Dr. William Beans

Dr. William Beans was a Maryland physician during the War of 1812 who sheltered Curt Stevens after finding him alone in the woods. Beans had promised not to resist the British army, but he and his neighbors detained straggling soldiers who were looting local farms. British officers arrested him and carried him aboard their fleet for trial. John Skinner and lawyer Francis Scott Key secured his release by presenting statements about the prisoners' humane treatment, though all three men were held until the attack on Baltimore ended. Beside Lucy, Beans watched Fort McHenry's enormous flag survive a day of bombardment. Principled and hospitable, he defended his neighbors without abandoning mercy toward the enemy soldiers placed in his care.