Smith's Knoll On Their Left Hand

Source [Portrait of Wm. Merritt Mentioned Below]

Journal and Transactions of the Wentworth Historical Society...:

The British, commanded by Col. Harvey, and consisting of 704 men, composed of parts of the 49th and 8th King's, with a few militia--the late Hon. William Hamilton Merritt, a militia dragoon officer, being one --having left Burlington Heights, where Gen. Vincent, with a force of about 1700 covered both sides of the present road or 1800 men were entrenched, they proceeded along the road leading to the Red Hill and to Niagara. These men left Burlington Heights about 11 p.m. on June 5th. On proceeding eastward they would have, on making the attack, the James Gage farm and cemetery on their right hand; the Williamson property (then owned by Wm. Gage) and Smith's Knoll on their left hand.

Archaeology activity near Smith's Knoll

Pioneer Life Of Capt. Welsh's Family

A memoir by *Miss Mary J. Welsh; RECOLLECTIONS OF PIONEER LIFE IN MISSISSIPPI. (excerpted below):

*Miss Mary J. Welsh was born at St. Stephens, Ala., Nov. 9, 1823.  Her father, Capt. George Welsh...took part in the War of 1812, being mustered out of service at Fort Claiborne, Ala.**, and settling at St. Stephens in the same State.  In 1833 Miss Welsh's family removed to what afterwards became Kemper county, Miss (then called the "Choctaw Nation"). 

We came by boat on the Tombigbee to Gainesville***, Ala., then a small river town with many promising indications of the rapid growth which it afterwards had. ***The 3rd largest town in Alabama in 1840

The trip to our destination, exactly where the ruins of old Wahalak now are, in wagons, on horseback and on foot (eighteen miles by actual measurement, but then twenty or more), was made in a day; but it was no picnic. The road through the woods followed the newly made blazes, forded Bodka creek and crossed a section of Wild Horse prairie, leading in a northwesterly direction. It was "grubby, stumpy, muddy and sloshy."

Bridge Over Bodka Creek At Google Maps

The trip I made on horseback, behind my mother, with no rest except a few minutes for lunch. This was my introduction to pioneer life... .

**Fort Claiborne:

Source (Page 143 - See Description Below)

Figure 5-38. Thomas Freeman’s ca. 1817 plat of Township 7 North, Range 5 East, showing Fort Claiborne, the Town of Claiborne... .

Bladensburg Archaeology....

...on a site found here (affiliated with the University of Maryland).

Source Of Bladensburg, Maryland, Battle Map

From the Bladensburg Archaeology blog:

"At the moment there are no excavations being conducted in Bladensburg. The analysis and results from the 2008-2010 excavations are nearly complete."

From one of my earlier posts, Excavation At Bladensburg.

More at the National Park Service:

"...Bladensburg, Maryland...a seemingly ordinary suburban community located approximately two miles to the northeast of the Washington, DC border, has a rich and varied history that stretches back 250 years."

Photos.

PBS has a Digging into the War of 1812 at Bladensburg, MD, here.

Major Amos Spafford

Major Amos Spafford

The Spafford Family (Amos Spafford and Olive Barlow) of Perrysburg, Ohio.  

A story about the escavations at the Amos Spafford farm here (full article here):
"The farm was destroyed, along with other family farms, when the British and Indians from Fort Malden, Canada, lead by Captain Peter Latouche Chambers and Shawnee chief Tecumseh, invaded the settlement in August 1812 after the fall of Detroit." 

A 23 January 1812 letter from Major Amos Spafford to Governor Return Jonathan Meigs (transcript here).