Attack On Fort Michilimackinac

Distant View Of Mackinac Island

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"Capt. Charles Roberts to Colonel Baynes: Fort Michilimackinac, 17th July, 1812. Sir,—On the 15th instant I received letters by Express from Major General Brock, with orders to adopt the most prudent measures either of offence or defence which circumstances might point out, and haying received intelligence from the best information that large reinforcements were daily expected to be thrown into this garrison, and finding that the Indians who had been collected would soon have abandoned me if I had not made the attempt, with the thorough conviction that my situation at St. Joseph's was totally indefensible, I determined to lose no time in making the meditated attack on this Fort."

Left Hampton Roads

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View Of Queenston Road About 1824

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Lewis G. De Russy (Officer And Graduate Of West Point)

There's a short biography of Lewis G. De Russy here that included the following:

" He was the oldest West Point graduate to serve as an officer in the Confederate Army, and he had three Confederate forts named after him. (He also had a brother and a nephew who were generals in the Union Army, and between the three of them there were five Fort DeRussys.)"

This blog post has a photo of De Russy here.

Robert Pogue's Mother

Robert Pogue built Fort Amanda in Ohio; his mother was Ann McGinty, a notable figure at Fort Harrod in Kentucky, according to this blog (and Fort Amanda expert).

Ann McGinty's Grave Marker At Fort Harrod

A Docent Portrayed Ann McGinty Here At Fort Harrod

The First Naval Officer Who Fell

Scrimshaw Art Of The Frigate Constitution At The Smithsonian

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"Lieut. William S. Bush, was a native of Wilmington (Delaware.)  His father, Capt. John Bush was a meritorious officer in the revolutionary war, and he was the nephew of the brave Major Lewis Bush, who fell supporting the cause of his country at the battle of Brandywine."

"The brave and amiable lieutenant William Bush, the first naval officer who fell in this war, distinguished himself by intrepidly leading on the boarders when he received the ball which deprived his country of his services." [Source]

Firewood From Arlington

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The winter of eighteen hundred, following the invasion of Washington by the British, was so severe that loaded wagons could pass backward and forward across the ice of the frozen Potomac with perfect safety. To mitigate the sad want of fuel in those days, Mr. Custis permitted families needing wood for home use to cut and remove what they needed from Arlington forest free of charge. [Source]

Descendants Of Bernard de Marigny

Source: Creole Families Book

"...Bernard de Marigny, of New Orleans, was a veteran of the war of 1812....".

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West Pointers, Heroism And Daring

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Upon his [Alexander Macomb's] arrival at the seat of government, he found that the corps to which he belonged had been disbanded, but that he had been retained, and attached to the 1st infantry, with the rank of first lieutenant. At the same time authority had been given to raise a corps of engineers...----which corps, when organized, was to constitute the Military Academy.  ....he was transferred to that corps, as a first lieutenant, in October, 1802.

This was the beginning of an institution, which has since made the world ring, with the heroism and daring of the gallant officers whose military character and education were there formed and acquired. [Source]

August Near Horseshoe Bend

Encampment At Horseshoe Bend On The Tallapoosa River

Smith College Studies in History, Volumes 7-8, included Major Tatum's Journal:

August 11, 1814 

The Commanding General and suite having embarked on board of one of the boats, I was directed to accompany him and in the descent to ascertain the courses and distances of the Alabama River from the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers, as well as I could under such circumstances.

Private Webb's Famous Daughter

Source - First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes

Source

Among Colonel Ball's troopers was a private, James Webb (1795 - 1833), the father of Lucy Webb Hayes, whose old flint-lock rifle and hunting horn are among the treasures of Spiegel Grove.

See Ball's Battle.

Fort Mims

The removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia, Volume 1  by Wilson Lumpkin:

Indeed, while I was yet in the wilderness I heard of the death of Arthur Lot(t) and his son murdered by the Creek Indians in the path which I had but recently traveled.  And before or just after my return home I heard of the massacre of the inmates of Fort Mims near the junction of Alabama and Tombigbee rivers, a place where I had spent several days to recruit my stock of provisions.

Pre-War Meeting At Grouseland

Grouseland, Harrison's Home In Vincennes, Indiana

Even Ft. Knox commandant Captain Floyd, recently arrived from New Orleans, drew a dagger in defense of the Governor. Tense moments passed as Tecumseh's men shouted and brandished their edged weapons. Finally, the soldiers enforced the governor's dismissal of the Shawnee, into leaving Grouseland, the governor's house. The next day Tecumseh issued an apology, apparently having lost his legendary self-possession. [Source]


From an article in the Tribune-Star:

"On Aug. 14, 1810, Capt. George Rogers Clark Floyd of the 7th U.S. Infantry, the new commandant at Fort Knox, watched as 80 canoes of Shawnees, “painted in the most terrific manner,” arrived for the parley."
"At the meeting on Aug. 15 attended by 400 armed warriors wearing war paint, Tecumseh insisted that the Treaty of Fort Wayne was illegitimate and asked Gov. Harrison to nullify it."
"At one point, Tecumseh’s temper flared and he called Harrison “a liar.” The talks nearly erupted. Potawatomi chief Winamac, a friend to Gov. Harrison, soothed the passions of the Shawnee and the meeting was postponed until the following afternoon."

Commemorating Horseshoe Bend

Poster At Horseshoe Bend N. P.

Commemorating The Bicentennial of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend

The Entrance At Fort McHenry

Source

Fort McHenry is part of the National Park Service.

See Friends of Fort McHenry on Facebook here.

John Anderson, West Point Graduate

John Anderson "served in the War of 1812 at Detroit and was made prisoner when Hull surrendered."

"He [Anderson] made an exploring trip into the northwestern and western country soon after and in 1815-16 surveyed Lake Champlain. In 1817 he was engaged in constructing the military road from Detroit to the Maumee River. In 1818 he was in Washington D. C. when it was reported that he had died. This was later denied and on August 21, 1818, he married Julia Ann Taylor, a Quakeress of that city. They returned to Detroit in September, and in 1819 he surveyed Grosse Isle. They lived where the old Mariners' Church now stands. Major Anderson took an interest in the affairs of the town and was very much liked."

"He died September 14, 1834, at Detroit, Mich., aged 59 years. His widow, Julia Ann Taylor Anderson, died October 29, 1842, leaving her property in trust for a church, the Mariners' Church, at the death of her sister Charlotte Thomas Anderson, of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, NY, and E. Rood of Detroit were among the heirs of John Anderson."  From the Governor and judges journal: proceedings of the Land board of Detroit

Register of West Point Graduates
1807
26 JUSTUS POST. Died, March 14, 1846, at Caledonia, Ill, aged 65.
27 SATERLEE CLARK. Died, 1848, Washington, D. C.
28 JOHN ANDERSON. Died, Sept. 14, 1834, at Detroit, Mich.
29 SAMUEL CHAMPLIN. Died, Feb. 10, 1863, Charleston, S. C.
30 SAMUEL NOAH. Near Mt. Pulaski, Ill.

Post-War Star Spangled Banner At Fort McHenry

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Read about the untold story of the Star Spangled Banner.

Horseshoe Bend Military Park

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See A War Within A War, the Huntsville Militia, William Tom and Absalom Brown.

House At Chalmette Battlefield

The Malus-Beauregard House is in the background of the National Park Service's Chalmette Battlefield site. The house, built in 1830, was built post-war.  It is presently being used as a visitor's center.  The previous visitor's center was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Jim's Photo of  the Malus-Beauregard House

Escape To Cedar Point

Modern-day view of Cedar Point in Ohio from Johnson's Island

Until 1852, Johnson's Island was called Bull's Island, after its early owner, E.W. Bull. On the night of Sept. 26, 1812, four boats loaded with provisions from the Portage River stockade, started for Camp Avery on the Huron River. From the head of Sandusky Bay, manned by 18 men, the boats stole cautiously along the south shore of the long headland. Rumors of...Indians had increased. The intention was to proceed directly to the Huron but a violent storm was encountered and the boats landed on the east side of Bull's Island. [Source]

See blog post about the first battle site in Ohio.
Twenty men held the Indians at bay in a cabin while the main body escaped by boat to Cedar Point. 

Another account here; not only a good historical perspective, but a reminder that what is now known for "thrill rides and water slides" was once a War of 1812 site.