Exchange Of Paymaster

  

Image 242

Fort George

29 March 1813

...the exchange of Paymaster Brook of the 49th Regiment who was captured in the merchant vessel Elizabeth in Lake Ontario on the 11th of November last...

Cross-posted at Detour Through History

Prisoner Exchange

  Upper Canada Sundries : C-4543:

Image 245

Re Exchange

The proposition for the exchange of Captain Brock for

Captain Dan'l Baker of the first United States Regiment of Infantry...

also those of Captain Murray and Miller for Captains Smith and Brown.

The black man taken with Captain Brock is released from his

parole without exchange.

Signed Morgan Lewis, Major General...U.S. Army

To Major Gen'l Sheaffe

Cross-posted at Detour Through History

Josiah Howard, POW

British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series), Microform: c-11823:

Josiah Howard, Private.

of Amhurst, York States, taken prisoner

28th May 1813

c.694.A.  P. 13.

Cross-posted at Detour Through History

Visiting Family While Fort Was Captured

Source (December, 1813, Entries)

"Capt. Leonard, the commanding officer of the fort, was [visiting] with his family. He came very early to the garrison in the morning, but was much surprised to be challenged by a British sentinel, who made prisoner of him." 

Surgeon Sylvester Day

From the Manuscripts Division, William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan, a finding aid for the Sylvester Day Collection, 1813-1920, Creator: Day, Sylvester, 1778-1851:

Biography
Sylvester Day was born in 1778, the son of Elkanah Day and Lavinia Merrill. He worked as garrison surgeon's mate in the United States Army in 1807, and was at Fort Michilimackinac from 1810 to July 17, 1812, when British forces took the fort during the War of 1812. After his parole by British forces, he travelled to Detroit, Michigan, where he worked as a surgeon until General William Hull surrendered the city to the British in August 1812. He remained in Detroit in order to help care for sick and wounded soldiers who were unable to leave with the rest of the American troops. On October 16, 1812, he left Detroit with American prisoners of war on the British Brig Adams, headed for Fort Erie. However, the United States Navy captured the Adams while en route to its destination, and forced Day to disembark before burning the ship and all of his personal effects. Following this incident, Day began a legal suit against the U.S. government in an attempt to gain reparations for the property he lost in the burning, especially his extensive medical library. The U.S. Army appointed Day a surgeon of the 4th Regiment of Infantry on March 13, 1813. He transferred to the 5th Infantry on May 17, 1815, and was on duty in Detroit, Michigan, until 1818. He worked as post surgeon at Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, from 1818 to 1820, and later became post surgeon for the Allegheny Arsenal. Day worked at other locations before his death at Allegheny Arsenal, Pennsylvania, in 1851.

Fort At Mackinac Island

226 Dr. Sylvester Day went to Michilimackinac as surgeon's mate at the garrison as early as 1810. He and his family resided on Astor Street at the time of the surrender of the fort. He had one son named Hannibal, who later became Gen. Hannibal Day. U. S. A. After leaving Michilimackinac they resided at Detroit. Dr. Day was a Mason and master of Zion Lodge, No. 62, in 1817. The same year he subscribed $350 toward the University Fund. {Michigan Pioneer Collections; Annals of Fort Mackinaw by Kelton, p. 46.)  [Source]

Residual Bad Feelings

The war of 1812 was due in great part to the bad feeling that had remained in the South and Wesit, particularly Kentucky, since the Indian wars. This feeling was intensified by the massacre of Frenchtown, or Raisin River, in January, 1813, when several hundred Kentuckian prisoners were killed by the Indian allies of General Proctor.  [Source]

Fort Niagara, 1813

Source

"The burning of Newark was a wicked and cruel act and drove the British to take a swift and barbarous vengeance. During the night of December eighteenth [1813], five hundred and fifty regulars crossed the river, crept up unseen to Fort Niagara, surprised the sentinels, rushed through the main gate, and captured the fort and three hundred and fifty prisoners. No surprise was ever more complete." [Source]

General (Then Colonel) Scott Rescued

Fold3

Life In Canada:

Captain Robert Charles Wilkins

Mr. Wilkins was appointed Captain of a flank company in Kingston. He was to obtain supplies for the army and to secure safe transportation for the troops.

Source

David McDonald, POW

British Military and Naval Records...

Microform: c-11837

Image 5329

Yost's Military Adventures

Yost's book (transcribed as written):

"Major lewis Came up with us he took the greatest paines to instruct the troops and it is a pleasing thing to see such a good officer as Major Lewis at the head of so many fine troops...

Riviere La Tranche (River Thames In  Ontario, Canada)

...on the 22 the British prisoners that was taken up the river trench pased this place under the care of the Cantucky milicia about four hundred in number two companys was ordered out of our Brigade Commanded by Richeson and Smith to gard the British prisoners to Chilecothe at this place I wrote to Samuel Zane But on the morning of the 26 we again took up the line of march and then we was inspected by Major Lewis...

Fort Meigs

...and then marcht for fort Megs with two days provisions in our nabsacks our rout was down the Sandusky River about four miles and one half and then Crost a large Creek and then took the old indian trale Which was through a low marchy ground....".

Also see a blog post, Robert Yost's Book.

Fate Of Prisoners

Old Fort Dearborn

"...fate of more of the prisoners...".

Chicago--Among the prisoners who have recently arrived at this place (says the Plattsburg paper of the 21st ult.) from Quebeck, are James VanHorn, Joseph Knowles, Paul Grommow, Elias Mills, Joseph Bowen, Nathan Edson, Dyson Dyer, James Cobrin and Phelim Corbin, of the First regiment of U. S. infantry, who survived the massacre at Fort Dearborn or Chicago, on the 15th of August, 1812." [Source]

H.M.S. Prince Of Wales Bone Model

The picture was taken from Prisoners of war in Britain, 1756 to 1815; a record of their lives, their romance and their sufferings:

Bone Model Of H.M.S. Prince Of Wales

Made By Prisoners Of War

Dartmoor Prison

From Prisoners of war in Britain, 1756 to 1815; a record of their lives, their romance and their sufferings.

Citizen Prisoners

"The British, while holding Detroit, to prevent Gen. Harrison from gaining information of their strength and operations, kept a strict guard over their citizen prisoners...". [From Pioneer Collections]

The First Prisoner

Source

Canadian Spies

The history of the county of Huntingdon [Quebec] and of the seigniories of Chateaugay and Beauharnois from their settlement to the year 1838 (Published 1888):


The vigilant watch that had been maintained along the frontier was redoubled, and, in addition to the Indian guard, a body of spies was formed from among the settlers in Hemingford and Hinchinbrook, who, from their situation and the intimate relations they kept up with the neighboring settlers on the south side of the line, had great facilities in finding out what was going on in the camp at Chateaugay, N. Y., and without exciting the slightest suspicion on the part of the enemy. Among the most active of these secret-service agents was David Manning, and from the few of his reports still preserved it can be seen that he was a man of education and great shrewdness. Another of the agents, Morris Simpson, from Lacolle, was detected by the enemy, who made arrangements to capture him. Receiving word from a spy that he was staying at Gentle's in Franklin, a detachment was sent from Smith's, and surrounding the house at night found him asleep in bed and took him prisoner without resistance.

Reverend John Burns

Source

It is believed that the Reverend John Burns, Presbyterian Minister, was the first Teacher of the Niagara School. Till lately, there were several living who were his pupils both before and after the war of 1812. He was taken prisoner and it is said preached to his captors. The late Judge Burns was the son of this old Niagara Teacher and Preacher. [Source]

Burials in Niagara

27 Feb 1822 - Reverend John Burns*

Source (Page 72)

Bounty On Knaggs' Head

James Knaggs' testimony from the Congressional serial set:

I hereby certify that the foregoing testimony of James Knaggs... . ...of good reputation in the community. ...intimately conversant with the manners circumstances etc. of the old French population.

Source - Canadian Side Of Detroit River

He was engaged in the various conflicts near the Detroit River already described, and in 1813, was in the battle of the Thames under Colonel Richard M. Johnson. While with Hull at Sandwich attached to Colonel McArthur's regiment, he performed important scout service.

On one occasion, accompanied by four men, he penetrated the country as far as the site of the present village of Chatham on the Thames and there captured a Colonel McGregor a burly British officer and a [man] named Jacobs and carried them to Hull's camp. He tied McGregor to a horse and thus took him to the headquarters of his chief. After the surrender, McGregor offered five hundred dollars for the capture of Knaggs dead or alive.

An Eyewitness At Old Fort Miami

Source [War of 1812 Participant, Not Necessarily At Fort Miami]

"In all this however there must be made an exception against the honor of the infamous Proctor*, the commander of the allied forces of the enemy. When the prisoners who had been taken from Colonel Dudley's command were taken to the British camp, below the fort, they were put into old Fort Miami, near by, and, in the language of an eyewitness, "the Indians were permitted to garnish the surrounding rampart, and to amuse themselves by loading and firing at the crowd, or at any particular individual. Those who preferred to inflict a still more cruel and savage death, selected their victims, led them to the gateway, and there, under the eye of General Proctor, and in the presence of the whole British army, tomahawked and scalped them."  [Source]

*Update:  It was noted in the comments section of the blog that the name is Procter, not Proctor. The source of the text spelled the name as Proctor, so I will leave it as is (with the added quotation marks that I should have originally included).