British Spy Near Niagara

Source  

Lilly Library, Indiana University

Letter dated 1812 Aug. 10 

Hall, Amos, fl. 1813  Army Officer
Autographed letter signed. 3 p. 25 cm.

Head Quarters, Niagara Frontier. To William Wadsworth (1761 - 1833). Deals with the court martial trial of John Ryan [citizen of the United States] a British spy.

Directed that a court martial be held at the house of a Warren Sadler, Innkeeper at Schlosser...county of Niagara...

Frederick Richmond (last named above), Adjutant,

Queenston Heights

Source

Before daylight on the morning of the 13th of October. a large of General Van Rensselaer's army, numbering between thirteen and fourteen hundred, under Brigadier General Wadsworth, effected a landing the lower end of the Village of Queenston, (opposite Lewiston) and an attack upon the position which was defended with the utmost determined bravery by the two flank companies of the 49th Regiment, commanded by Captains Dennis and Williams, aided by such of the forces and Indians as could be collected in the vicinity.

A considerable force, however, had effected a landing some distance above, and succeeded in gaining the summit of the mountain. No resistance could now be offered to the crossing from Lewiston, except by the battery at Vromont's Point,, half a mile below and from this a steady and harassing fire was kept up which did considerable execution. [Source]


See The Battle Of Queensto(w)n Heights here.

An Unidentified Deserter

Who was this deserter from Conesus?

"During the War of 1812 a drafted soldier from Conesus deserted from the army, then lying near Buffalo, and took refuge in this gully, then so thickly wooded along its margin as to be almost inaccessible.  The period was mid-winter, and as he was aware that a reward had been offered for his arrest, he kept closely concealed during the day-time in a nest he had formed for himself among the upper branches of a venerable hemlock tree, closely surrounded by smaller trees.  At night he was in the habit of visiting a neighboring log hut for his food.  Officers scoured the gully several times, but did not succeed in discovering his hiding-place."

Source: A history of Livingston County, New York: from its earliest traditions, to ...

Conesus is a town in Livingston County, New York, but Livingston was not a county during the War of 1812 (the county was formed in 1821 from Ontario and Genesee counties).

Was he one of Brigadier General William Wadsworth's men?  The General was from Geneseo (now Livingston County).

FamilySearch.org has 622,984 images in the War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815, file that one could browse through to look for possible suspects!