18 May 1814 At Fort Mackinac

Jim's Photo Of Fort Mackinac (1780 - 1895)

On the (Wikipedia) timeline:

1814

May 18 [British]

Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDouall relieves Fort Mackinac

A Young Thomas Richmond In The War Of 1812

One of my ancestors was named Thomas Richmond.  The man who served in the War of 1812 and is profiled below was NOT my ancestor.

From the Richmond Family book:
The Hon. Thomas Richmond was born in Barnard, Vt., Dec. 8, 1796, and died in Woodstock, Vt., June 15, 1893.  He married, in Salina, N.Y., Jan. 4, 1822, Olive, daughter of Charles Yale. They resided in Chicago, Ill.  He was one of Chicago's pioneers, moving there with his family in 1847.  

He was in the War of 1812, as valet to a captain, being too young to enlist as a soldier.  A letter was sent to Ulysses S. Grant in 1869, stating such:

Source

Perhaps he was a soldier in the War of 1812....


He was enumerated with his family about the time the letter to President Grant was sent:

United States Census, 1870

Household  Gender Age Birthplace

Thos Richmond M 72y Vermont

Olive Y Richmond F 70y New York

Holland M Richmond M 40y New York

Susan M Richmond F 43y New York

Fredrica Richdat F 22y Norway

Ericca Ursen F 43y Norway

May 16th Letter

Source

From Governors Messages and Letters, Volume 2

Captain James Rhea In Fold3

Letters Received By The Office Of The Adjutant General, 1805-1821

Page One of a letter written on behalf of (former) Captain James Rhea by B. Van Cleve from Dayton, Ohio, on May 20, 1815 to the Honorable Secretary of War in Washington, City.:

Source

Some of the information in the letter included:

--General David Forman was a friend of James Rhea's when young
--Brother of Jonathan Rhea, Esq., dec'd, late Chancellor of NJ
--He fought under St. Clair and "I think" under Wayne
--He is now about 50 years old [bapt 28 Sept 1760]
--He was charged with intoxication and the letter writer believed the charge to be true - "like too many of our old military character..."
--He is a man of honor, of integrity, as honest I believe as any man living

"...his savings from a life spent in the services of his country has supported him and his family til now
Without employment, without money, with but few acquaintances, he is about to encounter poverty with all its mortifying attendants -- A party of his officers had combined against him at Fort Wayne perhaps blame might attach both to him and them.  He resigned, perhaps he would have been broke -- ...".

Mr. Van Cleve asked the Secretary of War if some employment could be found for James Rhea at "some of the outposts...a quartermaster, keeper of an arsenal, or conductor of military stores or anything that would earn bread for his family."

Skirmish At Otter Creek

During the War of 1812 a small earth work called Fort Cassin was built at the mouth of Otter Creek, to prevent the British ships on Lake Champlain from ascending the river and destroying the American fleet being built at Vergennes. The fort was named for Lieut. Stephen Cassin, one of Macdonough's officers. The British fleet appeared off the mouth of the river, April* 14, 1814, and attacked the fort, the engagement lasting about half an hour. Many shells lodged in the parapet, one gun was dismounted, and two men were slightly wounded. Several of the British ships were damaged and the fleet soon withdrew. [Source]
*May?


A post on this blog described Fort Cassin and Otter Creek (with pictures).

Attack on Fort Cassin has its own Facebook page.

Photos of Reenactors here.

Captain Brush In Charge Of Supplies...

...for General Hull at Fort Detroit....

Source: The Robert Lucas Journal

During the first week in August a messenger arrived from Captain Henry Brush, then at the Raisin river, with two hundred volunteers from Chillicothe [see map], one hundred head of cattle, and other supplies forwarded by Governor Meigs of Ohio, desiring an escort to Detroit, as they were threatened by a large body of Indians and feared to enter the heavy timber, anticipating an ambush.  [Source]

Captain Brush's mission was to be supported by Major Van Horne.  As the Major was en route to a rendezvous with Capt Brush, Native Americans, who were enemies of the U.S. forces, attacked Major Van Horne's troops and the mission failed.

This blog has more.

William Dunlop, A Surgeon In The British Military

From Recollections of the war of 1812  By William Dunlop, Arthur Hugh Urquhart Colquhoun, "this reprint of an entertaining little narrative of personal experiences in the War of 1812-14 may be appropriately prefaced by a short account of the author."

"...William Dunlop was born at Greenock, Scotland, in 1792, and became, when a stripling of scarce 21 years of age, a surgeon in the famous 88th, or, Connaught Rangers. Being ordered to Canada, where the war with the United States was in progress, he made his way to the fighting line in the Niagara Peninsula, and there, serving first as surgeon and afterwards as a combatant, he gave indubitable proofs of courage and capacity." 

Arrived at Quebec, we reported ourselves, as in duty bound, to the General Commanding, and by his orders we left a subaltern to command the recruits (most of whom, by the way, were mere boys,) and to strengthen the Garrison of Quebec, and the venerable old colonel and myself made all haste to join our regiment up the country. As my worthy old commander was a character, some account of him may not be uninteresting.  Donald McB was born in the celebrated winter of 1745-46, while his father, an Invernesshire gentleman, was out with Prince Charles Edward, who, on the unfortunate issue of that campaign for the Jacobite interest, was fain to flee to France... .