While researching Newburyport, Massachusetts, I came across the name of a Captain William Nichols of the privateer Decatur.
From Ancestory Archives by Melissa Davenport Berry.
He was born and grew up in Newburyport and had sea experience from a young age before the War of 1812.
While in command of the brig Alert in 1811 and had been captured but had concealed a brace of pistols and when the prize crew aboard his ship weren't watching, he retook the ship.
Now, this was before the war was declared.
And then, he was captured again soon after that and this time he did not retake the ship. He was taken to England and put in prison. A prison from which he soon escaped and took a coach to London to procure passage home.. Once there, he was spotted by the sergeant from whom he had just escaped and Nichols said, "Here are three guineas you can have, but never me." Fortunately for him, the sergeant favored the coin more and looked the other way.
--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.
No comments:
Post a Comment