Replica of James Monroe's Birthplace Dedicated-- Part 3: A Presence in Early U.S. History

 After serving as Virginia's governor, Monroe served as ambassador to Great Britain and special envoy to France -- where he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase -- under Thomas Jefferson.  Under James Madison's presidency, Monroe served as both Secretary of State and Secretary of War.  

Om 1816, he was elected to the first of two terms as president of the United States.  His presidency is sometimes referred to as the Era of Good Feelings due to a sense of national purpose and unity following the War of 1812.

"Like the wind, sometimes quietly  and sometimes boldly, [Monroe] was always making his presence known" in the early history of this country," G. William Thomas said.  After reading the last two entries I fully agree with that statement.  This man did a bit of everything in our early history.

--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

Battle of New Orleans Interesting Facts-- Part 4: Fought After the War Was Over?

**  The Treaty of Ghent ended the war several weeks before the Battle of New Orleans was fought and for years school children have been taught that it was a needless one.

But, "It Ain't Over Till It's Over."  That's is when all the (i)s are dotted and (t)s crossed and signatures applied.  The U.S. government did not ratify it until February.

In addition, now historians have theorized that had the British won the battle and captured New Orleans they would have extended control to the whole Mississippi River and much of the Louisiana Purchase.

In other words, they would have torn up the treaty.

--Brock-Perry

Moses Austin-- Part 2: Failed Business and On To Missouri

Moses Austin then moved to southwest Virginia and got into the lead business in Wythe County.  He and his brother Stephen (namesake of his son) and others industrialized the area, building several smelters and furnaces.  The small village that grew up there became known as Austinville and Moses got the name of the "Lead King."

But, he incurred debts and his company collapsed and Moses skipped out of the state to avoid imprisonment.  His next stop was Missouri for its rich lead deposits, but it was then part of Spanish Louisiana.  In 1798, he was granted land in return for declaring allegiance to the Spanish Crown.

In 1803, Missouri became part of the United States as a result of the Louisiana Purchase.

--Brock-Perry

Ceremony of the Three Flags-- Part 4

On November 30, 1803, Spain formally transferred the Louisiana Territory to France in New Orleans...On December 20, 1803, New Orleans and the rest of the Louisiana Territory was transferred to the United States.  The new governor of the territory was William C.C. Claiburne.

But navigation of the Mississippi River was closed for the winter by then and word did not reach St. Louis.

On March 9, 1804, Adam Stoddard, the lt.-governor of Upper Louisiana and Meriwether Lewis arrived in St. Louis by boat.  The Spanish flag was lowered that day and the French flag hoisted to fly for 24 hours..  The next morning, March 10, 1804, the U.S. flag was raised and the ceremony was complete.

The events of these two days are referred to as the Three Flags ceremony or the Ceremony of the Three Flags, which Charles Gratiot witnessed.

This is why the Lewis and Clark Expedition did not begin in 1803.

--Brock-Perry

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Ceremony of the Three Flags-- Part 2: France Had It, Spain Got It, France Got It Back

France had controlled the Louisiana Territory from its founding to the Treaty of Paris ending the Seven Years War (called the French and Indian War in North America).  As a result, Spain received French land west of the Mississippi River.  Spain officially took over control of it in 1769 after they suppressed the Rebellion of 1768 by residents who did not want to become part of the Spanish empire

The United States extended its borders to the east bank of the Mississippi River as a result of the Revolutionary War.

On October 1, 1800, Napoleon and France re-acquired the Louisiana Territory from Spain, but this was done in secrecy and Spain continued administrative control of the area.

You Got It, They Got It, Who Got It?  --Brock-Perry

Ceremony of the Three Flags-- Part 1: Charles Gratiot At It

From Wikipedia.

In the last post, I mentioned that Charles Gratiot was at the Ceremony of the Three Flags on St. Louis.It is also called Three Flags Day and took place on March 9 and 10, 1804, when Spain officially turned over Louisiana (New Spain) to France who then turned it over to the United States as per the Louisiana Purchase.

The ceremony took place in St. Louis and cleared the way for Lewis and Clark to begin their famous expedition of exploration.

--Brock-Perry