James Sewall (1778-1842) was a U.S. officer in the War of 1812, public servant, and early railroad executive.
His great-great-grandfather was Henry Sewall, who immigrated to St. Mary's County, Maryland, in 1660; became Secretary of the Province and Counselor; and received numerous parcels of land from Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore.
On April 29, forces under British Admiral George Cockburn, including nine ships, sailed up the Chesapeake Bay.
They sacked Frenchtown, Maryland, but when they attempted to move up the Elk River to Elkton, they were repulsed by Sewall's forces at Fort Defiance, an earthenworks fortification a mile below the town.
The Elkton mansion was the family seat for some decades and in 1976 was added to the National Register of Historic Places.