Poem Of The Battle Of North Point

The Battle of North Point: a poem commemorative of September 12th, 1814...

By William Matthew Marine (excerpted below):

THE BATTLE OF NORTH POINT 

The clouds hung o'er the threatened coast,

Above the bluff the shore the strand,

 Where the imperial red-coat host,

 In barges rowed toward the land.

 Upon the beach strewn pebbles lay,

 Smoothed by the water's polishing.

 Where ebbs and flowing tides held sway,

 To dashing breakers murmuring.

 The river rolled great waves of scorn,

 Indignant at the sight beheld;

 Its wrath was roused that early morn,

 And troublous billows dashed and swelled.

 The Briton crossed the deep to siege,

 To storm the heights of Baltimore,

 And wreak his malice and his rage,

 To light the torch upon this shore.

 From decks of oak the soldier proud,

 Marched in the ranks to serve his King.

Defenders Day In Maryland

September 12th is Defenders Day which is celebrated in Maryland.  It commemorates the Battle of Northpoint (and encompasses the Battle of Baltimore and the events at Fort McHenry).

According to the National Park Service site:

On September 12, 1914, the 100th anniversary of the British attack against Fort McHenry, 6500 local school children cloaked in red, white and blue, formed a giant replica of the Flag, which was appropriately named, “The Wonderful Human Flag.”

Here was the itinerary for Defenders Day 2012.

A YouTube video of the Defenders Day celebration in 2001 here and 2011 here.

Attack At The Narrows

Fort Knox II near Vincennes, Indiana

Following the relief army to Fort Harrison was a party of thirteen soldiers under Lieutenant Fairbanks of the Seventh Infantry escorting a supply wagon loaded with flour and meat. On 13 September 1812, the supply wagon was ambushed by a Potawatomi war party...near modern Fairbanks, Indiana. Only two men...managed to escape back to Fort Knox alive... . [Wikipedia]

Letter from Zachary Taylor, dated September 13, 1812, from Fort Harrison regarding a possible attack at the Narrows (which is exactly what happened):

See Duff Green post.  Green served at Vincennes and Fort Harrison under General William Henry Harrison.

Accounts Of The Battle Of Plattsburgh

From A List Of Pensioners...

A British Captain's Grave In Plattsburgh, New York

Captain Downie's Grave

From Harper's Magazine

From The Traveller's Guide.....

Battle Of Lake Erie Illustration

[Source]

Battle of Lake Erie.

A Dear Uncle Letter

This post, "Dear Uncle," at the "Out Of The Box, Notes From The Archives," blog, was "a letter dated 9 April 1814 used as an exhibit in Lynchburg Chancery Cause 1815-002."  The letter talks about General Andrew Jackson and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

For more on the War of 1812 check out the Library of Virginia’s War of 1812 Bicentennial Digital Collection on Virginia Memory.