked when British officers made a scandalous claim: American soldiers had deliberately left poisoned wine at the nearby Thompson House for invading forces to find. Outraged, the British formally accused the Virginia militia of "uncivilized warfare" and demanded an official inquiry. In August 1814, Hungerford convened a military court inside Yeocomico Church. The verdict? The accusations were found to be "utterly...