This Month in War of 1812: Chesapeake Bay, Lewes, Mobile, West Florida and York

All events in April 1813.

APRIL 1813

**  Commerce raids  begin in the Chesapeake Bay.

APRIL 6, 1813

**  Lewes, Delaware bombarded by the British.

APRIL 13

**  Capture of Mobile, Alabama, by the British

APRIL 15

Americans occupy West Florida.

APRIL 27

**  Battle of York.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 6: The Battle of Fort George

The Battle of Fort George began on 26 May 1813, when Fort George was subjected to an artillery barrage and heated shots from Fort Niagara across the river. Joining also from the Americans were new batteries along the shore of the Niagara River.  The result was the destruction of log buildings inside the fort.

Two days later, an American landing force of 2,500 crossed the river in  four waves about 1.9 miles from Fort George under cover of cannonade fire.  By the time the third wave attacked, Fort George's commander, Brigadier General  John Vincent, realized that his force of 560 men could not hold the place and were in risk of being outflanked and trapped in the fort.

He ordered the fort evacuated after the ammunition was destroyed and cannons spiked.  First Nations warriors under John Norton covered the British retreat although the Americans made no real effort to pursue them.

The Americans approached the fort carefully wanting to avoid possible casualties from the explosion of the fort's magazine, like had happened at the conclusion of the Battle of York.  Even so, they arrived in time to prevent the destruction of a substantial part of the fort.  They were able to extinguish one of the fuses that was going to blowup the magazine.

--Brock-Perry

The Glengarry Light Infantry-- Part 3: Action in 1813 and 1814

A company of the Glengarry Light Infantry was at the Battle of York, but didn't play a big part.  They were misdirected by the commander of the Upper Canadian  militia.  Another company  suffered severe losses at the Battle of Fort George trying to prevent American forces landing  on the lake shore from outflanking the fort.

Yet another company was present at the Battle of Sackets Harbor where troops under Prevost and Baynes withdrew after failing to drive American troops from buildings and hastily constructed defenses.

During the latter part of 1813, the entire regiment was concentrated around Fort George and was engaged for several weeks in harassing American outposts  around the captured fort.

They were built back up to full strength during the following winter (1813-1814).  A company took part in the raid on Fort Oswego in the spring of 1814.  During the following summer, the full regiment along with  light infantry companies of four regular line regiments, formed a covering  force on the Niagara Peninsula, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel  Thomas Pearson.

Later, on 25 July, the regiment formed part of a light infantry brigade under Pearson and played a major role in the Battle of Lundy's Lane where they harassed  the left flank of the American Army but suffered casualties when mistaken for Americans by other inexperienced British troops.

--Brock-Perry

Zebulon Montgomery Pike Honored in Florida

From the Haines City (Fla.) Daily Ridge "More than 200-year-old  Army veteran honored at Haines City Veteran's Day Ceremony" by James Coulter.

Most people today would not recognize his name, but if you ever visit Colorado, there is a rather prominent elevation that bears his name, Pike's Peak. 

By direction of President Thomas Jefferson, James Pike led two westward expeditions to explore the newly acquired  lands of the Louisiana Purchase.   During one of those, he crossed the Rocky Mountains and explored  the territory now known as Colorado.  This feat earned him the honor of having his name given to Pike's Peak.

During his service, he was captured by  Spanish colonial authorities near  Santa Fe, taken to  what is now Mexico and interrogated and later released near Louisiana.  He wrote of his exploits in a book published in 1810.

He served in the U.S. Army for 14 years, eventually becoming a brigadier general.  During the War of 1812, he was killed while leading an attack on the Canadian city of York (Toronto today).

Cynthia  Morrison, one of his descendants, was at the ceremony.

--Brock-Perry

Henry A. Hobart, USMA Class 1811, Killed At Capture of Fort George in 1813

From For What They Gave On Saturday Afternoon.

Born Maine.  Appointed from Maine.

Cadet of the Military Academy, Jan. 20, 1808, to March 1, 1811, when he was graduated and promoted to Second Lieut. , Light Artillery, March 1, 1811.

Served:    In garrison at Atlantic ports, 1811-1812; and in War (First Lieut., Light Artillery, Aug. 15, 1811) of 1812-1815 with Great Britain, being engaged in the capture of York (now Toronto), Upper Canada, April 23, 1813, and capture of Fort George, Upper Canada May 27, 1813, where he was killed while valiantly leading his company to attack.

Age 22.

I am unable to find out anything else on him.

--Brock-Perry

The Dennis Shipyard in Toronto-- Part 3: Taken Over By Matthias Sanders

John Dennis moved his family to Kingston so that he could work the Naval Dockyard there.  Matthias Sanders took over the Dennis Shipyard in York and also married a Dennis daughter.

In 1813, Sanders was killed in the explosion of the magazine at Fort York during the American invasion.

In 1818, a traveler cited the Dennis Shipyard as a landmark.

Dennis returned to York after the war in 1815 and built a home at the northeast corner of King and Yonge streets.  He died there of cholera in 1832.  The house was torn down when the Ridout brothers built a hardware store on the site.

--Brock-Perry