Anne Louis Toussard-- Part 3: Impact on American Artillery, Forts, West Point and DuPont Gunpowder

Again, I have seen Toussard's name spelled with just one "s" and also with two of them.  I am using the double "s" spelling.

In April 1795, President Washington appointed Toussard  a major in the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers, beginning a period during which he had  enormous influence on the American military.  After supervising the construction of several significant fortifications, he restructured the U.S. artillery service on the French model, bringing uniformity to its use of cannons.

In 1798, he laid out the plans for what would become the  Military Academy at West Point.

Also, his "American Artillerists Companion" (1809) became the standard text for artillery instruction.  Along the way,  he aided Eleuthere Irenee du Pont in establishing gunpowder  mills in Delaware, which would prove vital to American interests.

Again, I don't know how I never came across his name before his letter about the Hurricane of 1812.  

An Important Person in American History.  Sadly, One Who Is Not Known. --Brock-Perry

Lieutenant Colonel Anne-Louis De Toussard, Society of Cincinnati

From the Society of Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey.

Lt.Col. Anne-Louis Toussard was the French consul in New Orleans who wrote about that horrific 1812 hurricane.

Original member of  the French Society and Represented Propositus in New Jersey.

Began his service in the American Revolution when he arrived in Portsmouth,  New Hampshire in 1777.  Joined the Continental Army and served on the staff of  General Washington in June 1777.  Fought in the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown.

Served at Valley Forge.  Aide de camp to Major General Lafayette.  Lost his arm in the retreat from Rhode Island.  His arm was shattered when he attempted to capture some British artillery.

--Brock-Perry

Replica of James Monroe's Birthplace-- Part 2: Service in the American Revolution and Virginia

James Monroe, still a teenager, joined the 3rd Virginia Regiment, commanded by Hugh Mercer, and served in campaigns led by George Washington in  New York and New Jersey.

"He is our only  president to have  served on active military duty in the Revolutionary War  aside from George Washington," said G. William Thomas, president of the James Monroe Memorial Foundation, in the opening ceremony.

At the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, Monroe sustained a bullet wound to his shoulder and nearly died.  He carried that bullet in his body for the rest of his life. 

Following his military service, Monroe served in the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress and then was elected by state legislators to be one of the first U.S. senators from Virginia.

Washington appointed him  ambassador to France, and in 1799, he was elected governor of Virginia.

--Brock-Perry

July Happenings in the American Revolution

From the American Battlefield Trust July 2021 calendar.  The Trust now saves acres in not just Civil War battlefields as it once did, but also battlefield from the American Revolution and War of 1812, since these two wars were both fought on U.S. soil.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION

JULY 3, 1775

George Washington assumes command of the Continental Army outside of Boston.

JULY 5, 1775

Congress approves the Olive Branch Petition, a final attempt to avoid war with Britain.

JULY 4, 1776

Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence.  However it wasn't signed this day.

JULY 5, 1777

British capture Fort Ticonderoga, New York.

--Brock-Perry

Some More About Patrick Gass-- Part 3: Met George Washington and James Buchanan

While stationed at Wheeling Creek, young Patrick Gass made the acquaintance of famed frontier scout Lewis Wetzel, whose accomplishments rivaled those of Daniel Boone, but who also had a deep hatred of Indians and rarely missed a chance to kill one.

With peace restored, Gass  became a carpenter, having bound himself in 1794 for  two years or more.  he built at least one house (which still stood in Wellsburg in 1859, and also worked on a house for Mr. James Buchanan, father of a boy who went on to become President of the United States.    Gass referred to the son as "Little Jimmy."

About this time , in 1794, Patrick also met  General Washington, when the latter led troops out to defeat the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794.  Patrick remained neutral in the fight, though.

Gass apparently stuck to his carpenter trade until at least until May 1799.  At that time, relations between France and the United States worsened and Gass enlisted in the 19th Regiment under General Alexander Hamilton.

He was sent to Harpers Ferry in June, 1800, but was soon discharged at Little York, Pennsylvania.  However, Gass found that he really enjoyed the military life, he immediately reenlisted under Major Jonathan Cass, the father of General Lewis Cass.

--Brock-Perry

U.S. Presidents Who Served During the War of 1812-- Part 1

From the Feb. 14, 2021, National Interest  "Question;  Which presidents served in the U.S. military?" by Peter Siciu.

In honor of yesterday's Presidents Day, here is a look at some of the past presidents.  A total of 29 have served in the military.

The first president, of course, George Washington, was the leader of American forces in the Revolutionary War.  He was one of only two of our Founding Fathers to serve in the military, though.  

The other one was James Monroe, the fifth U.S. president who was an officer in the Continental Army, reaching the rank of major.  He was severely wounded at the Battle of Trenton.

Nearly all of the 29 military presidents were officers with the exception of James Buchanan, the 15th president.  He served as a private in the War of 1812.

--Brock-Perry

Minding Your 'P's' and 'Q's'-- Part 1: (Admiral Perry?)

Jan. 27, 2021, WBRZ Channel 2 ABC, Pat Shingleton: "P's and Q's "

Near our home in Ellwood City, Pa.,  are roads that  would have been identified as routes of transport during the Revolutionary War.  The roads connected Pittsburgh to Erie where Admiral Perr's Fleet  was located during the War of 1812.  (Well, not actually admiral.)

There are many locations such as Rachael's Road Road House near Grove City that displays a house that George Washington visited.

In those early days, local taverns and public houses or pubs provided lodging, food or drink from inclement weather.  Libations were originally  a convenient means for  combating the winter chill and a "wee-nip" could break the bone-chilling cold.

--Brock-Perry

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

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

USS Congress (1799)-- Part 5: Finished For the Quasi War with France

The Congress was given her name by George Washington  after a principle of the U.S. Constitution.  According to reports, her keel was laid down in 1795 at a shipyard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (or close to it, Badger Island).

James Hackett was charged with her construction and Captain James Sever served as superintendent.  Construction proceeded slowly  and was completely suspended in 1796 when a peace treaty was signed with Algiers.  The Congress remained in shipyard, incomplete, until relations with France deteriorated in 1798 and the start of the Quasi War.

At the request of then-President John Adams, funds were approved 16 July to finish her construction.

******************************

ARMAMENT

The Naval Act of 1794 had rated the Congress as 36-gun frigates, but, because of their larger size, upped to 38-guns.  However, ships of this era  had no permanent batteries as do more recent warships.  The cannons were completely portable and often exchanged between ships and stations as needed.

--Brock-Perry

USS Congress (1799)-- Part 1: Built at Badger's Island, Portsmouth, N.H.

From Wikipedia.

The USS Congress was a nominally rated 38-gun wooden hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the U.S. Navy.  Built by James Hackett in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Badger's Island.  She was launched 15 August 1799 and was one of the original six  frigates in the U.S. Navy authorized by the Naval Act of 1794.

The name Congress  was one of the ten names submitted to President George Washington by Secretary of War Timothy Pickering  in March 1795 for the six frigates to be constructed.

Joshua Humphreys, famed ship builder and naval contractor, designed these ships to be the young Navy's capital ships., so the Congress and her sister ships were designed  to be larger and more heavily armed than most frigates at the time (especially in the British fleet).  Essentially, they were Super-Frigates or, in the 20th century, heavy cruisers.

The USS Constitution was one of these six frigates.

A battle between them and a standard frigate would probably not go well for the regular frigate.

--Brock-Perry

David Rubenstein's Donations to American History

Continued from the previous post.

This man has been very nice to history.  Over the past two decades, his donations have included:

$50 million to the Reach Addition of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

$20 million to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello plantation outside Charlottesville, Va.

$10 million to James Madison's Montpeleier Estate in Orange, Virginia

$10 million to George Washington's Mt. Vernon

$18.5 million to the Lincoln Memorial

$12.3 million to Robert E. Lee's Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery

$10.5 million to the Washington Monument

$5.4 million to the Renwick Gallery

$5.37 million to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial

$5 million to the visitor center at the White House

$4.5 million to the National Zoo's panda reproduction program

$1 million  to Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument.

Again, a Big Thank You to Mr. Rubenstein.  --Brock-Perry

Hot Time in the Old Town, Burning Washington, D.C.-- Part 2

But, the books in the Library of Congress contributed to the flames.  Almost all of the 3,000 books in the library were destroyed.  Later, though, former President Thomas Jefferson donated his private book collection to start a new Library of Congress.

But the Capitol was not a complete loss.    The House rotunda, the east lobby, the staircases and Latrobe's famous  Corn-Cob columns in the Senate entrance hall survived.

After burning the Capitol, the British turned up Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House  The president and other government officials had already fled the city, but his wife, Dolley, was still at the White House.  When Madison  urged his wife to leave, she organized the slaves to save  valuables from the British.

Reportedly, she saved the famous Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington, but another account by James Madison's personal slave, Paul Jennings, then age 15, said she didn't save it herself, that others saved it.

When the British arrived, they happily devoured a feast that had been prepared for Madison before setting fire to the White House.

--Brock-Perry

Toasting the War of 1812 Veterans-- Part 1: To Washington, 1776 and Veterans

After all the speeches, most very flowery and after the huge banquet, the wine was passed around at the 1872 War of 1812 Reunion in Monroe, Michigan, and toasts were made.

Every toast also featured a response.

1.  "The Day We Celebrate"  --Response  by J.J. Adams of Lenawee,

2.   "Washington"  --  The  world honors the man who conquered his own  ambition to give freedom to the continent.  --Response by Judge Patchin of Detroit.

3.  The Statesmen and Heroes of 1776"  The founders of a system of government that makes ours a powerful continental Republic for the good of the world, if in our political advice we imitate their integrity.   --Response by B.G. Morton of Monroe.

4.  "The Veterans of 1812"  Their march to victory was not by Pullman palace cars, but through the dense forests, dragging their cannons with weary marches; yet they conquered at Tippecanoe, Fort Meigs, and the Thames, and said to the world at Lake Erie, "We have met the enemy and they are ours."    --Response by General Leslie Combs, of Kentucky.

And, They Aren't Through Yet With the Toasts.  --Brock-Perry

Custer and the Civil War, His Confederate Friend and George Washington

Besides in this blog, with George Custer's connection to the War of 1812, I have been writing about George Custer in the Civil War, primarily at this point on his running into a friend of his from his USMA at West Point, Lt. James Worrell Washington during the war.

Only, his friend was now in the Confederate Army.  And now, a Union prisoner after the Battle of Seven Pines.  A picture was taken of the two friends, now adversaries.

You can find out about this "reunion" as well as its connection to John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry and the George Washington relics at my Saw the Elephant Civil War blog.

Click on the My Blogs slot to the right of this.

--Brock-Perry

Henry Lee III-- Part 3: Politician and Marriages

Henry Lee organized the Virginia militia.  When war with Britain became imminent, Lee requested  asked President James Madison for a commission, but that didn't happen.

From 17886 to 1788, Lee was a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation and in 1788 a delegate  at the Virginia convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution.  From 1789 to 1791, he served in Virginia's General Assembly and then from 1791 to 1794, he was governor of Virginia.

Then, 1791 to 1801, he served as a U.S. Representative.  He gave a famous eulogy for former President Washington when he died. in 1799, with the words:  "First in war, First in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

He married twice and it was from the second one that Robert E. Lee was born.

--Brock-Perry

Samuel Smith of Baltimore-- Part 1: Veteran of Two Wars

From the War of 1812 Archaeology blog.

Samuel Smith fought in both the American Revolution and the War of 1812.  There is a monument in Baltimore honoring him.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION and persevering defense.

On September  23, 1777, Lt. Col. Samuel Smith, 24, was ordered by General Washington, to take command of Fort Mifflin in the Delaware River, below Philadelphia.

Washington told him:  "The keeping of this fort is of very great importance, and I rely on your prudence, spirit and bravery for a vigorous and persevering defense."

Forts Mifflin and Mercer were important because they could help starve the British out of their newly captured Philadelphia.

However, Samuel Smith did not succeed in defending Fort Mifflin.  He was attacked and even when it became clear that he couldn't keep Fort Mifflin out of British hands, he refused to surrender.

--Brock-Perry

Baltimore's Battle Monument-- Part 1

Another reason for Baltimore being called "The Monumental City."

From Wikipedia.

Located on Calvert Street between  Fayette and Lexington streets.  On one acre.  Built in 1815.

Commemorates the Battle of Baltimore which included the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the Battle of North Point. in September 1814.  It honors those who died.  It sits on the site of the first Baltimore County court house.  The site was originally picked for the city's Washington Monument, but it was feared that would be too tall, so its construction was moved to another site.

The monument was designed by Baltimore architect J. Maximilian M. Godefroy and built between 1815 and 1825 and stands 39 feet high.

--Brock-Perry

Baltimore's Washington Monument

A big reason Baltimore is referred to as The Monumental City is this monument.

From Wikipedia.

It was the first monument built honoring the American leader in the Revolution and the nation's first president.  It stands  178.feet 8 inches tall and was begun in 1815 and completed in 1829.  It stands north of downtown Baltimore.  It is 227 steps to the top.

It was designed by noted architect Robert Mills who also designed the Washington Monument in D.C..

Washington's statue was made by Italian-born sculptor Enrico Causici and shows Washington resigning his commission as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army.

--Brock-Perry

Who Dubbed Baltinore "The Monumental City"?-- Part 3

A big reason for Baltimore being called "The Monumental City" was because of its monument to George Washington.

Masonry work was completed by the mid-1820s and the statue of Washington was placed on top in 1829.  Other exterior and interior details were completed in the 1830s.

A person would have expected the first monument to George Washington to be in the city that bears his name, but the cornerstone of that  one wasn't laid until 1848 and dedication in 1885.

In addition, work on the Battle Monument was begun in 1815 to honor the fallen defenders of the Battle of Baltimore and finishing touches were being put on it in 1823.

--Brock-Perry