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

N.C.'s War of 1812 Personalities-- Part 3: Dolley Madison and Benjamin Forsyth

DOLLEY PAYNE MADISON  Born in the Quaker village of New Garden in Guilford County, N.C., but only lived there for a year before moving to Virginia.  Wife of President James Madison and most known for saving objects out of the Executive Mansion when the British captured Washington, D.C.

She saved the famous painting of George Washington.  The British burned the Executive Mansion and when it was rebuilt, its walls were painted white and it became known as the White House.

BENJAMIN FORSYTH   From Stokes County, N.C..  Lt.-Col. in U.S. Army who distinguished himself along the Northern Border during the War of 1812.  Killed at Odelltown in Canada in 1814.  Like Brigadier General Francis Nash in the Revolutionary War, he came to be regarded as a hero.

The State of North Carolina presented his 8-year-old son a beautiful sword and awarded him $250 a year for seven years.  A N.C. county was named for him in 1849.

--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

North Carolina's War of 1812 Personalities-- Part 1

From the October Newsletter of the Federal Point Historical Society.

On Monday, October 16, at 7:30 p.m., the Society will have a meeting and presentation at the Federal Point History Center at 1121A North Lake Park Boulevard, adjacent to the Carolina Beach, North Carolina, Town Hall.  (Carolina Beach is south of Wilmington.

Presenter will be Andrew Duppstadt, Program Development and Training Officer, Historic Weapons Program coordinator, N.C. Division of Historic Sites, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

He also used to have a blog on the Civil War Navy, which I miss a lot.  I still have one on the Civil War Navy.

His presentation is "North Carolina's War of 1812 Personalities."

--Brock-Perry