Hull's Surrender

Source

"This demand was received by Hull about 10 o clock in the morning. At this time a court of inquiry was sitting to examine into the surrender at Mackinaw. Upon seeing the white flag, Colonel Miller adjourned the court and Captains Fuller and Snelling were sent to receive the flag, which was borne by Lieutenant McDonald and Captain Glegg."  Source and Source

British Guns Opened On Detroit

Source

The same day that Major Denny evacuated Sandwich the ground he left was occupied by a British detachment, and the erection of batteries was commenced under the direction of Capt. [M.C.] Dixon of the Royal Engineers. The work was prosecuted with such diligence that on the 15th, five guns were in position all of which commanded the fort at Detroit. At noon that day, Lieut. Col. Macdonell and Captain Glegg were sent by General Brock to Hull under a flag of truce to demand the immediate surrender of Detroit. Hull returned a bold answer stating that he was ready to meet any force the British might send against him, and refusing to comply with the demand. The same afternoon the British guns...opened on Detroit with shot and shell and were replied to...from the other side of the river which, however, failed to do the British batteries the slightest injury, although the cannonade continued for several hours. During the night Tecumseh with Colonel Elliot, Capt. McKee and 600 Indians landed on the American shore two miles below Spring Wells, and five from Detroit. There they remained in concealment until the following morning, when General Brock and his white troops crossed over at Spring Wells.

Moffat's Military Band

"In the summer of 1812 there was occasionally music after supper, at about 6:30 p.m., at the Battery flagstaff, or from a band, located in a boat. Different bands volunteered for such occasions. 

Source

One of the most attractive mentioned at the time was Moffat's military band of the second regiment of artillery. Sometimes the music would be from the 'portico of the flagstaff.' The flagstaff was about one bundled feet high and stood at the southeast part of the Battery parade, and was surrounded by an octagon enclosure of boards, with seats inside and a roof to shelter from the weather. Refreshments and drinks were served from the building. A large flag, belonging to the city, was displayed from this pole at appropriate times." [Source]

If There Had Been With Me 2,000 Kentuckians

View Of Frankfort, Kentucky

"Commodore Barney's opinion of the Maryland militia was not a high one."

"At a dinner in his honor, at Frankfort, Kentucky, he said: 'I had the good fortune to be in seventeen battles during the revolution, in all of which the star-spangled banner triumphed over the bloody cross, and in the late war I had the honor of being engaged in nine battles with the same glorious result, except in the last, in which I was unfortunate, though not in fault. If there had been with me 2,000 Kentuckians, instead of 7,000 Marylanders, Washington City would not have been sacked, nor or country disgraced.'" [Source]

Maryland, My Maryland

Source

Source

See the War of 1812 in Charles County Maryland Muster Rolls on YouTube (screenshot above).

Bombardment Of Fort McHenry

Source

Ganson Assigned To Bear The Flag

Of Star-Spangled Banner Fame

Source

A flag is ordered to proceed...to cross over to the Canada shore..... .   Lieut. Col. Walter Greeve of the N. Y. S. Artillery and Major James Ganson are assigned to bear the flag.

Harrison And Reform Flag

Jim's Photo Of A Campaign Flag Taken At Point Pleasant, WVA, Museum

William Christy

Source

"A survivor of the War of 1812 and one of the most active and remarkable men of the day when the late civil war broke out was Colonel William Christy.  He was acting quarter master at Fort Meigs, and had charge of all the stores and flags there at that time."

"When the first gun was fired upon Fort Meigs, Harrison called him to his side and said, "Sir, go and nail a banner on every battery, where they shall wave so long as an enemy is in view." Christy obeyed and there the flags remained daring the entire siege."

"At an early age he [William Christy] went with his father to reside near the Ohio not far distant from Cincinnati.  He was left an orphan at the age of fourteen years. He studied law and entered upon the duties of that profession in 1811. When war was declared, he joined the army under Harrison. That officer knew his father and kindly gave the son of his old friend a place in his military family as aide de camp...".


More from the Texas State Historical Association:

"CHRISTY, WILLIAM H. (1791–1865). William H. Christy, soldier, lawyer, merchant, and friend of the Texas Revolution, was born on December 6, 1791, in Georgetown, Kentucky, the son of George and Mary (Cave) Christy."

He was also found in New Orleans records.

Flag Still Flying

While in Piqua he [Joseph Paxton] was chosen as a volunteer spy in Captain Leslie Combs's company of spies.

...during the night they could distinctly hear the cannonading at Fort Meigs... . ...each man examined his gun and prepared for action as they now expected to have to fight their way into the fort...very soon came in sight of Fort Meigs and saw the American flag still flying...

Source: Congressional edition (Google eBook) (1841)

When America Came Into Her Own

Thus closed a war in which little was nominally gained, but much in reality. By it, indeed, the United States consummated their independence, which hitherto, so far as regarded England at least, had not fully existed. In other words, the war of 1812, freed the popular mind in America, from a sort of provincial reverence for Great Britain. It also removed that dread of her military prowess which had descended from the revolutionary epoch, but which was wholly unbecoming a nation so vigorous as the United States had since become. It is not too much to say that the military spirit of the Republic, which has since shone with such brilliancy, had its birth in the war of 1812.

The early misfortunes of the war, considered in this light, were not without benefits. They forced the nation to put forth its whole strength, and thus developed a capacity, of the existence of which, even she had been ignorant. From that hour the United States took a prouder stand among the nations of the earth. From that hour her flag was respected. Source

Impetus For War

Source

The great mass of the American people hungered for more territory, and they longed to humiliate England by driving her from the Valley of the St. Lawrence, and raising the stars and stripes over every stronghold from Fort Malden to Quebec. [Source]

Also see Aiming For The Conquest of Canada blog post.

Retrieving The Flag

The Tuesday, March 9, 1920, edition of the Flint Journal, contained the following article on Page One:

KENTUCKY COMMISSIONS 1812 DESCENDANT TO GET FLAG BRITISH CAPTURED

Frankfort, KY - March 9 - James Buchanon, Louiville a descendant of Col. Wm. Whitley commander of the Kentucky volunteers in the battle of the Thames in Michigan in the war of 1812, will go to England as a commissioner of the state of Kentucky in bringing back the Kentucky battle flag which was lost at that battle.

The upper house of the general assembly yesterday appropriated expenses for Mr. Buchanon's trip.

The battle is commonly called by historians "the massacre of the River Raisin" because a majority of the Kentuckians were killed and scalped by the Indians after they had surrendered to the British officers under an unfulfilled promise of protection from the Indians.

Francis Scott Key Wrote A Song About It

Star-Spangled Banner from this website.

An interactive version found here!  It's fascinating.