Court Martials In Kingston

Proceedings of a Militia General Court Martial held at Kingston on Dec. 6, 1813, for the trial of Amos McIntyre. Upper Canada Sundries : C-4508, Image 490

Image 514 cost of court martial

Shot For Desertion

An excerpt from A North End Journal blog post:

"I have reached the names on the list that begin with the letter M and it’s the first time I have come across the comment that someone ‘deserted to the enemy’. That made me sit up a little straighter but it was the fate of Private McMillan that gave me the greatest shock. The notation after his name said ‘shot for desertion, Oct. 1814’."

From the Executed Today website:

HEAD QUARTERS, FALLS OF NIAGARA

OCTOBER 28TH 1814.

At a General Court Martial, held at Stamford, on the 25th instant, and continued by adjournment to the 28th of the same month, Private John McMillan, of the 2nd regiment of Lincoln Militia, was arraigned on the following charges, viz.: —

Source

Arrest Of Captain Thomas Spencer

From the "Letters Received..." file of George W. Sevier (Tenn.), a letter postmarked from Fort Hampton, dated 2 April 1811:

Source

Correspondence Of The Commodore

Source

Even though the war was over, the military continued on.  See the Correspondence between Commodore Jesse D. Elliott, and Gharles [!] G. Loring:

Tupper Court Martial

...charges against Brigadier-General Edward White Tupper...Ohio militia.....:

Source

General Gano To Major Lanier

Headquarter Ohio Militia

Upper Sandusky

October 2d. 1813

Source

General John S. Gano To Major Alexander C. Lanier regarding a court martial, posts and public stores...

A biography of Major Lanier can be read here.


Major Lanier's application for his War of 1812 Pension mentioned being ordered by General Gano to attend a court martial at Fort Meigs...:

Source [Fold3]

A Court Martial Of Dr. Backus

Assistant Apothecary Christopher Backus was appointed 12 August 1814.

Reference to his court martial was found in Letters Received By The Office Of The Adjutant General, 1805-1821:

Dateline: Nashville, September 21, 1818

...proceedings of the General Court Martial for the trial of Doctor C. Backus and others held at New Orleans...

Another letter stated that Dr. Christopher Backus...is honest and faithful, but not equal to the duties....

His arrest by George Croghan, September 23, 1816, was listed in The Papers of Andrew Jackson.

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,

Court Martial Of Major General Proctor

From A Collection of the Charges, Opinions, and Sentences of General Courts ...:

Source

General Wilkinson's Last Call Of Duty

Portrait At The NPS Site

 With these movements [at the Battle of Lacolle Mills on March 30, 1814] Wilkinson disappears from the scene of active life. On March 24 orders were received relieving him from duty under the form of granting his request for a court of inquiry and he made over the army to General George Izard and departed.

Once more he passed the ordeal of investigation which in reality was a sham once more he was acquitted but he never again was permitted to assume his command in the army and passed the closing years of his life in Mexico. Source

Post-War Charges Preferred Against Elliot

"I ask this injustice as a junior officer assailed by the secret espionage of a superior."  [Charles Crillon Barton]

Taken from the Manifest of the charges preferred to the Navy department and subsequently to Congress, against Jesse Duncan Elliot: esq., a captain in the navy of the United States, for unlawful conduct while commodore of the late Mediterranean squadron; and a refutation of the recrimination raised by that officer .

A brief description of the incident that lead to the above.

Did Scandalously Combine....

....to injure and defame the character of his superior officer, captain Isaac Hull.

Niles' National Register, Volume 23:

"....Joel Abbot did...scandalously combine with surgeon Samuel R. Trevett, of the navy....scandalously combine with Cheever Felch, a chaplain in the navy....[and]...with lieutenant Henry Ward, of the navy.....".

Court Martial Of Vindictiveness?

Such was the claim of the officer who was the subject of said court martial, General James Wilkinson.

Source

General Wilkinson's take on the reason for his court martial taken from his Memoirs of my own times, Volume 3, by James Wilkinson, Printed 1816:

"I [General James Wilkinson] had been arrested by President Madison, to gratify the personal policy, and vindictive passions, of his secretary of war, General Armstrong; but when I demanded Generals Scott and Macomb, as material witnesses in the cause, they were refused under pretexts of public duty..." .

A relevant document (from Fold3), "War Department, May 23, 1814," to General Wilkinson from Secretary of War Armstrong:

A list of witnesses from the same file:

Court Martial Of Ensign Gates

Plattsburgh, May 14, 1814....

Source

Sir,

Major Wool, when officer of the day, the 3rd April last, at Champlain, arrested Ensign Gates of the 5th Infantry, and a few days after charged him with sleeping on his post the night of the 5th April, this mistake in the date of the charge...compel a Court, I presume, to acquit the accused, however, it's not Mr. Gates wish, to evade a trial.....

D. Bissell, B. Gen.

James Stewart, AWOL

British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series) - INDEX ONLY

Microform: c-11837

McClellan, Martin

Capt. 1st Lincoln Militia

Given evidence before Court-Martial for trial of James Stewart, absent without leave

Niagara 7-31-1812

c. 1700

p. 210

Captain A. McDonald And A Court Martial

British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series) - INDEX ONLY

Microform: c-11837

Captain A. McDonald

President of Regt'l Court-Martial held at Fredericton on 11th March 1813, by order of Major Bliss for trial of Andrew Steadholm and Michael Guriet (Gurier)

Captain McClellan's Military Career

British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series) - INDEX ONLY

Microform: c-11837

Source

McClellan, Martin

Capt.  1st Regt.

Lincoln Militia

President at Court-Martial held for trial of James Cudney, private, Capt. George Bell's Co., 1st Lincoln Militia.

Niagara

3-11-1812

Captain McClellan met his demise:

Source

Captain McClellan's wallet is now a museum artifact at the Niagara Historical Society Museum:

Narrative: McClellan, Martin. "...From "100 Years, 100 Artefacts" compiled by Clark Bernat It was May 26th, 1813; the wife of Captain Martin McClellan...left the family farm on John Street and found safety three miles away."  "He told his wife that he would never see her or their children again."

The Museum also holds a letter regarding the guardianship of the McClellan children.

Abram R. Woolley

From A dictionary of all officers...:

First Commandant at the Allegheny Arsenal:

Source

1820 Court Martial:

Source

 

An account of a court martial of Lt. Col. A. R. Woolley at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.  He was dismissed for caning a soldier.

Colonel King's Court Martial

William King was also a Military Governor of West Florida.....

Fort King Was Named For Colonel William King

A list of officers in the army of the United States who hold brevet commissions for gallant conduct in battle, and for other causes, from American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and ..., Part 5, Volume 2, by United States. Congress:

In the matter of "the court-martial, in the trial of Colonel William King, of the fourth infantry...".

Major General Andrew Jackson was involved, too, sending an order from Headquarters Division of the South, Nashville, on September 2, 1819.  The court-martial was ordered to convene at Fort Charlotte, Mobile, Alabama Territory.  On October 5, 1819, it was learned that yellow fever "was then raging" according to an October 25th report, in Mobile.  The court-martial participants then removed to cantonment Montpelier (in Alabama) where they arrived on November 18th.

Captain Francis L. Dade was a supernumerary member of the court-martial board.....he had an unfortunate history with Florida, too.

A summary of William King's court-martial can be found here.

Source

Neil Cameron, Deserter

The American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and ..., Part 5, Volume 2 included the court-martial of Colonel William King, an account of the aftermath of Neil Cameron's desertion.

From Colonel King's letters:

...Let us begin with the exception, viz. that I ordered $30 to be paid to Sergeant Childers, who had apprehended and killed Neil Cameron. The regulations of the War Department authorize the payment of that sum, to such person as shall apprehend and deliver up a deserter. Now, that Cameron was a deserter, and that Childers apprehended him, is not denied by any one...

Finally, from "An examination of Mr. Calhoun's economy and an apology for those members of Congress who have been denounced as radicals":

Cornelius Jackson, a private in the 4th regiment, United States infantry, testified, " that he was one of the party who was sent in pursuit of Neil Cameron, private, of the 4th infantry; that the party came upon him about 15 miles from Pensacola, while he was asleep; does not know who gave the order. Our order was wrote by Major [James E.] Dinkins, which was, if we came up with him in the...of Spain, we were to put him to instant death, but if he was out of the limits of Spain, we were to take him back as prisoner, we waked him up and asked him if he had not deserted, and he said he had; we asked him if he did not consider himself a prisoner, and he said he did Sergeant Childress told him that he had orders to put him to instant death; he begged 

to be taken back as a prisoner (saying he was on his return to Pensacola) and tried by a court martial, and receive such punishment as a court might put on him Sergeant Childress said it was not worth while, for if he was, he would be put to death as soon as he got back. Cameron said, if he was, it would give him a few days to repent of his drunkenness and bad doings.— Witness saw Sergeant Childress' determination was to shoot him, and witness told Sergeant Childress to let Cameron read the order himself, and he still begged to be taken back as a prisoner; — then Sergeant Childress ordered witness to shoot him, and witness could not do it; — he did not see any occasion for it, for Cameron had given himself up as a prisoner. Childress took 

the gun out of witness' hand and stepped round him, while he was sitting down, and snapped it at Cameron's breast twice. Sergeant Childress handed back the gun and told witness to discharge it; he told witness to load her again, and witness done so. Cameron then made this reply to him; 'Sergeant Childress you have snapped your gun at me a second time, now take me home as a prisoner if you please.' He told him it was more than he could do, for his order would not allow of it; Sergeant Childress stepped round to Cameron as he was sitting down, and says I wish I had a heart as big a mill stone, and blowed him through; — then we returned to Pensacola as quick as we could; we reported to the commanding officer what we had done, and he said we had done exactly right." 

Question by the prosecutor — " Did you bury him or leave him where you had shot him; and did Col. King pass you on the road as you were returning, and had he any conversation with the Sergeant or yourself on the subject of shooting Cameron?" 

Answer —We left him where we shot him, unburied; Col. King did not pass us on our return." 

Question by the prosecutor — " Did you not receive in March last at this post, fifteen dollars from Sergeant Childress, as part of the reward for apprehending Neil Cameron?" Answer — " I did."