Lt. Wilmer wrote his will while on the USS Essex on July 14, 1814, saying that if he was killed doing his duty, his sisters Mary and Sarah at Havre de Grace should receive his gold watch, clothes, effects and any prize money he had coming.
A fortunate move on his part because he was killed at Valparaiso, Chile, in March 28, 1814, when the British destroyed the Essex.
The 12-year-old cabin boy aboard the Essex at the time was a friend of crew member #61, a slave named Henry Ruff, who was listed simply as 'boy." He said that when Ruff was told that Wilmer had been killed, he was so distraught that he jumped into the sea and drowned. This story comes from the Essex's Captain Porter's foster son and future famous Civil War Admiral David Glasgow Farragut. Porter's son was another famous Civil War Admiral, David D. Porter, who became even more famous with the capture of Fort Fisher in North Carolina on January 15, 1865, almost 150 years ago this month.
--Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
I am trying to determine when Wilmer was born, and I note that he wrote his will on July 14th, 1814.... apparently, some 4 months after he had died (March 28th, 1814? I'm just being a smart ass, I really appreciate what you are doing here, it is quite helpful, and adds context throughout! I am guessing James Wilmer might have been born around 1802???
ReplyDeleteI realized back in 2012 that I didn't know much about the War of 1812 which was why
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