Jesse Elliott, USN-- Part 4: Service in Lake Ontario and Back to Lake Erie

Jesse Elliott was then transferred to Lake Ontario where he served under Commodore Isaac Chauncey as captain on the flagship, the USS Madison,  and took part in the Battle of York on 27 April 1813 and the Battle of Fort George on 27 May.

He was promoted to master commandant in July and reassigned to the Lake Erie Squadron, to serve as Perry's second in command.  He felt Perry had insufficient combat experience and was particularly outspoken Perry's decision to use Presque Isle for his shipyard.   

The two me were on collision course at thus time.  No doubt Elliott was still smarting over being replaced in Lake Erie by Perry to begin the problems.

BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE

Then came the famous battle.

During the Battle of Lake Erie against a British squadron under Captain Robert Barclay on 10 September 1813, Elliott commanded the USS Niagara.  Perry commanded the Niagara's sister ship, the USS Lawrence.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry, Canadian Heroine-- Part 2

The lighthouse her husband operated was located where the remnants of Fort Mississauga are today, along the shore of Lake Ontario, surrounded by what is today the Niagara-on-the-Lake  Golf Club.

Mary calmly walked through thye men with refreshments and helped the wounded several times as the battle raged around her.  She returned to her house near the lighthouse for more supplies.  Miraculously, she was not wounded or killed.

When the American soldiers ntorched the town, she housed as many of the townspeople as she could at her place.

--Brock-Perry

John B. Montgomery, USN-- Part 3

From American Military Leaders A-L by John Fredricksin.

JOHN B. MONTGOMERY

(November 17, 1794-March 25, 1874)

John Barrien Montgomery is best-known for raising the U.S, flag over what became San Francisco in the Mexican War..  A religious, Bible-quoting officer, he completed fifty years of service without  a single incident or  controversy to mar his  reputation.

Montgomery was born in Allentown, New Jersey, the second of three brothers.  All three joined the U.S. Navy just before the War of 1812 and enjoyed  distinguished careers.  Montgomery became a midshipman in June 1812 and ventured to Sackets Harbor as part of Commander Isaac Chauncey's Lake Ontario Squadron.

Attached to the schooner Hamilton, he participated in the November 10, 1812,  bombardment of Kingston, Ontario, before transferring to the brigs Madison and General Pike.  In this capacity, Montgomery fought during the capture of York (now Toronto), Ontario (Upper Canada at the time), in April 1813 and Fort George, Niagara,  the following month.

--Brock-Perry

So, Where Is Sodus Point, New York?-- Part 1

I have to admit, I'd never heard of this place before coming across it preparing for this blog.

It is about 1/3 of the way in eastern New York's Lake Ontario.  Looking at a map you will see a fairly big indentation of a body of water which is Sodus Bay from whence the village takes its name.  It is in the northeastern part of the Town of Sodus.

During the War of 1812, it was burned (except for one building) by a British raiding party (which I have been writing a real lot about lately).

In the 19th century, the area became an important port on Lake Ontario, but the locating of the Erie Canal to the south shifted transportation patterns.  By the late 19th century it became a popular vacation resort.

Population in the 2010 census was 900.

--Brock-Perry

Lead Up to the Battle of Sodus Point-- Part 2: British Raiding Parties

Lake Ontario provided the best east-west travel in the area and the British took full advantage of it having the strongest Navy on the lake at the time.  Whenever possible, they would land and steal U.S. government supplies housed in warehouses  at locations such as Oswego, Rochester port at Charlotte and Sodus Point.  

On June 15, 1813, they had done just that at the Rochester port at Charlotte.  When word of this reached Sodus Point, the militia was called to defend the Wayne County village should  the British continue moving eastward.

For five days the village waited anxiously.  In the meantime, residents hurriedly hid likely targets of the British such as  flour, whiskey and pork in the woods.  However, on the morning of June 19, with no British arrival, the militia was sent home.

And, of course, that afternoon, the British hove into view, and, about sixty residents and militia men who vcould be flagged down, gathered to defend the village.

About 100-150 British came ashore at midnight and engaged in a short battle with the Americans before retreating.  They discovered that the warehouse was essentially empty, and in anger, returned the next day to plunder and burn the village.

The only building spared was a tavern where  injured local resident Asher Warner was brought to die.

--Brock-Perry

Overdue Honors for Soldier of Forgotten War: Capt. John P. Albaugh

From the May 19, 2022, Finger Lakes Times (Waterloo, New York) by Steve Buchiere.

Captain John P. Albaugh was like many of the American soldiers in the War of 1812.  He didn't fight in one of the key battles, but he defended the small  bayside village of  Troupville, now known as Sodus Point, against a British Army intent on seeking provisions from American storehouses along the Lake Ontario shoreline.

MaryAnn Loss is John Albaugh's four-times great granddaughter, now living in Raleigh, North Carolina,  after serving 25 years in the U.S. Army.  She thinks it is now time for her ancestor to receive his honors.

On May 24, she and a group that includes the past president of the United States Daughters of the War of 1812 will honor Albaugh with a grave-marking ceremony at the South Lyons Cemetery on Route 14, where he and his family are laid to rest.  A special  medallion is being epoxied to the family stone for Albaugh and his family which includes his wife, Prudence, and their five children.

Albaugh, a native of Maryland, died at age 54 or 55 in August 1832.

--Brock-Perry

The Speakers at the 'Lake Ontario and the War of 1812' Lecture

The two speakers mentioned in the previous post, Dr. Tim Abel and Dr. Ben Ford, know their stuff on the history of Lake Ontario.

Tim Abel is a local archaeologist who has spent more than a decade studying  the War of 1812.  (Hey, this War of 1812 blog started in 2012, the bicentennial of the war and is still continuing.  That would put me at a decade as well.)

He is an adjunct professor of anthropology at SUNY Canton and a practicing  consulting archaeologist whose field  experience dates back to the  early 1980s.  He will discuss a broad outline of the War of 1812 and provide a snapshot of  archaeological research done by himself and others in the past seventy years.

Ben Ford is chair of the Anthropology Department of  Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and is a historic and  maritime archaeologist who conducts research in the Great Lakes and Pennsylvania.  In addition, he is author or editor of  five books, including "The Shore Is a Bridge:  The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Lake Ontario" headlined by  Judy Levan, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service (NWS) Buffalo.

--Brock-Perry

Lake Ontario and the War of 1812 Lecture in Sackets Harbor, N.Y., This Saturday

From the April 27, 2022, NNY360 Watertown Daily Times (New York)  "Lake Ontario lecture series continues April 30 with 'Lake Ontario and the War of 1812'

The third installment of the Lake Ontario lecture series will take place Saturday, April 30 at the Sackets Harbor Ballroom in the Village of Sackets Harbor, New York.

"Lake Ontario and the War of 1812" will feature  Dr. Tim Abel and Dr. Ben Ford and will focus on the importance of Lake Ontario in the conflict.  Topics will include  an overview of the war in northern New York and the role of naval power in the conflict.

The lecture will be in-person or virtual.

This is organized by the local Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary established to help the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association  (NOAA) in guiding a proposed  national marine sanctuary (NMS) through the designation process.

The proposed Lake Ontario NMS would encompass  more than 1,700 square miles in eastern Lake Ontario to protect and showcase dozens of shipwrecks and other significant underwater assets.  The NOAA announced its intention to designate the marine sanctuary in April 2019 and in mid 2021, released  draft documents related to the proposed sanctuary.

Great Idea.  --Brock-Perry

Caroline Abbott's Personality and Facts-- Part 1: Likes the Outdoors and Embroidery

From American Girl Dolls Wiki.

Caroline was born in a log cabin and is the only child of her family.  She has lived in Sackets Harbor (New York) her whole life, and her family runs a shipyard on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Sackets Harbor, of course, played a huge role in the War of 1812 as an American base and where many warships were built.

Caroline enjoys outside activities, especially sailing on Lake Ontario and ice skating in the winter.  She dreams of being captain of her own ship one day.  She also likes fishing.  Caroline likes embroidery and likes to sew.  When she is upset, she keeps busy by embroidering.

She also likes the cows on her cousin's farm.

Caroline is described as sweet and clever.  Her friends call her  a true hero because she is not afraid to put her courage to the test.

Considered adventurous, tomboyish, brave, heroic and independent, Caroline is prone to making rash decisions, sometimes bordering between brave and foolish.  Caroline is very stubborn, sensitive and easily offended.

--Brock-Perry

Canada's Coloured Corps-- Part 7: Construction of Fort Mississauga

After the British captured Fort Niagara on 19 December 1813, the Coloured Corps was attached to the Royal Engineers to help repair fortifications at the mouth of the Niagara River.

Whether racism influenced the authority's choice for this duty is not known,  as one engineer later reported:  "When I visited the Niagara Frontier... I found that  a corps of Free Men of Colour had been raised... but had been turned over to that of the Engineers, any necessity for this I could never learn, but it seemed to be the fashion in Canada to heap all kinds  of duties upon the latter."

Toward the spring of 1814,  the company was ordered to construct a new fort on the Canadian shore named Fort Mississauga.  With the American Navy in control of Lake Ontario, this work was essential to  the security of British forces on the Niagara Peninsula.

--Brock-Perry

Hamilton Markers: The Scourge and Hamilton

From HMdb.

"HAMILTON-SCOURGE PROJECT
WAR OF 1812 NAVAL MEMORIAL GARDEN

"We honour here fifty-three sailors who lost their lives  when their ships, HAMILTON and SCOURGE, capsized during a storm in the early morning hours of Sunday, 8th August 1813.  These two armed merchant schooners lie in  90 metres of water, 30 kilometres northeast of this site, intact, and perfectly  preserved with their guns and equipment still in place.

"A replica of the foremast of the SCOURGE is flanked by  fifty-three markers similar to those in Allied military cemeteries throughout the world."

These two ships were American.

--Brock-Perry

Burlington Heights Markers-- Part 1

From HMdb  The marker at the site.

Written in both English and French (hey, it's Canada, you know).  Located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

"BURLINGTON HEIGHTS 11813-1814

"Here in June, 1813, General John Vincent assembled troops that made the successful night attack on the invaders at Stoney Creek.  From this point of vantage, in December, 1813,  the force that retook Fort George and carried Fort Niagara by assault, began its march.

"On these heights  stood the strong point of reserve and depot of arms for the defence of the Niagara Peninsula and support of the Navy on Lake Ontario."

Located next to it, another marker:

"This stone marks the line of earthworks in first line of defence 1812-1815."

--Brock-Perry

First Battle of Sackets Harbor-- Part 1: An American Victory

From Wikipedia.

The battle was fought July 19, 1812 when a British attack was repelled and the important shipyard where eventually 12 American warships were built was saved.

Sackets Harbor is on the southeast shore of Lake Ontario in northern New York state.

Following the battle, the defenses of Sackets Harbor were greatly strengthened.  Eventually there were several thousand troops stationed in and around Sackets Harbor as well as some 3,000 people working at the Navy shipyard.

As a result, during this period of time Sackets Harbor became the fourth largest town in the state.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Ontario-- Part 2: Wreck in Great Shape

It was launched in 1780 and sank four months later.  80 feet long with a 25-foot beam and mounted 22 cannons.

It sank in a storm 31 October 1780 while underway from Fort Niagara to Oswego.  Approximately 130 men, women and children perished as well as up to 30 American prisoners.

The wreck was a much sought-after one that was found in 2008 and in excellent condition because of the cold, freshwater of Lake Ontario.  It is largely intact and still considered as owned by the British Admiralty.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Ontario-- Part 1: American Revolution

While researching the HMS Toronto, I came across this ship.  It was one that operated for a short time during the American Revolution and since this was also a war between the United States and Britain, I will go ahead and write about it.

From Wikipedia.

A British warship that sank in a storm in Lake Ontario during the American Revolution.  It was the largest British warship on the Great Lakes at the time.

It's wreck had been searched for for many years and was found by Jim Kennard and Dan Schoville in 2008 in remarkably good condition.

--Brock-Perry

HMS St. Lawrence-- Part 6: The Proverbial "Big Fish In a Small Pond"

It took master shipbuilder John Dennis just ten months to build the St. Lawrence.  It took the British Navy six years to build the HMS Victory.

The sole purpose of the St. Lawrence's construction was to assert the Crown's naval superiority on Lake Ontario.  Both the United States and Britain realized that whoever controlled the water would control the war.

As such, both sides "embarked on a naval arms race."  This took place both on Lake Ontario (and Lake Champlain) as well as Lake Erie.

Building warships is difficult at best, but doing it in areas considered to be frontier and isolated was a much bigger task.

This was true especially of the St. Lawrence.

And, the Americans were also building frigates and even had two ships of the line under construction as well.

--Brock-Perry

HMS St. Lawrence-- Part 5: "The Mightiest Ship To Never Sail the Seas"

From Military History Now.


This site refers to the HMS St. Lawrence as "The Mightiest Ship To Never Sail the Seas."   That would refer to the fact that the ship never sailed in an ocean.

The St. Lawrence was a ship of the line, the most powerful warship during the Age of Sail.  She was five feet longer than Horatio Nelson's more famous HMS Victory and two feet wider.  It mounted 112 cannons, eight more than the Victory.

It was built, launched and served its whole short career on a fresh water lake, Lake Ontario.

It was the proverbial "Big Fish in a Small Pond."

--Brock-Perry

HMS St. Lawrence-- Part 4: A Short-Lived Career

The arrival of the HMS St. Lawrence on Lake Ontario gave the British unchallenged domination of Lake Ontario.

But, it was short-lived as the war soon ended and the ship no longer needed.

After the war, the St. Lawrence was decommissioned.  In 1832, the hull was sold to Robert Drummond for 25 pounds.  Between May and August, the hull was towed out to Navy Bay.  It later formed part of the pier attached to Morton's Brewery in Kingston and was  used as storage for cordwood and other materials.

It later sank in 30 feet of water where its remains have since rotted away but the keel and ribs remain and are a favorite dive site.

The wreck of the St. Lawrence, along with those of the Princess Charlotte and Prince Regent were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2015.

--Brock-Perry

HMS St. Lawrence-- Part 3: The Power on Lake Ontario

The St. Lawrence cost the British government 500,000 pounds.  It immediately became Commodore Sir Francis Lucas Yeo's flagship.This ship gave the British Navy unmatched domination of Lake Ontario.  The day of the launch, the American fleet under Isaac Chauncey showed up off Kingston and offered battle, hoping to engage the St. Lawrence before the crew was properly trained.

But, the British declined.

The St. Lawrence put to sea October 19 and was struck by lightning with a mast damaged and several deaths.  Later, there was an American attempt to destroy the St. Lawrence with a "torpedo" in Kingston Harbor.

Nothing came of it.

--Brock-Perry

HMS St. Lawrence-- Part 1: "Monster" Ship of the Lake

From Wikipedia.

Since I am on the subject of shipwrecks off Kingston, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, I will now turn attention to the "Monster" ship of the lake, the HMS St. Lawrence.

Stats:  2,304 tons, 184'2" length, 52'7" beam.  Crew of 700.  Mounted 112 guns:  thirty-two 32-pdrs. carronade, thirty-six 24-pdr. long guns, twenty-eight 32-pdr. long guns.

It was the only Royal Navy ship of the line ever launched on the Great Lakes.  Its arrival ended all naval action on Lake Ontario as the American fleet dared not challenge it.  Britain had won the naval arms race.

As powerful as it was, the St. Lawrence never went into battle.  It was laid up after the war and finally sold in 1832 to private interests and later sunk and is now a popular dive site.

--Brock-Perry