John M. Gamble, USMC-- Part 3: His Brother Peter Also in War of 1812 Where He Lost His Life

It should be mentioned that John M. Gamble had a brother by the name of Peter Gamble who was an officer in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812.

Peter Gamble was born on 5 November 1793 in Bordentown, New Jersey.  He was appointed midshipman on 16 January 1809, and served on Thomas Macdonough's flagship USS Saratoga at the Battle of Lake Champlain.

There, he was killed in action while sighting his gun on 11 September 1814.

Macdonough his deplored the loss and commended his bravery in action.

A destroyer was named for both Peter and John M. Gamble, the USS Gamble DD123/DM-15).  This ship was at Pearl Harbor when the attack came.

--Brock-Perry

USS Gamble (DD-123) (DM-15): Named for Two Brothers

The ship was named after two brothers.  One, Peter, was in the U.S. Navy, and the other, John M. Gamble was in the USMC.  Both fought in the War of 1812 with one being killed.  This ship was at Pearl Harbor when the British attacked along with another destroyer named the Perry, after Oliver Hazard Perry.

From Wikipedia.

Peter Gamble was born  on 5 November 1793 in Bordentown , New Jersey.  He was appointed  midshipman on 16 January 1809 and served on Thomas Macdonough's flagship USS Saratoga at the Battle of Lake Champlain.

He was killed  in action while sighting  his gin on  11 September 1814.

Macdonough deplored Peter's loss and commended his gallantry in action.

John M. Gamble was the brother of Peter Gamble and achieved the rank of brevet lieutenant colonel  in the United States Marine Corps.

--Brock-Perry

Shipwrights in Vergennes Were Key to Battle of Lake Champlain-- Part 3:

In a mere 40 days, for example, they built a 143-foot-long, 26-gun frigate named the USS Saratoga, to serve as Macdonough's flagship.

To give Noah Brown and his men a head start on a second vessel, Macdonough purchased  the completed hull of a merchant steamship under construction in the yard.  Macdonough decided to convert it into a sailing vessel.  It was a safer  course of action as  steam power was notoriously  unreliable and never used in battle at the time.

Macdonough had Brown use the steamer's hull as part of a 120-foot sailing  schooner which was armed with 17 guns and christened the USS Ticonderoga.

The shipwrights also built  six 70-ton row galleys, each measuring about 75 feet in length.  These each were armed with two large cannons.

The galleys were named the Viper, Nettle, Allen, Borer, Burrow and Centipede (the latter perhaps because of its appearance when using the oars).

Once work was completed, Brown and his workers returned to New York.

The Career of Thomas Macdonough-- Part 2: A Big Break for the Americans

The British came with both Army soldiers under the command of George Prevost and a Naval fleet under the command of George Downie.  Downie was a very experienced sea man who had attained much success fighting against France during the Napoleonic Wars.  He was he commander of the HMS Confiance.

Defending Plattsburgh was a much smaller American force of some 2,000 men under the command of General Alexander Macomb and, of course Macdonough's which was also outgunned.  Things looked bleak for the Americans.

Macdonough's fleet met head on with British fleet on September 11, 1814.  In a moment that changed the course of the battle, a cannonball fired by Macdonough's flagship, the USS Saratoga, smashed into a British cannon on the Confiance causing it to land on Downie, killing him instantly.

--Brock-Macdonough

Macdonough Monument in Plattsburgh, N.Y.-- Part 1

From HMdb  "THOMAS MACDONOUGH MEMORIAL MONUMENT"

Commemorates the American naval victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814 and was designed by John Pope.  It commands the park which is opposite of the Plattsburgh City Hall, which was also designed by John Pope.

Inscribed at the base are Macdonough's four primary vessels:  Ticonderoga, Saratoga, Eagle and Preble.

The monument is 14 feet square at its base.  The bronze eagle at the top has a twenty-foot wingspan.  Pope also designed the National Archives and Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C..  He used Indiana  limestone for the Macdonough Monument and City Hall.  Pope's firm, established in New York City in 1900, consistently produced  dignified architecture of classical inspiration.

The formal dedication of the monument took place on August 18, 1926, "an ideal summer day."  Secretary of State Frank Kellogg spoke to the vast throng.  It was reported that an estimated 7,000 people attended the ceremony in front of City Hall.

--Brock-Perry

The Battle of Plattsburgh/Lake Champlain-- Part 3: John Russell Pope

John Russell Pope (1874-1937) designed the obelisk in downtown Plattsburgh as well as the 1917 City Hall across the street from it.

But, he is better known for designing the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.  The Jefferson memorial and City Hall share some stylistic similarities with the dome and columns.

The Plattsburgh obelisk was erected in 1926 and features the name of each of the major American ships in the battle on each side:  Eagle, Saratoga, Preble and Ticonderoga.  The names are accompanied by intricate reliefs and BOP-contemporary  uniforms.  (Not sure what BOP stands for.)

HOWEVER, in keeping with the current climate of destroying and defacing public monuments in the United States, the obelisk was recently vandalized on some of the reliefs.  The one for the Saratoga had anti-police sentiments painted on it, but since have been removed.

The eagle atop the monument has a twenty-foot wingspan is associated with local, college-town lore and nearly matches the length of the monument's base.

Even in Plattsburgh.  Hey, That Wasn't Even a Confederate Monument.  --Brock-Perry

USS Niagara-- Part 5: Efforts at Restoration

The City of Erie transferred ownership of the vessel to the newly formed USS Niagara Foundation in 1929.  They were set up to restore it and make it the centerpiece of a museum.

However, the Great Depression forced the State of Pennsylvania to take over.  Two years later the state gave $50,000 for another restoration in 1931.  In 1938, the state stopped funding the ship.  It was transferred to the Pennsylvania Historical Commission and it became a WPA project.

The commission contracted Howard I. Chapelle to restore the Niagara and he used plans for period ships built by Noah Brown like the USS Saratoga.

Very little of the original USS Niagara remained by this time.  What hadn't rotted had been sold off as souvenirs.

--Brock-Perry

USS/HMS Linnet

From Wikipedia.

The Linnet was a 16-gun brig built for the Royal Navy in 1814 at Ile aux Noix.  Originally named the Niagara, the name was changed.  It was captured at the Battle of Lake Champlain, but never sailed again.  Sold in 1825.

It was 82-feet long and had a crew of 99.

At the Battle of Lake Champlain, it engaged the American brig USS Eagle, 18 guns, and did much damage to her until Macdonough's flagship, the Saratoga raked it causing the Linnet to strike its colors.  The Linnet lost 10 killed and 15 wounded in the action.  It was taken into American service, but not used because of the end of the war.

--Brock-Perry

Vermont's Battle of Fort Cassin, 200 Years Ago Yesterday-- Part 1

From May 13, 2014, Vermont Public Radio "Coffin: Fort Cassin" by Howard Coffin.

Two hundred years ago, there was no busier place than Vergennes, Vermont, where the U.S. Navy was shipbuilding at a fever pace.

One of the many battlefronts of the War of 1812 was on the 120 mile long Lake Champlain.  For the past two years there had been minor clashes as British ships prowled the lake from the Richilieu River and Ile aux Noix in the northern part.

In December 1813, the U.S. navy department ordered a massive increase in its Lake Champlain fleet.  The flotilla was commanded by Thomas Macdonough, 29, and already a veteran of Tripoli.    He chose Vergennes because of its surrounding supply of timber and iron.  The place already had forges, furnaces and sawmills powered by the falls of Otter Creek.

Knowing that the British were busily strengthening their fleet, he ordered non-stop work on his.  One of his projects was the 140-foot long, 26-gun USS Saratoga.  He also built six 75-foot row galleys mounting two cannons each.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Confiance-- Part 2

At the Battle of Plattsburgh, the Confiance battled the Saratoga for two and a half hours and was at a major disadvantage because the crew was largely untrained (and only on the ship a few weeks. It was forced to surrender and taken to Whitehall for repairs. During the winter of 1814-1815, it was Macdonough's headquarters ship.

With the war over, it was stripped of cannons and anything useful and housed over to prevent deterioration. It was moved to a site below Whitehall.

Rot quickly spread because of the greenness of the wood. Later, it was towed to the mouth of the Poultney River, known as East Bay, and allowed to sink. In 1825, the Whitehall naval station was closed and all remaining War of 1812 hulks were sold.

In a 1839 map of the area shows a spot with the "wreck of the Confiance." Then, in 1873, dredging work to the channel caused the Confiance's wreck to slip into it and block it. Local contractor, J.J. Holden, known as "Nitroglycerine Jack" was hired and some mighty explosions erased the Confiance.

 Goodbye Confiance. --Brock-Perry

The USS Saratoga Was a Corvette

From Wikipedia. //// On Saturday I mentioned the USS Saratoga was classified as a corvette warship. I was not too familiar with corvettes in the War of 1812, so lookied into it. //// Corvettes were small, highly-maneuverable and light-armed warships. Essentially, the next step under a frigate as far as firepower and most closely related to sloops-of-war. //// During the Age of Sail, they were used principally for coastal patrol, minor wars and battles, supporting large fleets and ship-to-shore operations. //// Now You Know. --Brock-Perry

USS Linnert, USS Saratoga and USS Confiance Sold in 1825

While looking up information on these three War of 1812 ships involved in the Battle of Lake Champlain (PLattsburgh) in New York, I noticed that all three were sold in 1825. //// I thought that to be too coincidental until I read that the United States government closed the naval station at Whitehall, New York, in that year. All three ships were in ordinary or just hulks there at the time.//// The Linnert and Confiance were formerly British ships. I wasn't able to find out what happened to the Saratoga or Linnert after they were sold, but most likely they were broken up. There was information on the Confiance after 1825, which I will write about when I do the thumbnail sletch on it beginning today. //// --Brock-Perry

USS Saratoga and Battle of Plattsburgh-- Part 2

Thomas Macdonough sailed back south and anchored his fleet in a strategically superior position causing British ships to have a slow approach against the wind in such a fashion that they couldn't bring many of their guns to bear. //// He also dropped kedge anchors and arranged spring lines so he could turn his ships so alternately, his starboard and then port guns could be brought to bear. //// When the British assault began down Lake Champlain, crack British troops were rushed from Europe and were able to force American sokldiers southward on the west shore of Lake Champlain. //// The Saratoga primarily battled the Confiance and when her starboard huns were lost, swung around with its port guuns and forced the also battered Confiance to surrender. Next to surrender was the HMS Linnert. By then, the battle was over and an American victory. The British troops retreated and the U.S. was left in control of Lake Champlain. //// --Brock-Perry

Macdonough's Flagship: the USS Saratoga-- Part 1

From Wikipedia. //// I mentioned that the USS Saratoga was launched April 11, 1814, at vergennes, Vermont, to be added to Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough's Lake Champlain fleet. //// A follow-up on the ship. //// The USS Saratoga was classified as a 143-foot corvette, mounting 26 guns with a crew of 212 and 734 tons. It didn't take long to build as it was just laid down March 7th. The addition of this ship put the American's ahead in the naval construction race on Lake Champlain. //// Macdonough took it to blockade Richilieu. //// The British fleet was upriver at Ile aux Noix where the 36-gun frigate HMS Confiance was rapidly built. This was the largest warship ever to sail on Lake Champlain. //// --Brock-Perry

War of 1812 Timeline for April 1814 Launch of the USS Jefferson and Saratoga

APRIL 7, 1814: Americans launch the brig USS Jefferson at Sackets Harbor, New York, adding to Commodore Isaac Chauncey's Lake Ontario squadron. //// APRIL 9, 1814: The remaining 98 men and officers of 2nd Battalion 8th (or king's) Regiment sail from New Brunswick to Quebec. //// APRIL 11TH, 1814: The American ship Saratoga (26 guns) is launched at Vergennes, Vermont, increasing Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough's Lake Champlain fleet. //// --Brock-Perry

HMS Linnert

From Wikipedia. //// As mewntioned in the previous post, the HMS Linnert was launched this month in 1814. It was a 16-gun brig launched at Ile aux Noir, Lower Canada under the command of Cmdr. Daniel Pring, RN. It was originally to have been named the HMS Niagara and served in Lake Champlain. //// At the September 1814 Battle of Lake Champlain where it engaged and heavily damaged the American 18-gun brig USS Eagle before Macdonough's flagship, USS Saratoga raked her and forced a surrender with 10 killed and 15 wounded. //// It was repaired and taken into American service as the USS Linnert, but by then the war had ended and it was placed in ordinary in Whitehall, New York, and later sold in 1825. //// --Brock-Perry

Naval Action: War of 1812-- Part 2: Battle of Lake Champlain

The Battle of Lake Champlain, fought a year later, September 10, 1814, was fought for a body of water that historically had been a path of invasion. It was a joint army-navy operation for the British whose success depended upon keeping Lake Champlain open for supplies.

The British had a slight firepower advantage but the American ships were  moored in a position so as to protect General Alexander Macomb's army. The American Navy commander, Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough, in his flagship USS Saratoga, was able to bring both his port and starboard guns to bear on the British ships who tried in vain to compensate.

As a result of the American victory, Britain was forced to reconsider their military and diplomatic objectives which led to the Dec. 24, 1814 Treaty of Ghent, ending the war.

-- Brock-Perry

Vergennes, Vermont, Involved in War of 1812

From the Jan. 3, 2014, Telegraph, AP "Vt. museum celebrating 200 years since War of 1812" by Wilson Ring, AP.

Two hundred years ago, the land around Otter Creek in what is now Vergennes, Vermont, had thousands of shipwrights from New York and elsewhere spending the winter and building an American fleet which would later in the year meet the British fleet on Lake Champlain in what is called the Battle of Plattsburgh.

In the winter of 1813-1814, they built this fleet seven miles upstream from Lake Champlain and just below the falls which helped power the Monkton Iron Works which provided metal fittings for the 26-gun USS Saratoga, 20-gun Eagle, 14-gun Ticonderoga and some smaller gunboats.

Meeting the British Next. --Brock-Perry

Apparently, I Had Written About the USS Ticonderoga

When I typed in the Ticonderoga on the labels, it came up after a few letters.  So, I had written about it before.

There is some confusion, though, as the previous entry mentioned it as being a steamship (I didn't even know we had steamships back then). and that the USS Saratoga had been raised from the bottom of Lake Champlain.

Like I said, I will have to do more research.

Wiki, Here i Come.  --DaCoot

Vergennes, Vermont's Key Role in the War-- Part 2

Macdonough had spent the previous several months building his fleet at the Vergennes shipyard with Addison County labor and assistance from the Monkton Iron Works.  The fleet included the Ticonderoga, a steamboat converted into a 17-gun warship.  Another six ships were 75-footers, including one found at the bottom of Lake Champlain, his flagship, the USS Saratoga.

He also ordered the construction of the 120-foot long USS Eagle which was designed to carry twenty guns.  This warship took just 19 days to launch from the time the keel was laid.

For protection of his endeavor, Macdonough ordered cannons placed along Otter Creek to prevent a British attack.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry