The Glengarry Light Infantry-- Part 2: The Battles of Ogdensburg

Edward Baynes was appointed the regiment's colonel, Major Francis Battersby became the units lieutenant colonel and Captain George MacDonnell became the major.

The Glengarry Light Infantry gathered and trained first at Trois-Rivieres in the first half of 1812 and then for the latter part its companies were  deployed to various sites in Upper Canada.

On 3 October, two of its companies were at  Prescott on the St. Lawrence River and were involved in the failed attack on Ogdensburg on the American side of the river.

(Civil War/Fort Fisher hero Newton Martin Curtis is buried in Ogdensburg, New York.)

However, the American town remained a target.  George MacDonnell, who had been promoted to lieutenant colonel and commanded the garrison at Prescott, mounted a successful attack in Ogdensburg, this time across a frozen St. Lawrence River.

A company of Glengarry Light Infantry and some militia made a frontal attack while the main body of MacDonell's force turned the  American right flank.  The Reverend Alexander Macdonell was conspicuous  in urging the militia and Glengarry soldiers in their advance.

--Brock-Perry

An American Spy (for the British) in the War of 1812-- Part 1

From the September 27, 2021,  Press-Republican " 'In plain sight':  New museum exhibit reveals American spy in War of 1812" by Fernando Alba.

Keith Herkalo, president of the War of 1812 Museum in Plattsburgh, New York, was looking over some documents  from the University of Michigan when he saw something of great interest.  It was from an American merchant to a British merchant in Montreal after the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814.

The merchant wanted to move his goods north into the St. Lawrence River and then on to Halifax in Canada.  The letter was sent just three months after a British invasion had been turned  back at the Battle of Plattsburgh.

Only, that letter was treason since the U.S. had an embargo on.  The merchant was in New York City and wanted to "go around" the embargo and make some money.

But, he would need  support from someone in the British government for safe passage.

So. Who Was This War of 1812 American Spy and What Info Did he Give the British?  --Brock-Perry

Tenth Year of This Blog

This marks the beginning of this blog's tenth year.

This post is the 3,447th.

The very first post was April 16, 2012.

This blog grew out of my Cooter's History Thing blog and I started it because 2012 was the bicentennial of the War of 1812.  I knew more about this war than most people, but that's not saying too much as most Americans know very little about the war.

I figured I would learn more about it with this blog, and I sure did, starting with where Upper and Lower Canada (as the British colony was called back then) were not where I thought they would be.  I always thought upper meant north and lower meant south.  But not so in Canada.  The locations refer to the St. Lawrence River which flows from south to north.

I was looking for a signoff name and couldn't think of one so temporarily used the last names of two heroes of the war:  Isaac Brock of Britain and Oliver Hazard Perry of the U.S.

Things You Learn.  --Brock-Perry

3,188 Posts and Nine Years Later

As of this post, this blog is now nine years old and this is my 3,188th post.

I started three new blogs in 2012, this being one of them.  The other two are my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy and Tattooed On Your Soul:  World War II blog.  2012 was a significant anniversary year for the wars:  200th for the War of 1812, 70th of World War II and 150th of the Civil War.

Even though I was supposed to teach the War of 1812 to my 7th grade students, I usually didn't get there.  I also knew that I didn't know a whole lot about the War of 1812 so this looked like a perfect way to gain some knowledge.  And, I have learned a lot about it.

The very first thing was the difference between Upper and Lower Canada.  Here in the United States, we would regard Lower as being southward and Upper northward.  But, in Canada, this is based on the St. Lawrence River which flows south to north, so Upper Canada is the part by the United States.  I didn't know that.

The sign off, by the way, Brock-Perry stands for a hero on each side during the War of 1812.  Brock is Sir Isaac Brock and Perry is Oliver Hazard Perry.

Learning All the Time.  --Brock-Perry

Joseph G. Swift-- Part 4: Took Part in St. Lawrence River Campaign of 1813

He took part in the Campaign of 1813 on the St. Lawrence River and was at the Battle of Chrystler's Field in Upper Canada on November 11, 1813..  Then he involved with the defense of the city and harbor of New York (including Brooklyn and Harlem Heights) 1814-1815.

On February 18, 1814, he was brevetted to brigadier general for Meritorious Service.

From 1814-1815 he was superintending engineer for the fortifications of New York City.

--Brock-Perry

The HMS Leopard After the Chesapeake Affair-- Part 2

The HMS Leopard took part in a convoy in the Mauritius Campaign 1809-1811 in the Indian Ocean.  In 1812, it had its guns removed and was converted into a troopship.

On 28 June 1814, en route from Britain to Quebec and carrying 475 Royal Scots Guardsmen, the Leopard grounded on Anticosti Island at the outlet of the St. Lawrence River in a heavy fog.  The ship was destroyed, but all aboard survived.

--Brock-Perry

French Mills in the War of 1812-- Part 2: Cold and Unhealthy Winter

Now called Fort Covington, New York, French Mills was the site just inside New York state from Canada where Gen. Wilkinson retreated after the disastrous Battle of Crysler's Farm in November 1813.

He and 2000+ men arrived here by boats up the Salmon River from across the St. Lawrence River.

The winter camp at French Mills was extremely cold and unhealthy.  Food was scarce as the nearest supply base was 200 miles away at Plattsburgh and involved travel over some very poor roads.

Over 200 soldiers, including Robert Lucas, dies there.

By February, the troops burned their boats and began to withdraw to Sackets Harbor and Plattsburgh.

General Covington was an officer who was fatally wounded at the Battle of Crysler's Farm and died enroute to French Mills.

--Brock-Perry

200 Years Ago: British Complete Construction on Fort Wellington

DECEMBER 1814:  British complete construction of Fort Wellington, Prescott, Upper Canada.  One of the few British fortifications in Upper Canada commenced during the War of 1812, Fort Wellington was authorized in early 1813, but construction delays meant that it wasn't completed until late 1814.

The fort consisted of a single story wooden blockhouse 100 feet square which could accommodate 144 soldiers.  The blockhouse was surrounded by massive earthworks that contained bombproof storerooms while the post's artillery commanded the surrounding countryside.

The fortification was a redoubt of substantial strength designed to assert British control over the St. Lawrence River at Prescott, a vital port in the line of communications from Montreal to Kingston.

Although never attacked, Fort Wellington's guns were used to fire on Major General James Wilkinson's flotilla in autumn 1813.

--Brock-Perry

200 Years Ago: Secret Mission, Jackson Leaves for New Orleans and Sinking of HMS Fantome

NOVEMBER 17, 1814:  While on a secret mission to destroy the HMS St. Lawrence, Midshipman James McGowan discovers and captures two British gunboats on the upper St. Lawrence River and returns to Sackets Harbor, New York, with prisoners.

NOVEMBER 22, 1814:  Andrew Jackson leaves for New Orleans when he learns that there is an impending British attack ion that place.

NOVEMBER 24, 1814:  Shipwreck of the HMS Fantome near Prospect, Nova Scotia, while escorting a convoy from Castine, District of Maine to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

--Brock-Perry

U.S. Naval Power Grew to Match Mercantile Ambition-- Part 1: The Story of the U.S. Ships-of-the-Line

From the August 31, 2012, Bloomberg View by Alasdair Roberts.

Sackets Harbor in upstate New York was one of the U.S. Navy's most important ports and it guarded access to the St. Lawrence River. During the War of 1812, two major British attacks on it were repulsed .

As the war ended, there became an odd memorial in the form of the USS New Orleans which remained incomplete on the stocks for seventy years. Had it been launched, it would have been one of the most powerful ships ever built in the American Navy, larger even that the famed British HMS Victory which fought the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Its construction was stopped with the coming of peace.

From 1813-1816, Congress authorized the construction of 16 large warships. By 1830, only one remained in service after six of them had been launched, all of which were quickly removed from service.

More to Come. --Brock-Perry

January 1814 Timeline-- Part 1

January 1814 saw the arrival of British reinforcements in Quebec City, Lower Canada: 76th Regt., 26th regt. and 27th Regt..

Early in 1814, the British constrcted defenses on Bridge Island, Upper Canada, as shelter for supply batteaux (boats) traveling on the St. Lawrence River.

Construction began on cavalry barracksBlairfindie in Lower Canada.

Gunboats are constructed at Coteau-du-Lac in Lower Canada.

--Brock-Perry

November 1813 Timeline-- Part 6: Decisive Battle of Crysler's Farm

NOVEMBER 11TH

In October, Wilkinson's Army began a coordinated campaign to capture Montreal with between 7,000 and 8,000 soldiers based at Sackets Harbor. He was to link up with Major General Wade Hampton's army which was to advance to Montreal along the Richelieu River.

British Lt. Col. Joseph Morrison's force of about 1,100 men pursued Wilkinson's flotilla down the St. Lawrence River. When the Americans turned to engage with about 3,000 of their force, the British landed and took a strong defensive position on John Crysler's field.

After a bloody battle Wilkinson's troops hastily retreated to their boats and descended the river to French Mills, New York, where they took up winter quarters abandoning their effort to capture Montreal after hearing news of Hampton's defeat at Chateauquay.

Losses for the Americans. Big Win for the Canadians  --Brock-Perry

November 1813 Timeline-- Part 5

NOVEMBER 10TH: British gunboats commanded by Royal Navy Captain William Mulcaster engage American gunboats protecting the flotilla of boats carrying Major General Wilkinson's army on the St. Lawrence River.

The British withdrew when they came under effective American artillery from the shore of the river.

--Brock-Perry

Canada's Fort Wellington-- Part 2

THE FIRST FORT WELLINGTON

This is the one from the War of 1812.

The first fort was built with earth ramparts reinforced with a verticle palisade fence and a glacis. The North Facade had a masonry gate. Timber buildings were inside the fort and casemates were tunneled into the ramparts for storage.

The fort's main armament was a pair of 24-pdr. cannons mounted on the southeast and southwest corners. Smaller guns defended other parts of the fort.

Unlike other British forts in the area, Fort Wellington was never attacked by the Americans.

A Strong Fort for the Era. --Brock-Perry

Canada's Fort Wellington-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Fort Wellington National Historic Site is a historic military fortification located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River by Prescott, Ontario, orginally built in 1813 on land given by Major Edward Jessup, a prominent Loyalist who left Connecticut after the American Revolution and founded the town of Prescott in 1784.

The British government built it at the head of the Gallup Rapids. Prior to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1950, these were a series of rapids that ran downriver from Prescott to Montreal. Shipping freight or passengers on regular lake ships was impossible and they would have to shift to smaller batteaux for this segment of the journey.

Prescott is located just a mile from Ogdensburg, New York, on the American side of the river and because of this, was especially vulnerable to military action.

Pretty Close to Have an Enemy. --Brock-Perry

This Date in the War of 1812: British Fort Wellington

From the Parks Canada site.

Two hundred years ago today, an American army led by General Wilkinson successfully passed by Fort Wellington on their way to attack Montreal.

"One consequence of the American Revolution was the emergence of a hostile country to the south of Great Britain's Canadian colonies." Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) was particularly at risk because of the St. Lawrence River between Kingston and Montreal which could be easily cutoff by the Americans on the south shore.

The declaration of war in 1812 caused the British to move fast to the area's defense and Fort Wellington was built at the town of Prescott.

Prescott was founded in 1784 by United Empire Loyalists who fled to Canada from the United States. The capture of Prescott would effectively close the St. Lawrence River.

Initially, local militia occupied two buuildings on the eastern edge of town and built a stockade around them. An advanced battery was built and mounted two 9-pounder cannons.

In December 1812, the commander of British North American forces ordered that a more permanent fort be built. A substantial one-story blockhouse enclosed in earthen ramparts was built over a two-year period.

The fort was never attacked but served as a staging area for regular troops and militia. Early in 1813 an attack was launched across the frozen St. Lawrence River on Odensburg, New York.

After the war, the garrison was gradually removed and the fort deterirated until it was abandoned in 1833. It was rebuilt in 1837.

The Story of a Fort. --Brock-Perry

November 1813 Timeline-- Part 3: Wilkinson's Army On Way to Montreal and Jackson Wins At Battle of Talladega

NOVEMBER 6, 1813:

Major General James Wilkinson's army, carried in a flotilla of boats, is fired upon and forces a passage past the British Fort Wellington at Prescott, Upper Canada. Wilkinson continues his descent of the St. Lawrence River on his way to attack Montreal, Lower Canada.

NOVEMBER 9, 1813:

American troops under Major General Andrew Jackson defeat Red Stick Muscogee (Creek) fighters beseiging the friendly Muscogee (Creek) village of Talladega, Mississippi Territory. Known as the Battle of Talladega.

-- Brock-Perry

The First Battle of Ogdensburg 200 Years Ago Today

Or, perhaps yesterday, I found conflicting reports.

From Wikipedia.

After the war broke out, there was much illicit trade between Ogdensburg and Prescott, Upper Canada (now Ontario) across the St. Lawrence River.

This trade was checked in early October when the local militia was reinforced with a detachment of the 1st U.S. Rifle Regiment under Major Benjamin Forsyth.

On October 3, 1812, British militia attacked, but were quickly repulsed and dispersed.  During the next few months, Forsyth made several raids across the river, sniped at british troops and occasionally captured boatloads of supplies on their way to Kingston, Upper Canada.

Not All That Much.  --Brock-Perry

The 200th Anniversary of the Raid on Gananoque, Ontario

From good old Wikipedia.

On this date, about 200 American regulars and militia under Captain Benjamin Forsyth, attacked Gananoque, Ontario, an important forwarding point for supplies moving up the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Kingston. 

It was garrisoned by a detachment of the 2nd Leeds Militia under Colonel Joel Stone.  After a brisk fight, the Canadians withdrew.  The Americans seizd the military stores and burned the government depot down and withdrew back across the river.

A month later, work began on a blockhouse which was completed in 1813.

Joel Stone established the settlement in 1789.  During the American Revolution, he served with the loyalist militia.

The Bicentennial.  --Brock-Perry

The Battle of Crysler's Farm

From the May 10th Recorder & Times "A War of 1812 battle retreat" by Alicia Wanless.

She suggests tourism to some of the lesser-known battles of the war, one of which is the one that took place at Crysler's Farm fought Nov. 11, 1813.  Had the Canadians and British lost it, the St.Lawrence River would have fallen to the Americans, cutting off British supply lines to Upper Canada.  It also ended the American campaign to capture Montreal by the largest army ever to invade Canada.  In short, it saved the entire country.

In 1895, the Canadian Department of Militia and Defence began erecting monuments at the site.

A plaque was added in 1921 and it was designated a national historic site.

The battlefield was flooded with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and in 1955, the monuments were moved to a manmade knoll created by earth removed from the original battlefield located near Morrisbury.

RAIDS

Not many battles were fought along the St. Lawrence River, but there were many raids in 1812 and early 1813.  There would be a raid, followed by a retaliatory strike.  Raids were conducted on Prescott and what is now Brocksville in 1813.

Touring War of 1812 Sites.  --Brock-Perry