Chesapeake Bay's overlooked maritime history

Jamestown provides an early example of the Chesapeake's maritime importance. Naval activity continued through American independence, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Potomac and Rappahannock operations enter the recollections, with some commanders and locations uncertain. Confederate channels cut through marshes and wetlands are associated with sustaining trade. Commerce protection during both world wars adds another part of the bay's naval history. Attention to Washington's destruction and a few familiar campaigns leaves much of this activity less well covered.