Southwest Georgia Played a Key Role in the War-- Part 2: The Blackshear Trail and Andrew Jackson

Much of the defense of Georgia's south border fell to General David Blackshear, who was instructed to construct a series of  fortifications for that purpose.  Blackshear, like many who fought in the War of 1812, had gained military experience during the American Revolution.  He had been at an early engagement of that war at Moore's Creek Bridge in North Carolina.

After the war, he became a surveyor, moving to Springfield in Laurens County, Georgia, settling on a land grant he received for his Revolution service. 

After war was declared in June 18, 1812, he returned to military service and was authorized to construct 11 forts along Georgia's southern and western borders.

The first clue to this effort he made can be found on a Georgia historical marker on Highway 300 in  Crisp County.  It reads:  "Blackshear Trail. made by General David Blackshear during the War of 1812, was used by General Andrew Jackson when he led  his troops from Fort Hawkins, near Macon,  through Hartford, now Hawkinsville, to Fort Early in 1818.

"The section was roadless except for this and a few Indian trails.  General Jackson used it in his campaign against the Seminole and Creek Indians.  The Battle of Skin Cypress Pond was fought on the Blackshear Trail.  During the battle, three  U.S. soldiers and a number if Indians were killed.

"They were buried at the site in unmarked graves."

--Brock-Perry

Wayne County, N.C. in the War of 812

From the North Carolina  in the War of 1812 Blog "Wayne County Roster of Soldiers in War of 1812" contributed  by John Allen.

Muster Rolls of Soldiers in the War of 1812 and 1814.

Second Regiment, Sixth Company detached from  Wayne County.

David Watson, captain

David Wadsen, captain in return

M. Whitfield, 1st lieutenant

Wm. Killegrew, 2nd lieutenant

Hatch Whitfield, ensign

John Ammonds, cadet

William Miller, 15th (18th) Governor of N.C.-- Part 3

From NC Home site.

Born in 1783 and by 1805 was practicing law and was a large landowner.

In 1810, the governor appointed him attorney general.  Served in six consecutive General Assemblies, the last three as Speaker of the House as well.

On November 29, 1814, the North Carolina General Assembly appointed him as the 15th governor of the state.  He served three terms before leaving office.  (One source I've read says he was the 18th governor.  Wikipedia has a complete list of North Carolina governors and he is the 18th.  The 15th governor was David Stone.)

The War of 1812 was ending as he took office as governor, but he fully supported it and President Madison's policies.  Once the war was over, he was pressed by the general Assembly to buy a full length statue of George Washington.   Antonio Canova was  hired to make it in 1815 and it arrived at the statehouse in 1821.

That statue was unfortunately destroyed by a fire in 1831.

--Brock-Perry

William Miller, War of 1812 Governor of North Carolina-- Part 2

After the war, as governor of North Carolina, he lent his support to early efforts to establish a system of public education in the state.  He also helped improve internal state trade and transportation and a revision of the penal code and judicial system.

One of his appointees to the  bench was instrumental in the organization of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

After his terms, President John Quincy Adams appointed Miller as diplomatic agent to Guatemala.  He died of yellow fever en route to assume his new post.

It is believed he was buried at sea.

--Brock-Perry

William Miller, Governor of North Carolina-- Part 1: Supported Madison's Military Policy

From the December 10, 2020, Elizabeth City (NC) Daily Advance  "Week in NC History: William Miller, Governor during the War of 1812."

On December 10, 1825, former Governor William Miller died in Key West, Florida.

Born around 1783 in Warren County., Miller worked  as a private lawyer, the state's attorney general and a member of the General Assembly before first being elected as governor in 1814.  He went on to serve three terms in that post, and was the first to occupy   the newly completed Governors' Palace at the south end of Raleigh's Fayetteville Street.

Active on the national political stage, Miller supported the military policies of  President James Madison during the concluding weeks of the War of 1812 by ordering out additional militia units for potential service on the southern frontier.

--Brock-Perry

Federic Messer

From Find-A-Grave.

FEDERICK "UNCLE FED" MESSER

BIRTH:  12 August 1791 in Lincoln County, N.C.

DEATH: 18 February 1907 in Haywood County, N.C.

BURIAL:  Teague Cemetery, Waynesville, Haywood County, N.C.

He was of an age where he might have fought in the War of 1812, but I couldn't find anything about his service.

I've also seen his first name spelled several different ways.

--Brock-Perry

Two North Carolina Men Whose Lives Spanned Three Centuries, from the Presidencies of George Washington to That of George W. Bush-- Part 1

From the June 2, 2020, Mountaineer (Waynesville, N.C.)  "Two local men whose lives  spanned three centuries had other traits in common" by Kathy Ross.

Two men from Hayward County, North Carolina, lived across three centuries.

Federic Messer was born in 1792, during the presidency of George Washington and died in 1907 at the age of 114.  His life spanned the early days of our country's Constitutional history, the War of 1812, the formation of Hayward County, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.  The first time he voted in a presidential election, it was for James Monroe.

Carl Winford Bryson was born 100 years later, in 1892 and died June 28, 2001, at the age of 108.  His lifespan covered two world wars, the Great Depression,  the Cold War, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union and the internet.  George W. Bush was president when he died.

The two men had a lot in common.  Both born one hundred years apart, together, they spanned three centuries, but, they had other interesting traits.

--Brock-Perry

Two North Carolina Men-- Part 2

Both Frederic Messer and Carl Winford Bryson were born in August, 100 years apart, 1792 and 1892.  Their lives overlapped for 14 years (1892 and 1907).

Both men had large families.  Frederic and his wife Annie, had nine children.  Carl Bryson and his wife Ninnie McElroy had eleven.

Both men loved the Bible, though Fed Messer reportedly could not read or write, but he had heard and memorized the passages and stories and he was quite conversant in anything from the Bible.  Carl was known as one of the oldest and most faithful members of the Antioch Baptist Church during his lifetime.

Both men loved to walk.  Federic Messer  was reported to have walked the 21 miles to Waynesville from his home in White Oak several times  after turning 100.  Carl often walked the half mile to church services in his 90s.

Both men had distinctive styles of dress.  Fed claimed he only buttoned his shirt twice in his life.  Carl was particularly fond of his overalls.

--Brock-Perry

Privateer Nathaniel Shaler-- Part 2

From the New London Historical Society "Connecticut Privateers in the War of 1812."

Connecticut  masters and vessels figured as prominent privateers for New York as well.    The Middleton-built Anaconda, commanded by Connecticut-born Nathaniel Shaler took a number of prizes before she was captured off the North Carolina coast in 1813.  (It was later taken into British service as the HMS Anaconda.)

Shaler then commanded the New York privateer Governor Thompkins until he was lost overboard in 1814.

Reporting on an engagement  between the Governor Thompkins and a British frigate in 1813, Nathaniel Shaler  memorialized two of his black sailors who, though mortally wounded as before mentioned in my posts.

--Brock-Perry

Disappearance of the Patriot-- Part 2

Logbooks from British warships off the North Carolina coast  reported a severe storm that struck January 2, 1813, after the Patriot left South Carolina.  The Patriot would have been a bit north of Cape Hatteras when the storm was at its fiercest and facing hurricane-strength winds in the early morning hours of January 2.

The Patriot was never heard from again.  Despite the many conspiracy theories and tales about Theodosia surviving it is most likely she perished with the rest of the ship's passengers and crew that day.

(I have also read that the British ships had stopped the Patriot, but after seeing a letter from Joseph Alston, the governor of South Carolina, asking for them to allow the ship to continue on its way, they did.  But, who will ever know.)

--Brock-Perry

Disappearance of the Patriot and Theodosia Burr Alston-- Part 4: Preparations and a Privateer

As her health continued to deteriorate, and with rumors of pirates operating along the North Carolina coast, Theodosia was still determined to visit her father.  Her husband, John Alston, wrote a letter to the British blockading fleet to allow passage for his wife.  Aaron Burr sent his trusted friend and doctor, Timothy Green to make the voyage with his daughter.

On December 30, Theodosia, her maid and Green climbed aboard the schooner Patriot which lay moored in Charleston Harbor.  It sailed out of the harbor bound for New York City under the command of Captain William Overstocks.

The Patriot had just returned from several months in the Caribbean where it had done privateering on the behalf of the U.S. government.  It was filled with booty from that.  To disguise his ship, the guns had been stowed below and the name had been painted over.

Some stories had Theodosia taking along a recently completed painting of herself that she intended to give her father as a Christmas gift.

--Cooter

Why the Tuscaroras Risked Their Lives for the Americans-- Part 2: The Sadness at Fort Neoheroka, N.C.

2.  The Tuscaroras had never forgotten what the British had done to them in 1713.    In the early 18th century, the Tuscaroras lived in North Carolina, before being driven from their homeland by the British in the Tuscarora War at Fort Neoheroka, North Carolina, in March 20-23,1713.

The British and their Indian allies burned the fort and hundreds of Tuscarora men, women and children perished inside it.  Almost 200 more were killed  outside of the fort and approximately 400 Tuscaroras were taken captive and sold into slavery.

The defeat of the Tuscaroras, once the most powerful Indian nation in the Carolinas, allowed the British to open up the frontiers of the Carolinas to white settlement.

Most of the surviving Tuscaroras moved way north and settled in the Lewiston, New York area, becoming the sixth nation of the Iroquois Confederacy.

--Brock-Perry

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 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

The Battle of New Orleans' Ephraim Brank-- Part 4: Greatly Honored in Greenville, Kentucky

There is a Brank Historic Exhibit at the county public Genealogy and Local History Annex.   There is a historically accurate Kentucky long rifle and powder horn as well as a cardboard cutout of Brank.

He is buried on an honored spot at the Old Greenville Cemetery, close to city hall and the state has a historic marker there.  In addition, there is a "Lt. Ephraim Brank Memorial Trail."

Brank was born in North Carolina in 1791 and settled in Muhlenberg County about 1808 and was regarded as a crack shot.

--Brock-Perry

Alney McLean-- Part 1: Organizer of Troops

Wikipedia.

I came across his name while doing research on John McLean.

June 10, 1979 to December 30, 1841.

U.S. Representative from Kentucky.  McLean County, Kentucky, is named for him.

Born in North Carolina (as was John McLean) and moved to Kentucky at age 20 and later became a lawyer.  Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives 1812-1813.

Organizer of troops during the War of 1812.

--Brock-Perry

John McLean, Illinois Politician

From Wikipedia.

February 4, 1791 to October 14, 1830.

McLean County, Illinois, is named for him.

U.S. Representative and Senator from Illinois.  Born near Guilford Court House, North Carolina, (now Greensboro).  Moved with parents to Logan County, Kentucky and then to Illinois Territory in 1815.

Although definitely old enough to have fought in the War of 1812, I have been unable to find anything about service during that war.

He studied law and was admitted to the bar in Shawneetown.

When Illinois became a state, he was was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy stemming from the resignation on Ninian Edwards.  He failed for reelection and then was reelected and served as a senator from 1829 until his death the following year.

He is interred at Westwood Cemetery near Shawneetown, Illinois.

--Brock-Perry

Tennessee Governor Willie Blount-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Born April 18, 1768, at Blount Hall in Bertie County, North Carolina.  Died September 18, 1835.

Governor of Tennessee from 1809 to 1815.

He spent much of his early tenure as governor dealing with hostilities between Indians and white settlers.  He constantly sought to acquire land from the Cherokees and Chickasaws while fighting the hostile Choctows and Creeks.

At one point, early in his governorship he suggested to Washington, D.C., that the Cherokees be removed to west of the Mississippi, something later carried out by President Andrew Jackson.

--Brock-Perry

Texas War of 1812 Veterans-- Part 28: James Washington Winters, Sr. To Texas

From "the Family of James Washington Winters, Sr." by Pauline Winters McCullough.

He started the Texas branch of the Winters family.  He was a War of 1812 veteran who left Tennessee in a covered wagon with his family in August 1834 and arrived in Nacodoches in December where he received the title to an original Spanish land grant and the same year held a headright certificate to the land that eventually became the town of Old Waverly.

Old Waverly is essentially a ghost town today, near New Waverly, Texas.  All that remains is a cemetery and a Presbyterian church.

James W. Winters' father was Thomas J. Winters, who served 84 months in George Washington's Continental Army.  The home where James was born in 1773, in Halifax, North Carolina, was robbed by Tories during the American Revolution.

--Brock-Perry