N.C.'s War of 1812 Personalities-- Part 4: Otway Burns and Johnston Blakely

OTWAY BURNS--  From Onslow County.  Ship captain and shipbuilder.  Licensed privateer operating along the Atlantic Coast and captured many British ships and supplies.

JOHNSTON BLAKELY--  Lived in Wilmington and Pittsboro.  Attended UNC and went into a Naval career, commanded several warships.  Made quite a name for himself when he sailed around England during the war, destroying much British shipping.

On his last voyage, after capturing a valuable ship, he put a prize crew on board to take it to the United States and sailed east, but soon smoke was seen on the horizon and the fate of Captain Blakely and his crew are still unknown.

Later the N.C. General Assembly gave his young daughter a handsome tea service and provided money for her education.

--Brock-Perry

North Carolina's War of 1812 Personalities-- Part 2

Andrew Duppstadt will makes his presentation on the lives of five persons with North Carolina connections who played roles in the War of 1812.

The five are

Benjamin Forsyth
Dolley Payne Madison
Otway Burns
Johnston Blakely
Nathaniel Macon

I have written about many of these people in this blog.

--Brock-Perry

Did the Cape Fear Region Play Any Significant Role in the War of 1812?

From the April 30, 2010, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "My Reporter" by Meston Vanoe.

No battles were fought in North Carolina, but the British did occupy Ocracoke and Portsmouth islands in the Outer Banks from July 12-16, 1813.  This scared the state and the militia was called out, some going to Wilmington.

Johnston Blakely was a naval hero from Wilmington who commanded the sloop USS Wasp that captured the HMS Reindeer

Captain Otway Burns was from Onslow County and was a leading privateer.  he is buried in Beaufort in a tomb topped with cannons from his ship, the Snap Dragon.  His desk and a model of his ship are at the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

Brunswick County raised a company of volunteers for the North Carolina Militia.

After the war, the government increased the size of the Navy.  Seven ships-of-the-line, the most powerful ships of their day, were built.  One was the USS North Carolina which was launched in 1820 and commissioned in 1824.

--Brock-Perry

North Carolina in the War of 1812-- Part 2

Northeastern North Carolina organized militia units in each county to defend the state.

British ships raided Ocracoke and Portsmouth Island and also made an attempt to attack New Bern, but found the shallow state waters weren't good for their heavier ships.

Chief Tacumsch (not Tecumseh) a NC Indian leader traveled around the state to rally the Indians for an uprising and was supported by the British.

Johnston Blakely, of Wilmington, commanded the USS Enterprise and the USS Wasp.  I have written about him in earlier posts.

First Lady Dolley Madison was a North Carolina native.

That's About It.  --Brock-Perry

North Carolina in the War of 1812-- Part 2

Other big names from North Carolina include Otway Burns, a merchant turned privateer and Johnston Blakely who actually sailed to the English Channel and fought British ships.  I had never heard of Burns, but had come across Blakely back in March when I bought the copy of the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.  Along with his ship there is the story of how the Blakely tea service came to be.

North Carolina did send militiamen, infantrymen, dragoons, riflemen and artillerymen to fight, but few ever saw action.

The state did build three small gunboats to patrol the coast.  However, they would be little match for a British warship.

Wayne County sent more than 200 militiamen in their own companies to the war effort, but their service was mostly in fort garrison duty.

For more information go to the NC War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee's website at http://nc1812.ncdcr.gov.

Brock-Perry

North Carolina's Blakely Silver Service-- Part 2

After locating Captain Johnston's widow, Jane Hoope Blakely in Boston, they found out the couple only had one child, a daughter, Udney Maria Blakely.  Instead of a sword, the General Assembly decided on a set of tea-plate, soemthing more fitting for females.  As much as $500 was appropriated for it.

The French-style tea service was completed in 1819 and consisted of a teapot, coffee pot, milk jug, waste basin and sugar bowl and tongs and was presented to the daughter on her 16th birthday.  It was made by silversmith Anthony Rasch.

That silver service remained outside of North Carolina for 150 years before returning permanently in 1968 as a gift to the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh.

So, That's Where It Came From.  --Brock-Perry

North Carolina's Blakely Silver Service-- Pt. 1

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

I found this huge book at Books-A-Million in Goldsboro, NC, a few days ago for just $5.  I've been enjoying looking through it where I found the article about the privateer Wasp and its captain, Johnston Blakely (which I had never heard of before) and the CSS Wilmington ironclad (which is in my Running the Blockade blog).

During the War of 1812, US fortunes were down when North Carolina heard about the captures of the British sloops Reindeer and Avon by the Wasp in the summer of 1814.  I was wondering why the Wasp would be in this book until I found out its commander, Captain Blakely, was a Wilmington resident, and to honor him, on December 7, 1814, the General Assembly voted to present him a superb sword on his return.

Unfortunately, that never came to be as the Wasp and all aboard was lost sometime after Oct. 9, 1814.  The General Assembly waited until the end of December 1816 to find out his fate and finally determined to deliver the sword to his widow, Jane Blakely, who they located in Boston.

Something Else.  --Brock-Perry

The Privateer Wasp Carries the War to Europe-- Part 2

The Wasp departed for the Spanish coast on August 27, 1814 and soon spotted a ten-ship convoy guarded by a 74-gun ship-of-the-line.  The Wasp was able to cut one out, the Mary, and burn it.  A second ship, the Avon, fell out of line and after a 47 minute fight, the ship surrendered.  But, before the Wasp's crew could board, other convoy ships returned and forced the American ship to retreat.

Three weeks later the ship captured three more prizes and one was sent to Savannah.  Sadly, after that the Wasp disappeared sometime after Oct. 9, 1814, and was never seen again.

Not Always a Successful Story.  --Brock-Perry

The Privateer Wasp Carries the War to Europe-- Part 1

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

The privateer Wasp was a sloop commanded by North Carolinian Capt. Johnston Blakely and mounted 20 carronades and 2 long 12-pounders built in Newburyport, Massachusetts. 

Blakely hired a crew of 173 and received orders to sail May 1, 1814, and inflict damage to British shipping in western  Europe and then attack English allies along the Spanish coast and return to New Orleans.  He was to destroy all prizes inswtead of depleting his crew to sail them back.  Under no circumstances was he to engage British warships.

From May to July 6, the Wasp destroyed six commercial vessels.  One, the Reindeer, put up a fight  and damaged the privateer., causing it to limp into the French port of L'Orient.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry