Late in August 1814, as a British force moved up the Patuxent River for an overland attack on Washington, Captain Sir Peter Parker on the frigate Menelaus, accompanied by several smaller vessels, sailed in the opposite direction, to the upper Chesapeake, primarily to draw attention away from the principal British objective. On the night of August 30, the British landed approximately 260 troops near what today is called Tolchester Beach in Kent County on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The specific landing site is named Parker Point, after Captain Parker, who is said to have called the maneuver a "frolic with the Yankees."

The British advanced overland toward an encampment of approximately 200 militiamen under the command of Colonel Philip Reed. The Americans countermarched 300 yards to Caulk's Field, where the engagement known as the Battle of Caulk's Field occurred when the British encountered determined American resistance to their planned advance on the American encampment. Captain Parker was mortally wounded in the early morning hours of August 31, 1814.

After an action lasting about an hour, the British withdrew, unaware that the Americans were nearly out of ammunition and on the verge of retreat. The British lost 15 soldiers and 27 were wounded while American casualties numbered only three wounded. The Americans viewed the battle as a British defeat and news of Parker's death may have helped buoy American spirits going into the Battle of Baltimore. The battle was of little strategic importance but it did cost the Royal Navy one of its most promising young officers. The 1743 Caulk House belonged to Isaac Caulk (17??-1837), who earlier had been a captain in the 21st Regiment under American commander Philip Reed.

Heidker, David S, and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds. "Caulk's Field, Battle of."Encyclopedia of War of 1812. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1997. Pp. 494-95.