Battle of Fort Stephenson-- Part 3: "Old Betsy" Speaks and the British Listen

It was at this moment that the single cannon the Americans had,which Major Croghan had named "Old Betsy,"  was once again heard from.  Slugs and grapeshot roared through the ditch spreading havoc and terror among the troops in it.  British troops observing the attack could not see the carnage and assumed the attack had been successful.

They sent a second column which also met the same welcome from "Old Betsy" along with more shots from the Kentuckians.  Lt. Col. Short and Lt. Gordon were dead in that ditch along with 25 dead and another 25 wounded.

Only three of those advancing were able to escape and make it back to their lines.

--Brock-Perry

Battle of New Orleans' Ephraim Brank-- Part 9: "The Ballad of Ephraim Brank"

Ephraim McLean Brank

Even though the British officer evidently took Ephraim Brank to be a man of the frontier, and one used to hard living, Brank actually lived in a very comfortable house in Greenville.

He was promoted to lieutenant after the battle.  The very spot he stood upon at the Battle of New Orleans is not known as Line Jackson was completely dismantled.

"The Ballad of Ephrain Brank" was composed in his honor.

--Brock-Perry

The Battle of New Orleans' Ephraim Brank-- Part 3

After the battle, Ephraim Brank returned to Greenville, the county seat of Muhlenberg, Kentucky.  His comrades from the battle told of him standing atop the battlements of Chalmette plantation, southeast of New Orleans and gunning down the British as calmly as if he were bagging squirrels in western Kentucky.

Two soldiers kept loading and reloading rifles and handing them to the 24-year-old soldier.  He never missed, or so it is told.

Branl later became a lawyer, land surveyor and a farmer.

There is a Brank Street in Greenville and a live-sized bronze statue at the veterans Mall at the court.  His rifle reportedly used that day outside of New Orleans is also there.

His statue is the only War of 1812 one in Kentucky.

--Brock-Perry

Battle of New Orleans' Ephraim Brank-- Part 1: The War Is Over, Or Was It?

From the January 9, 2017, Ky Forward "Old Time Kentucky: Bluegrass sharpshooter Ephraim Brank hero of New Orleans, never missed his mark" by Berry Craig.

This is another War of 1812 person I'd never heard of before.

Ephraim Brank, from Muhlenberg County, Kentucky was a hero to the Americans at the Battle of New Orleans.  But to the British, he was "Some Great Spirit of Death."

A British officer recalled:  "We lost the battle, and to my mind, that Kentucky rifleman contributed more to our defeat than anything else."

The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815.  The bloodiest battle in the war and fought even after it was over.  The Treaty of Ghent had been signed on Christmas Eve, 1814, in Belgium and Henry Clay of Kentucky had been a part of it.

--Brock-Perry

A Frontier in Flames-- Part 18: Last British Offensive in Northwest Territory

Proctor and Tecumseh tried again in late July to take Fort Meigs with a combined force of 5,000 regulars, militia and Indians.  They tried to lure the Americans out of the fort by staging a mock battle, hoping they would think that a relief column had been ambushed.  But the defenders were not fooled and stayed in the fort.

On August 2, Proctor sent 400 regulars and militia, plus a number of his tribal allies to attack Fort Stephenson, a small outpost on the Sanduskey River commanded by George Croghan.  Though garrisoned by only 160 men, the fort was surrounded by a deep ditch that slowed the attackers, making them perfect targets for the Kentucky sharpshooters inside the fort.

Thwarted, Proctor again withdrew to Fort Malden in Canada, and abandoned Detroit, the recovery of which had caused so much death and suffering.

This campaign was the last major British attack on the Northwest Territory.

--Brock-Perry

Kentucky Long Rifleman Honored

Ftom the May 14th Lafourche Parish (La) Daily Comet "Ky. town to honor War of 1812 militia man" by AP.

Greenville Kentucky, located in the western part of the state, is planning to erect a bronze statue of a War of 1812 hero lnown as the "Kentucky Long Rifleman," Ephraim Brank.  They have a summer 2013 target date.

Brank served in the militia and was at the Battle of New Orleans.  Kentucky claims that the state lost more soldiers in the war than any other state.

The statue will be on a limestone base with expected cost at $100,000.  Local and national donations have been received.

Anything to Bring Knowledge of the War to Folks.  --Brock-Perry