Friday, July 31, 2015

Charles Hare And British Man-O-War Bream With


Source - Not The Wasp And Bream

Text taken from A History of American Privateers:

The Wasp Captain E. Ewing (or Ervin) also was a Salem privateer that was captured by an English cruiser, but not until she inflicted some injury on the enemy's commerce.  She was a sloop mounting only two guns. After sending a schooner into Mathias, she was chased July 31 (by another account June 9, 1813) by the British man-of-war Bream, mounting ten guns. Realizing the helplessness of giving battle to the cruiser, Captain Ewing made every effort to escape. The Bream gave chase, and for nine hours kept the Wasp in sight and gained on her. When in easy gunshot, the English opened a heavy fire which the Americans returned as well as they could for forty minutes, when they surrendered. The British lieutenant* commanding the Bream treated his prisoners with exceptional courtesy.   *Charles Hare



Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Cadwallader D. Colden


Colden was the 54th Mayor of New York City as well as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the New York militia (5 Artillery and Infantry Regiment - Colden's New York Militia):


Source - Cadwallader D. Colden


Colden's Service Record - NY Militia


Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Monday, July 27, 2015

General Lingan Killed By A Mob



Source (Baltimore In 1800)


From Sixty years in a school-room: an autobiography of Mrs. Julia A. Tevis ... by Julia Ann Tevis, John Tevis:


It was during my residence in Georgetown that the fiercest conflicts of the war of 1812 occurred. An incident connected with this war impressed me deeply, and gave me a terrific idea of mobs. Every well read person is familiar with the history of the bloody drama enacted in Baltimore, when the brave General Lingan was killed by an infuriated mob, though he begged so piteously that his life might be spared for the sake of his wife and children. He besought them to remember how manfully he had fought for his country in the 'old war;' but his voice was scarcely heard amid the roar of those wild beasts, who almost tore him to pieces. General Lee (Light Horse Harry) and several other Revolutionary patriots were so injured by the same mob that they died soon after. They were opposed to the war.


Sunday, July 26, 2015

Career Of Sir John Beverley Robinson



Source

The career of Sir John Robinson [26 July 1791 - 31 Jan 1863] links together that stirring period of 1812-14 when the fate of the country was decided by force of arms, and the later constructive stage... .







Saturday, July 25, 2015

George Davenport And Lundy's Lane



Source

George Davenport, who started his career aboard a British merchant ship, was injured during a shipwreck and left behind in America.  [He was] out of money and a stranger among strangers in a strange land. He had some friends at Carlyle, Penn., whither he went and soon attracted the attention of Gen. Wilkinson of the U.S. army who...offered him the position and pay of Sergeant in the regular army, which he accepted... .

The war of 1812-14 found Sgt. Davenport wearing the epaulets of a colonel in the regular army and July 25, 1814, he did gallant service at the terrible battle of the Niagara or Lundy's Lane. His regiment reached the battlefield from a distant point just in time to join Gen. Scott in his charge against the left wing of the British army, which turned the scale of battle and saved the day; but Gen. Scott was seriously wounded and Col. Davenport personally superintended the carrying of the hero of Lundy's Lane from the field.



Friday, July 24, 2015

A Chief Of The Ottaway


Last page of a letter written by Major Willoughby Morgan; mentioned a Chief of the Ottaway who was invited by Col. Butler:

Source: Fold3



Thursday, July 23, 2015

John Steele And Sugar Loaf Hill



See Oil Painting of Gravelly Bay and Sugarloaf Hill in Port Colborne and the included description (excerpted below):

The War of 1812 Veteran "Big John Steele", John Steele's log Tavern Inn, built 1824, is in the forground and Christian Zavitz's log home is located at the entrance to Eagle Marsh.

John Steele (1773-1855) served in the War of 1812 in *Baxter's Co. in the 3rd Regiment of the Lincoln Militia.

Early records refer to the cabin as "Steele's Tavern" and it was known to be used as a meeting place before the canal was built.
Sugar Loaf Hill (Port Colborne)


Image 472

Library and Archives Canada has War of 1812 officers and soldiers:

[Microfilm Roll] T-10386 23 3rd Regiment, Lincoln Militia -
Officers & Staff, Company, Detachment Rolls 1812-1814
*John Steele found on the muster rolls here [Image 473]


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Captain John Eutrican And His Company


Eutrican was written as Entrekin here.


Source
Captain, 2nd Regiment ([John] Ferguson's), Ohio Militia


Margaret Linkswiler was a widow of Private George Linkswiler, who was a soldier in Captain Eutrican's Ohio Militia company:

Fold3

Another member:

WILLIAM FULTON again served in the War of 1812 from 28 July 1813, until 17 August 1813, as a private in Captain John Eutrican's company of the Ohio Militia.


Monday, July 20, 2015

Charles Langlade In The British Service


Seventy-two years' recollections of Wisconsin, by Grignon, Augustin, b. 1780

"[The author] Augustin Grignon was the last in a long line of French fur-traders that stretched back to Charles de Langlade, the first European to live in Wisconsin."



"He [Charles Langlade's son, Charles] was in the British Indian service at the capture of Mackinaw, in 1812, and acted as interpreter for the Ottawas."

And the British loss of the Revolutionary War did not disrupt the life of balance and harmony in the Old Up Country [Wisconsin] until the War of 1812. [Source]




Friday, July 17, 2015

First Blood Shed


Source

It is a sad fact that the first blood shed in the War of 1812 was American blood shed by Americans, and resulted from mob effort to suppress a free press in the city of Baltimore, The death of prominent citizens and the injury of others lit a fire of opposition to the War of 1812 that spread and burned to the close of the War. [Source]

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Polly Hayward Henry's Sequel


An Interesting Sequel is an excerpt from The Escape Of Lydia Hayward* portrayed in Old Hay Bay Church.

*The escape....[was a].story of an American family caught in Upper Canada by the outbreak of the war... .  in 1808 they [Joshua and Lydia Hayward] removed to Canada, where they lived four years. Joshua Hayward was pressed into the British service during the contest of Great Britain with the United States, but he deserted at the end of a month and returned to his native State. He at once enlisted in the army of the United States and remained in the Federal service until the close of the war.

An Interesting Sequel [Source]

"In 1880...a later child of Lydia Hayward published a book in Toronto, entitled, Memoir of Rev. Thomas Henry: Christian Minister, York Pioneer, and Soldier of 1812. Polly Ann Hayward (1825-1913) had married Thomas Henry's son George, and thus came to write her father-in-law's biography."

"In the book Polly Ann identifies herself as the daughter of the Rev. Joshua and Lydia Hayward. Whereas her father, Joshua, died in 1840, she describes her mother, Lydia, as "now [1880] in her 92nd year and in good health."


Source

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

William Lambert, Secret Agent


Below is an item found in the War of 1812 Papers of the Department of State:


REPORTS OF WILLIAM LAMBERT, SECRET AGENT. l8l3-
His reports to the Secretary of State concerned movements of the enemy in Maryland between Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River.


Source






Letter from William Lambert of Lancaster County, Virginia 
to 
James Monroe, Secretary of State
07/15/1814

"In this letter William Lambert shares information about large ships seen passing up the middle of the Chesapeake Bay as well as an additional force and his fear of an imminent attack in Virginia or Maryland."


Monday, July 13, 2015

An Unsolved Mystery





A Canadian posited that it was a mystery how an invasion of a neighbor could be characterized as a 2nd war of independence:

"In the Buffalo paper, in which some of these were copied, occurs the rather astonishing and not easily to be understood statement, 'we now approach the period of the second war of independence.'  How an armed invasion of a peaceful neighboring country can be called a war of independence by the invader is an unsolved mystery." [Source]

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Give Orders To General Foos


       Source



[Gov R.J. Meigs to Allen Trimble]

 Chillicothe July 11th, 1813.

"...give orders to Gen. Foos...cannot longer consider Gen. McArthur as Commandant of that Division...".

 Allen Trimble, Esq.


Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Before Satisfactory And Lasting Peace


Source

"As war went on, American disasters decreased; and the year 1814...with severer trials, better fortunes, and admirable exploits will bring us before it ends to satisfactory and lasting peace."


Tuesday, July 7, 2015

A Craney Island Report


From the Report of the Select committee... [previous blog post here]:


Source

General Robert B. Taylor's Official Report to the Secretary of War:

'The courage and constancy with which this inferior force, in the face of a formidable naval armament, not only sustained a position in which nothing was complete, but repelled the enemy with considerable loss, cannot fail to inspire the APPROBATION of their GOVERNMENT and the APPLAUSE of their COUNTRY.'


Saturday, July 4, 2015

4th Of July At Fort Wayne





The first celebration of the Fourth of July at Fort Wayne of which a record has been preserved occurred in the year 1810.  ...Commandant Rhea and his officers, together with the attaches of the fort, were enjoying the day in patriotic style when the celebration was interrupted by the appearance of a mounted courier from Detroit bringing the first regular mail and military dispatches to the garrison.  [Source]



Friday, July 3, 2015

Control Of Detroit





In the War of 1812, Detroit was the chief center of the control of the Indians and of the fur trade of the Upper Lakes. It was, therefore, the center of the struggle between American and British forces. Surrendered to the British in 1813, it was reoccupied by the troops of the United States the following year.

Under both French and British influence Detroit was merely a military and trading post. [Source]



Thursday, July 2, 2015

General Bissell's Papers


Bissell's signature on a pre-war document dated 2 July 1806 from Fort Massac [...Army Inspector, St. Louis, Upper Louisiana]:

Source - Fold3



The Missouri History Museum houses the Daniel Bissell Papers.  The website included the following excerpt from General Bissell's biographical information:

"He was in command at Fort Massac [link added] on the Ohio River at the time of the Louisiana Purchase, and was sent to the Missouri Territory where he was appointed military commander of the territory, now in the state of Missouri and Illinois. By government order, he built Fort Bellefontaine and for several years (1809-1813) was its commandant."