"Damn the British, we beat them once and we'll beat them again!" was the rallying cry of Consider Sturtevant, a member of the Agawam Militia, when the British were driven from the shores of Wareham on June 13, 1814.

Two hundred years later and not far from where those words were uttered, that rallying cry was shouted by the commander of the Wareham militia (portrayed by Howard Smith) as re-enactors put the HMS Nimrod invasion of Wareham on display, complete with burning ships, fireworks and plenty of musket fire.

The British rowed their way down the Wareham river toward the Narrows and landed at Besse Park in nearly the same spot they landed 200 years ago. But this time they landed with considerably less than the 220 Marines who came ashore in 1814.

The British were comprised mostly of the 54th Regiment of Foot re-enactors, along with some members of the Yarmouth militia and crew members of the Raven from Fall River to fill out the British ranks.

The Redcoats arrived under a flag of truce and were met with many jeers, boos and "Go back to England!" shouts from the hundreds of spectators in the park.

Once ashore, the Brits spoke with the Wareham militia promising not to burn public property as they were only looking for privateering ships. Shortly thereafter, the British commander Steven Gardner was nearly thrown from a Wareham horse he tried to mount and quickly decided to lay waste to the town, as was the case with the original invasion.

The British, under the command of Gardner, marched down Main Street as fireworks went off in the distance, signifying the burning of the cotton mill factory.

"That animal had something against me, I don't know what it was," mused Gardner in front of the crowd.

"The British commander ad-libbed a lot," said Mac Phinney, who portrayed one of the Wareham selectmen at the time of the invasion. "I got a little concerned when it went off script, but all the militia were great."

Wareham got a little help from the Rehoboth militia, who portrayed the Agawam militiamen and were stationed behind the Narrows Restaurant, firing on the British as they rowed away from shore.

As the Brits made their way up the river under a hail of musket fire, the women and men dressed in 18th-century garb let out a cheer and danced in celebration.

"This was the first reenactment our militia has done. I think they had fun," Phinney said.