James Miller-- Part 1: First Governor of Arkansas Territory and War of 1812 Brigadier General

From Wikipedia.

When I was writing about William Whistler at the Battle of Maguaga, his commander was James Miller.


April 25, 1776 to July 7, 1851.

First governor of Arkansas Territory.  It was his influence which got the Territorial Capital moved from Arkansas Post to Little Rock.  During the War of 1812, he commanded units and was brevetted to brigadier general.

Born Peterborough, New Hampshire and was a lawyer in Greenfield, New Hampshire from 1803-1808.

He joined the New Hampshire militia and commanded an artillery unit.  His work so impressed General Benjamin Pierce that he recommended him for appointment as a major in the regular U.S. Army.

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812 Privateers

From the July 11, 2012, New Hampshire Public Radio "The Tall Ship Privateers Who Shaped the War of 1812" by Brady Carlson.

The Pride of Baltimore II is a recreation of a topsail schooner like the ones that served so well as privateers during the War of 1812. Privateers served a vital role for the outmanned U.S. Navy in the war as, at its onset, the British Navy had 1,048 ships compared to just 17 for the United States.

Privateers were government sanctioned pirates whose job (for profit) was to go out and seize British merchants ships.

Several prominent New Hampshire families made their fortunes doing just this "annoying the heck out of the British" just like mosquitoes that sank, disabled or looted some 1700 of their merchant ships during the course of the war.

Maryland was attacked by the British fleet because of the many privateers built and based there. Shortly after the war, the original Pride of Baltimore, then known as the Chasseur, sailed to China and brought back tea and other goods.

Aye, It's a Privateer's Life for Me (And, It's Legal). --Brock-Perry

What the War of 1812 Meant to Portsmouth, N.H.-- Part 2

Captain Isaac Hull, who commanded the USS Constitution in the battle with the HMS Guerriere on August 18, 1812, took command of the shipyard in Portsmouth in 1813.  Construction was soon begun on "the 74," later named the USS Washington, a ship of the Line.  This provided work for many in the town and surrounding area.

Forts were built and fortified around Portsmouth to protect the shipyard.

On December 22, 1813, a great fire wiped out most of Portsmouth's commercial district.  British threats in the summer of 1814 caused some 3,000 New Hampshire militia to be stationed around the city.

Brock-Perry

What the War of 1812 Meant to Portsmouth, NH-- Part 1

From the May 23, 2012, Foster's Daily Democrat (NH).

The John Paul Jones House museum has a new exhibit with this title.

There is a copy of the June 27, 1812, Portsmouth Oracle with the headlines: "War!  Horrid War!  The Die Is Cast--  The Scene Changed--and the curtain of madness drawn between us and the national happiness and commercial prosperity."

Most of New England, stood against the war and New Hampshire essentially divided.  The anti-war Oracle stood in opposition of the pro-war New Hampshire Gazette.

Portsmouth's merchant economy was decimated by war restrictions and blockades.  Many merchants were forced into privateering where rewards could be great, but risks huge.  Reliance on this led to a boom-bust mentality.

It's a Privateer's Life For Me.  --Brock-Perry