Standing Tall on Lake Erie-- Part 3: The Battle of Lake Erie

Since August 1812, with the fall of Detroit, the British Royal Navy had controlled Lake Erie.  But, with Perry's new fleet, the British were in store for a reckoning.  

In July 1813, the British abandoned  the Great Lakes due to the new American threat, poor weather conditions and a shortage of supplies, as Perry's fleet had severed the critical British supply route from Fort Malden to Port Dover.  So, now the Royal Navy set out to break through Perry's line.

While the British squadron was composed of six ships, mounting 63 cannons, the Americans could counter with a fleet of nine vessels and 54 guns.

The British had the numbers when it came to long range cannons, while the Americans had the advantage in shorter range guns, carronades.

Perry definitely had to rely and pray on the wind to help him get up closer to the British ships to exploit his short range advantage.

--Brock-Perry

Standing Tall on Lake Erie: Perry's Monument-- Part 2: The British Fleet is Sighted

The monument's construction started in 1915, the centennial of the War of 1812's conclusion, with the intention of honoring the brave souls who battled at the site 102 years prior.

The titular "Perry" is famed  U.S. naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry, who, in February 1813, was sent to Erie, Pennsylvania, to complete the building of an American squadron that could hold its own against the powerful British Royal Navy in the Great Lakes region during the War of 1812.  By early fall, his fleet was ready to engage.

On the morning of September 10, 1813, a lookout aboard one of the American ships spotted six British vessels to the northwest of Put-in-Bay, beyond Rattlesnake Island.  Word spread quickly to Master Commandant Perry who issued orders to cobfront the British ships.

--Brock-Perry

USS Constitution, Old North Church to Celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee

From the June 3, 2022, CBS News Boston.

Historic locations in Boston will be joining in on Britain's Queen Elizabeth II's platinum celebration from across the pond as they say.

The Old North Church, where Paul revere's famous "one if by land, two if by sea" lantern was set will host s service at 11 am marking the 70th anniversary of her rule.  Church bells will chime to mark the jubilee, with the British Consulate-General and the Royal Navy Attache to the United States in attendance.

In the afternoon, the USS Constitution will host a special ceremony onboard.  The "Old Ironsides" may have fought Britain during the War of 1812, but on Sunday will fire a cannon salute and have a ceremonial raising  of the UK  Union flag in recognition of the jubilee.

The Queen was a guest on board the ship during her visit to Boston in 1976, the first time a reigning British monarch had visited Massachusetts.

The events are free and open to the public.  The first 100 people aboard the Constitution will receive special Platinum Jubilee coins and pins.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Alert: A Former Collier

From Wikipedia.

The HMS Alert was captured by the frigate USS Essex.

The HMS Alert was the collier  Oxford launched in 1803, that the Royal Navy bought in 1804.  (In case you're wondering, a collier is a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal.  Well, I had to look it up as well.)

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Length:  105 feet  (keel 86 feet)

Beam:  29.4 feet

Complement:

Royal Navy:  80

U.S. Navy:  100

Armament:

Royal Navy:  two 9-pinder long guns, Sixteen 18-pdr. carronades

U.S. Navy:  Two 12 pounder long guns, Eighteen 32-pdr. carronades

--Brock-Perry

So, Was There a Gunboat 47?

Richard Hill, according to his gravestone, served aboard Gunboat 47.  I have not been able to find any mention of this ship anywhere.  If someone knows about it, please let me know.

I do know that the Jeffersonian Gunboats were numbered as opposed to having names.

Also, I'm not sure that he would have been on that ship if it was in the New York Flotilla at the Battle of Baltimore and the attack on Fort McHenry.  It would have had to sail in open water to get from New York to Baltimore and that stretch was controlled by the British navy and a gunboat would not do well against a British warship.

I'm thinking he did serve in the U.S. Navy, but perhaps the information we have on him is wrong.

So if anyone out there has any information on Gunboat No. 47, let me know.

So, Lots of Questions About His Service.  --Brock-Perry

American Privateer Hyder Ally (Ali): What's in a Spelling?

I've seen this ship with the Hyder Ali spelling and the Hyder Ally spelling. Also sometimes spelled Hyder Alley.

From Wikipedia.

A privateer from Portland, Maine.  Received a Letter of Marque in 1814 and sailed to the eastern Indian Ocean where she captured three prizes before the Royal Navy captured her.

The Hyder Ally sailed out of Portland Harbor under the command of Captain Israel Thorndike, who received a Letter of Marque on 18 January 1814.  (I have also seen the ship commanded by an R. Thorndike.  The Wikipedia article dies not say anything about Israel Thorndike sailing a privateer in 1814,so not sure if the commander's name is correct.  Israel Thorndike was involved with privateering quite a bit during the American Revolution.)

One source says that after the capture of the HMS Boxer on 5 September 1813, that her guns went to arm the Hyder Ally.  However, the list of Hyder Ally's guns and carronades does not match what the Boxer had.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Boxer (1812)-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

The HMS Boxer was a 12-gun Bold-class gun-brig lunched in July 1812.  She had a short career in the Royal Navy, being captured by the brig USS Enterprise near Portland, Maine in September 1813.  Afterwards, she went on to a decade-long commercial career.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Builder:  Hobbs & Hellyer in Redbridge, Hampshire

Launched:  25 July 1812

Tons:  181

Length:  84 feet

Beam:  22 feet 1 inch

Crew:  60

Armament:

Ten 18-pdr. carronades

Two 6-pdr. long bow chasers

--Brock-Perry

What's in a Name? 'The Anglo-American War' Is There a New Name for the War of 1812?

From the November 12,2021, CVBJ.biz site  "Veterans Day:  These are the main wars the US has participated in."

This site is calling the War of 1812 the Anglo-American War (1812-1815).

Here is what it says:

"Also known as the 'Anglo-American War' or 'War of 1812'.  It was a war that pitted the United States against the United Kingdom and its Canadian colonies.

"Among other causes of the war are the restrictions placed on trade imposed by the United Kingdom because of the war  in Europe against France, the forced recruitment of US merchant sailors to serve in the British Royal Navy and British support of the indigenous peoples of North America who opposed the expansion of the US.

"The confrontations took place by land and sea.  286,730 Americans served, among these were 2,260 deaths and 4,505 wounded."

Well, Which is It?  --Brock-Perry

Shipwrights in Vergennes Were Key to Battle of Champlain-- Part 5: A Naval Arms Race on the Lake

Learning of the new larger threat of the HMS Confiance, Macdonough pleaded with the Navy to build another large ship.  Navy Secretary William Jones rejected this request saying there was not enough money.  However, President James Madison intervened.

This time, the Navy hired Adam Brown, Noah Brown's brother, who brought along with him about 200 shipwrights.  In just 19 days, they built the Eagle, a 120-foot long, 20-gun brig and launched it on August 11,  two weeks before the Confiance was launched.

The Browns and their bands of shipwrights were invaluable to the American cause, as was proven on September  11, 1814.

At the time, the British had troops invading south along the New York side of Lake Champlain and many of those troops were in the Plattsburgh area.  The British commander wanted to wait for the Royal Navy to defeat Macdonough's ships before storming Plattsburgh. (Plattsburgh with an "h" at the end of it because  that's the most common way the Battle of Plattsburgh is described.)

--Brock-Perry

Admiral Cochrane's Proclamation to Blacks in the United States: A Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation?

From American Battlefield Trust.

A British Appeal to American Slaves:  Bermuda, April 2, 1814

Proclamation of Vice Admiral Sir Alexander F.I. Cochrane, R.N.

"Whereas, it has been represented to me, that many Persons now resident in the United States, have expressed a desire to  withdraw therefrom,  with a view of entering  His Majesty's Service, or of being received as Free Settlers into some of His Majesty's Colonies.

"This is therefore to Give Notice,

"That all those who may be disposed to emigrate from the United States will, with their Families, be received on board His Majesty's Ships or Vessels of War, or at the Military Posts that may be established, upon or near the Coast of the United States. when they will have their choice of either entering into His Majesty's  Sea or Land Forces, or being sent as Free settlers to  the British Possessions in North America or the West Indies, where they will be met with due encouragement.

Given  under my Hand at Bermuda, this 2nd day of April, 1814, ALEXANDER COCHRANE.

By Command  of the Vice Admiral, William Balhetchet (Secretary)   GOD SAVE THE KING.

A Way Out of Slavery.  --Brock-Perry

Action Around Apalachicola Bay-- Part 10: Action After the Battle of New Orleans

Not knowing that the Treaty of Ghent  had been signed in December, Admiral Cochrane moved his forces back to Mobile and Prospect Bluff.  Just after his marines captured Fort Bowyer in a second attack at Mobile Bay, Cochrane got word of the Treaty of Ghent and began to withdraw from Mobile.

However, he left Nicholls and Woodbine  in command of the black Colonial Marines and Choctow Indians at the fort at Prospect Bluff.

The War of 1812 on the Gulf of Mexico began and ended at Apalachicola River.

But the departure of the Royal Navy did not end  the conflict with the blacks and Seminoles.  Attempts to recover Forbes & Company's losses during the three successive wars occupied Forbes and the Innerarity brothers for the rest of their lives, and led to the second largest Spanish  land grant in Florida's history.

Called the Innerarity's Claim of Searcy's  1829 map of Florida, the grant extended from Apalachicola to the Choctawhatchee River.  The story of how that land claim was settled  and the gradual decline of the John Forbes and Company's trading firm in the Territory of Florida is another story in itself.

--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 5: Never Made it to New York

The journey to New York City normally took five or six days.  After two weeks, there was no sign of the Patriot.  Her husband John Alston and Aaron Burr became desperate.  Finally, Burr gave up hope that his daughter was still alive.

Theodosia Burr Alston, her fellow passengers, the crew and the ship were never seen again.  The Patriot had disappeared without a trace.  Later it was learned that the British fleet had stopped the Patriot off  Cape Hatteras on January 2, but Gov. Alston's letter worked and they released the ship.

Later that night a gale hit and dispersed the British fleet.  Beyond that, there was no clue as to what had happened to the ship.  Burr sent people looking for her who went to Nassau and Bermuda, but to no avail.  It is a mystery why he didn't send them to the Outer Banks.

So, What Happended to Theodosia and the Patriot?  --Brock-Perry

HMS Nimrod-- Part 2: Just the Stats

The HMS Nimrod  stats:

Laid Down:  November 1811

Launched 25 May 1812  Commander Nathaniel Mitchell

Length:  100 feet overall, 77 feet keel

Beam:  30.7 feet

Complement:  121

Armament:  Sixteen 32-pdr. carronades

Two 6-pdr. chase guns

--Brock-Perry

Dueling in the Early 1800s in the United States

I have been writing about Hassard Stackpoole of the Royal Navy, who was killed by another officer of the British Navy in a duel in 1814.

Duels were popular in this era.

From Wikipedia.

In the 1600s and 1700s, most duels were with swords and rapiers, but starting in the 1800s, the pistol became weapon of choice.

Dueling became a popular way of settling differences in the United States.  In 1804, former secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton was killed in a duel by sitting Vice President Aaron Burr.

Between 1798 and the Civil War, the U.S. Navy lost  two-thirds more of its officers to dueling than to combat with the enemy at sea.  One of those was naval hero Stephen Decatur.  Most of the officers killed were midshipmen and junior officers.

Despite prominent deaths and public outcry, dueling continued before the Civil War, particularly in the South because of contemporary ideals of chivalry and because of threat of ridicule if a duel challenge was declined.

And, as we will see in upcoming posts, there was also "dueling" between warships.

--Brock-Perry

Captain Hassard Stackpoole

Fron the Three Decks Site.

HASSARD STACKPOOLE

British nationality.  First and last known service in Royal Navy:

February 8, 1795 to April 28, 1814.  Killed in a duel.

RANKS

Lieutenant Feb. 8, 1795

Commander March 12, 1800

Captain  April 29, 1802

COMMANDS

March 1800 to July 21, 1801  HMS Iphigenia (16 guns) Commander and commanding officer.

1802 to April 29, 1802:  HMS Alonzo  (18 guns)  Commander and commanding officer.

April 1809 to August 1809:  HMS Phoebe  (36 guns) Captain and commanding officer

1811 to April 28, 1814:  HMS Statira  (38 guns)  Captain and commander.

--Brock-Perry

Amherstburg Royal Naval Dockyard-- Part 5: Royal Navy Takes Control and A Plan

During the War of 1812, the dockyard was first the base of operations for the Provincial Marine's operations on Lake Erie and Lake Huron and later the Royal Navy's.

However, due to the yards location at the far end of Lake Erie, supplies for it had to be shipped across the lake from Fort George and overland from Niagara Falls or shipped to York and Burlington Heights, transported overland to Long Point before being transported on the lake again to the yard.

In May 1813, the Royal Navy took control of all of the Provincial Marine forces and establishments on Lake Erie.  With the construction of superior American ships in 1813, , Commander Robert Heriot Barclay, the commander of the Royal Navy's Lake Erie Squadron and sought to defeat the Americans before they could cut his supply lines.

--Brock-Perry

What Is a Sailing Master? --Part 1: Now Lieutenant, Junior Grade in US Navy

From Wikipedia.

I have come across this term in both this blog and my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog (often there with the name acting master) and knew this rank was some sort of an officer or commander of a ship, but not sure exactly what the rank was.

In the last post, I mentioned Stephen Champlin being promoted to sailing master in 1812.  As such, he commanded the USS Asp.

MASTER (NAVAL)

The master, or sailing master,  was a historical rank not used anymore.  It was a naval officer trained in the operation of a sailing vessel.  The rank can be equated with that of a professional seaman and specialist in navigation.

In the British Royal Navy, the master was originally a warrant officer who ranked as a lower lieutenant.

When the United States Navy was formed in 1794, the master was listed as one of the warrant officer ranks and ranked between midshipman and  lieutenants.  It was also a commissioned officer rank until 1837 until it was replaced  with the current rank of lieutenant, junior grade in 1883.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Shannon Legacy-- Part 2: Provo Wallis

**  The Shannon's bell is displayed at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax.  It also has a surgeon's chest and mess kettle from the Chesapeake.

**  A cannon, believed to have been from the Shannon, is on the north side of Province House., Nova Scotia's legislative building.

A lieutenant named Provo Wallis was acting captain of the Shannon for six days following the wounding of Captain Broke.  because of this, he became senior to many other lieutenants during the Napoleonic-era Royal Navy.

This enabled him to eventually become Admiral of the Fleet.

--Brock-Perry

Trouble On the High Seas-- Part 3: Seizing and Sinking American Ships

THE TROUBLE AT SEA

This sort of trouble wasn't new.  Ships of the British Royal Navy had been stopping American merchant ships ever since 1793, when England went to war with France.  It was England's war policy to stop all ships from trading in French seaports.  To make sure that American ships were not taking war supplies to France, British warships stopped them on the ocean and British sailors went on board to search the cargo.

French warships did the same.  If the French or British found enemy cargo on board, the ship might be sunk or captured.  Dozens of American ships were lost that way, and thousands of dollars' worth of goods were lost with every ship.

--Brock-Perry