Daniel Dobbins, Great Lakes Mariner

Per Wikipedia:  Daniel Dobbins (1776 - 1856) was "a sailing master in the United States Navy and captain in the United States Revenue Cutter Service. He fought in the War of 1812 and was in charge of the building of the ships* at Erie, Pennsylvania...".   *Building The Fleet In The Wilderness

Jim's Photo Of Mackinac Island In The Distance

Captain Dobbins was at Mackinac Island on board his vessel, the Salina, July 16, 1812, when he learned that war had been declared.  He was made a prisoner of war the same day by the British forces there. With sixty other Americans Captain Dobbins was asked to take the oath of allegiance to the British government and swear not to take up arms against Britain. This Dobbins refused to do. Among the British officials there was a petty officer by the name of Wilmoth, who knew Dobbins, with the result that he was allowed to depart with his vessel as a cartel, to take his fellow prisoners to Malden. [Source]

Source

The Buffalo [New York] History Museum has the Daniel Dobbins Collected papers.

See the US Brig Niagara sailing past Dobbins Landing in Erie, PA, on YouTube and an historical profile of Captain Daniel Dobbins here on YouTube.

A biography of Captain Dobbins can be found here, in the Encyclopedia of the War of 1812.