Road Trippin' Through History: Notable War of 1812 Persons Buried at Laurel Hull Cemetery

Laurel Hill is a cemetery in Philadelphia.  This is a continuation of a Road Trip that started in my Running the Blockade blog with Richard Binder, USMC, who received a Medal of Honor for action at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher during the Civil War.  He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery which is a part of Laurel Hill Cemetery.

There are several War of 1812 notables buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery.

DAVID CONNER (1792-1856)--  Naval officer in War of 1812 and Mexican War.  Served on the USS Hornet.

ISAAC HULL  (1773-1843)--  Commanded USS Constitution in its battle with the HMS Guerriere.

ELIE AUGUSTUS F. LA VALLETTE  (1790-1862)--  War of 1812 American officer at Battle of Lake Champlain.  Also served in Mexican War.

--Brock-Perry

John M. Gamble, USMC-- Part 3: His Brother Peter Also in War of 1812 Where He Lost His Life

It should be mentioned that John M. Gamble had a brother by the name of Peter Gamble who was an officer in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812.

Peter Gamble was born on 5 November 1793 in Bordentown, New Jersey.  He was appointed midshipman on 16 January 1809, and served on Thomas Macdonough's flagship USS Saratoga at the Battle of Lake Champlain.

There, he was killed in action while sighting his gun on 11 September 1814.

Macdonough his deplored the loss and commended his bravery in action.

A destroyer was named for both Peter and John M. Gamble, the USS Gamble DD123/DM-15).  This ship was at Pearl Harbor when the attack came.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Montgomery on Lake Champlain-- Part 1: How It Got the Name Fort Blunder

From Wikipedia.

FORT MONTGOMERY (ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN)

Fort Montgomery on Lake Champlain is the second of two American forts built at the northernmost point of the American part of the lake. A first, unnamed  fort was built on the same site in 1816.  Fort Montgomery was built in 1844.

FORT BLUNDER

Construction on the first fort at this location, an octagonal structure with 30-foot high walls, in 1816 to protect against attack from British Canada such as what had happened at the Battle of Plattsburgh/ Battle of Lake Champlain in 1814. 

In July 1817, President James Monroe visited the incomplete  fortification and the adjacent military reservation known locally as "The Commons."

However, due to an earlier surveying error, it was found that this American fort was actually situated on the wrong side of the border.  This resulted it as sometimes being referred to as Fort Blunder.

--Brock-Perry

New York's Fort Blunder/Montgomery Has a War of 1812 Connection-- Part 1

Even though it wasn't built during the war.

From the December 5, 2022, Daily Kos  "Mid-19th century New York fortress built to keep the British out sold to Canadians" by  BeeD.

A fortress in upstate New York once designed to defend the  U.S. border from British incursions from Canada was recently sold to Canadian brothers.

The United States has been invaded  by the British using Lake Champlain as their highway three times:  twice during the American Revolution and once during the War of 1812.

The first attack was stalled by Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Valcour Island in 1776 and the withdrawal of the British at the onset of winter, the second ended with the surrender of General John Burgoyne's British and Hessian Army at Saratoga  in October 1777, and the third was stopped by the U.S. Navy  at the Battle of Lake Champlain in 1814.

You're Probably Wondering About the Fort Blunder Name.   --Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812: A Big Month for the Star-Spangled Banner

SEPTEMBER 10, 1813

**  The Battle of Lake Erie

SEPTEMBER 11, 1814

**  Battle of Lake Champlain, New York

SEPTEMBER 12,1814

**  Battle of North Point, Maryland

SEPTEMBER 13, 1814

**  Bombardment of Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland

SEPTEMBER 14, 1814

**  The flag was still there.

--Brock-Perry

Book on Thomas Macdonough Is Delaware's Book of the Week

From Delaware News. "DE Heritage Commission Book of the Week:  Captain Thomas Macdonough" by Virginia Mason Burdick.

The son of an American Revolution veteran, Thomas Macdonough would serve with distinction in the War of 1812.    After the climatic Battle of Lake Champlain, Macdonough would go down in history as one of Delaware's  greatest military heroes.

In her biography, Virginia Burdick discusses the life and times of the good captain and tells the story of a lesser-known hero of America's Second War of Independence.

You can view or download a PDF version of the book at this site.

He also had the USS Montgomery at his famous battle which I have written about before.

--Brock-Perry

The Gamble Family in the USN and USMC

From the "Biographical Register of Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York"  by William Munro MacBean.

Colonel John Marshall Gamble

**  Colonel Gamble  was one of  four sons of  Major William Gamble of the United States Marine Corps, all of whom served in the U.S. Navy.

**  Captain Thomas Gamble of the U.S. Sloop of War Erie, the eldest, died at Pisa, Italy, October  10, 1818.  He was named after his uncle who was Quartermaster-General of British forces in North America in 1769,  and died as a Major in  London in 1821 at the age of 86, leaving 14,500 pounds toward paying off the British national debt, probably because he never forgave his brother and nephews for their disloyalty.

**  Lieutenant Francis R. Gamble, commander of the U.S. Storeship Decoy, died off Cape Hatteras, September 29, 1824.

**  Lieutenant Peter Gamble, the youngest of the four brothers was killed at the Battle of Lake Champlain, on Commodore Macdonough's ship.

--Brock-Perry

Peter Gamble, USN-- Part 2

From  History and Heritage Command:  Navy Officers 1798-1900.om US Naval 

PETER GAMBLE

Midshipman:    16 January 1809

Lieutenant:   17 March 1814

Killed in Action:  11 September 1814  (Battle of Lake Champlain)

I have not been able to find out anything more about Peter Gamble.

--Brock-Perry

Peter Gamble, USN-- Part 1

The destroyer USS Gamble (DD-123) was named after two Gamble brothers.  Peter Gamble lost his life at the Battle of Lake Champlain.

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  Unknown

DEATH:  11 September 1814

BURIAL:  Riverside Cemetery, Plattsburgh, New York.

His gravestone is now almost illegible.  There is another stone on the ground which is readable:

Lieutenant

Peter Gamble

U.S.N.

Sept. 11, 1814

Battle of

Plattsburgh

--Brock-Perry

USS Gamble (DD-123) (DM-15): Named for Two Brothers

The ship was named after two brothers.  One, Peter, was in the U.S. Navy, and the other, John M. Gamble was in the USMC.  Both fought in the War of 1812 with one being killed.  This ship was at Pearl Harbor when the British attacked along with another destroyer named the Perry, after Oliver Hazard Perry.

From Wikipedia.

Peter Gamble was born  on 5 November 1793 in Bordentown , New Jersey.  He was appointed  midshipman on 16 January 1809 and served on Thomas Macdonough's flagship USS Saratoga at the Battle of Lake Champlain.

He was killed  in action while sighting  his gin on  11 September 1814.

Macdonough deplored Peter's loss and commended his gallantry in action.

John M. Gamble was the brother of Peter Gamble and achieved the rank of brevet lieutenant colonel  in the United States Marine Corps.

--Brock-Perry

Two Destroyers at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Named After People from the War of 1812

In my Tattooed On Your Soul:  WW II blog, I have been writing about the USS Montgomery (DD-121) (DM--17) which was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked.  It did not receive any damage, but it and other destroyers anchored in Middle Loch, across from Fort Island, may have shot down as many as six Japanese planes.

Two of those ships with the Montgomery that day were named after War of 1812 naval heroes.  

They were the USS Perry (DD-320) (DMS-17), named for Oliver Hazard Perry and the USS Gamble (DD-123) (DM-15) named after Peter Gamble, killed at the Battle of Lake Champlain.  And, it was also named after Peter's brother, John M. Gamble who was an officer in the USMC.

--Brock-Perry

The Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815

From the January 8, 2022, We Are the Mighty  "Today in Military History:  Battle of New Orleans

On January 8, 1815,  U.S. General Andrew Jackson won one of the most decisive battles in the War of 1812.  But, the Treaty of Ghent, technically ending the war had been signed two weeks earlier, but not ratified but the U.S. and no one knew it at the time.

In September of 1814, the Americans had won a major victory on Lake Champlain in New York and the British were ready to negotiate peace terms.  Representatives from both sides met in Belgium and signed the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814.

LEADING UP TO THE BATTLE

On December 23, 1814, A British force reached the LeCoste's Plantation, abut nine miles south of New Orleans.  Andrew Jackson led an American force in a surprise attack on the British which delayed them long enough for the Americans to build a heavily fortified defensive earthwork along the Rodriguez Canal, about four miles south of the city

The British general Sir Edward Packenham had every reason to believe he was going to be successful.  He was leading a force of some 8,000 British regulars, fresh from fighting the Napoleonic Wars and would be up against some 4,700 Americans.  Of these, only a small number were regular troops.  The rest were militia, civilians,  Choctow Indians, freed slaves and even pirates.

Instead of a victory, the British were mowed down and lost some 2,000 of their force as opposed to some 100 for Jackson.

--Brock-Perry

Vergennes Shipwrights Played Role in Battle of Lake Champlain-- Part 7: A Complete and Total American Victory

During the battle, the massive broadsides of both fleets could be heard as far away as Highgate, on the Canadian-Vermont border.  Macdonough's superior tactics won the day.

He anchored his ships in a way that allowed him to swing his vessels quickly to fire a second  broadside at the British  line of ships.  This means that the Americans would fire a broadside and then the ship would swing around so that the guns on the other side of the ship could then fire a broadside and rake the British ships.

So, for every one broadside the British fired, the Americans would get in two.

The tactic worked to a devastating effect.  In a battle that lasted barely two hours, Macdonough captured the entire British fleet except its swift gunboats, which were able to flee.

The American victory proved to be a turning point in the war.  Having lost the support of the British fleet, the British Army had its supply line threatened and commenced a retreat back to Canada.

The war in North America officially ended  in December 14, 1814, with the Treaty of Ghent, although news of the treaty did not reach America until  weeks afterwards.

Naval historian and future British prime minister Winston Churchill later called the Battle of Plattsburgh, sometimes called the Battle of Lake Champlain, "the most decisive engagement of the war."

If not for the work of the shipwrights at Vergennes, the outcome of this decisive  engagement might have turned out differently.

--Brock-Perry

Vergennes Shipwrights Played Vital Role in Battle of Lake Champlain-- Part 6: A Fairly Even Battle

When the American and British navies met in Plattsburgh Bay (also called Cumberland Bay), the British had a slight advantage in terms of number of ships and guns aboard them.  But the work done at Otter Creek made it a fair fight.

The British shipwrights had had to rush their work to prepare for this battle.  In fact, work aboard the HMS Confiance was still underway when it was launched.  According to one account, the frigate had to stop at Cumberland Head, in Plattsburgh Bay, to drop off the last  of the carpenters aboard before the battle.

Brock-Perry

Shipwrights in Vergennes Key to Battle of Lake Champlain in 1814-- Part 1

From the September 12, 2021, Vermont Digger  "Then Again:  Shipwrights in Vergennes were key to critical 1814 battle" by Mark Bushnell.

September 11, 1814, was the day Americans won a critical engagement in the War of 1812 called the Battle of Lake Champlain.  The British lost that battle and the war turned out to be essentially a draw, but it might have been a different conclusion had they won at the fight.

And, this victory was in large part because of the prodigious work  of an accomplished naval shipyard  on the banks of Otter Creek.  This place built the vessels that helped repel the British invasion on Lake Champlain. 

As it had in the American Revolution, Lake Champlain played a vital role in the military strategy of the conflict.  American commanders knew that the British would likely use the lake as an invasion path. 

Twenty-eight-year-old Thomas Macdonough was given a really small fleet of ships to stop the British.  Under his command  were six sloops and two 40-ton row galleys.  This small fleet was further diminished  in July 1813, when two of the sloops ventured too far up the Richelieu River at the north end of the lake and were seized by British forces, who repaired the damage they did to them and began using them against the Americans.

--Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812: Two Big Naval Victories and 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

From the September 2021 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

These events took place in September during America's "Forgotten War."  I say it's not so forgotten.

SEPTEMBER 10, 1813

Battle of Lake Erie, Ohio  "We have met the enemy...."

SEPTEMBER 11, 1814

Battle of Lake Champlain, New York

SEPTEMBER  12, 1814

Battle of North Point, Maryland

SEPTEMBER 13, 1814

Bombardment of Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland

--Brock-Perry

The Career of Thomas Macdonough-- Part 3: A Complete American Victory

Thomas Macdonough immediately took advantage of the situation  and using brilliant seamanship and ingenuity, Macdonough maneuvered his ship to fire a broadside into the Confiance causing that ship to surrender.

With the Confiance out of action, the British fleet lost its strongest ship, the remaining enemy ships were pounded by the Americans and it became a total victory for Macdonough's fleet.

The result was a total victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh (also called Battle of Lake Champlain)  The British withdrew to Canada and the British got serious about negotiating a peace.

--Brock-Macdonough

What Teddy Roosevelt Had to Say About Macdonough

From Wikipedia.  Thomas Macdonough.

Theodore Roosevelt 1882

"Macdonough in this battle won a higher fame  than any other commander of the war, British or American.  he had a decidedly superior force to contend against, the officers and men of the two sides being about on par  in every respect; and it was solely owing to his foresight and resource that we won this battle.

He forced the British to engage at a disadvantage by his excellent choice of position; and he prepared beforehand for every possible contingency.

His personal prowess had already been shown at the cost  of the rovers of Tripoli, and in this action he helped fight the guns as ably as the best sailor.  His skill, seamanship, quick eye, readiness of resource, and indomitable pluck, are beyond all praise.

Down to the time of the Civil War he is the greatest figure in our naval history.

High Words of Praise Indeed.  --Brock-Perry

Maybe I should sign off with Brock-Macdonough instead of Brock-Perry?

Some More On the Macdonough Monument in Plattsburgh-- Part 3: Great-Great Granddaughter to Speak

Thomas Macdonugh's great-granddaughter and Isabelle Verkaart Parlin's mother, Isabelle Agnes Macdonough, who was 11 at the time, unveiled the monument at its dedication in August 1926.  Her daughter will speak at this anniversary.

The monument is 135 feet high and topped by an eagle with a 22 foot wingspan.  It serves as a constant reminder of the great victory that was there and the lives lost.

The Macdonough Monument stands in the park directly across from the Plattsburgh City Hall.  The monument overlooks the Saranac River which glows into Cumberland Bay which is connected to Lake Champlain.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on the Macdonough Monument in Plattsburgh-- Part 2

However, World War I disrupted plans for the monument.  A federal act was passed to prohibit the spending of federal funds for the construction of monuments indefinitely passed.  Additionally the cost of construction increased dramatically.

All this delayed Plattsburgh's memorial until  1921, when citizens became very urgent that the matter of erecting the memorial became very urgent."

An Act of the Legislature of 1921 abolished the former commission and established a new one in favor of having more locals serve and more frequent meetings.  The state appropriated more funds for the project, and after some revisions of the original plans forced by budget limits, the commission selected a man named John Young Jr. to construct the memorial.

--Brock-Perry