Butler's Barracks-- Part 3: Polish Army Trained There in WW I

From October 1917 to  March 1919, the Polish Army trained at Niagara Camp in an area known as Camp Kosciuszko.  These men would go on to fight alongside the French Forces, in Haller's Army, also known as the Blue Army in World War I.

After the war, the barracks that were constructed at Camp Kosciuszko were used into the 1960s.

It is now  part of the Fort George National Historic Site.

The Lincoln and Welland Regimental Museum is located at  in Butler's Barracks.  Exhibits include displays and artifacts from the 18th century through to the present, including uniforms, weapons, medals, photographs, regimental  band instruments and other memorabilia.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Mississauga-- Part 3: Operations

With the American Navy now controlling Lake Ontario, the importance of this fort was crucial to British security in the area.

The British Army was stationed in the fort from 1813 to 1855, after which the Canadian militia provided garrison duty.    The militia used  it as a summer training ground beginning in the 1870s and this went on for both World Wars and the Korean War.

Today, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Course surrounds the site, but public access is permitted via a walking path.  But, there are warnings for visitors to watch out for golfers who have the  right of way.

The blockhouse is the only original structure still standing.  All the other buildings (which were mostly log structures) have been destroyed or dismantled.  The interior of the blockhouse is closed, but there are wooden staircases providing access.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 11: 'A Desecration of Sacred Heroic Sites' and First World War Use

The golf course changed to an 18-hole course in 1895, further expanding into the ruins of the fort.  Then the golf club proposed clearing the remaining ruins of the fort.  This caused a major controversy.  members of the golf club were primarily Americans  summering in the area.

This brought about much criticism from locals and even newspapers in Toronto who called it  a "desecration of scared heroic sites."  Facing this outcry, the golf club abandoned its plans for the fort's ruins.  The club eventually dissolved after the First World War.

During the First World War, the Canadian government built a military hospital on the site of the fort's esplanade with a kitchen, mess and guardhouse collectively known as Camp Niagara.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 2: The Reconstructed Fort George

The poor wartime construction of Fort George led to its replacement by Fort Mississauga in the 1820s.  Even so, the grounds of the former Fort George saw military activity until the end of the First World War.

During the late 1930s, the Niagara Parks Commission built a reconstruction of Fort George.  The site was opened in 1940 and has been managed as a historic site and living museum by Parks Canada since 1969.

The fort is an irregular-shaped earthwork with six bastions and a number of reconstructed buildings within it.  A restored gunpowder magazine is the only building that dates back to the original Fort George.  The fort forms part of the Fort George National Historic  Site which also includes  Navy Hall to the east of the fort.

The historic site serves as a learning resource for the War of 1812, 19th century military life in Canada and the historic preservation movement during the 1930s.

--Brock-Perry

John B. Montgomery, USN: Officer in Three Wars

I have been writing about the USS Montgomery on my Running the Blockade:  Civil War Navy blog.  It is part of my "RoadTripping Through History:  The Continuing Saga of the USS Montgomery" presentation that I made in January at McHenry County College.

There have been six ships in the U.S. Navy by the name USS Montgomery:  American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I and II and current.  Right now I am writing about the World War I-II ship which was named after John B. Montgomery who was a U.S. Navy officer in the War of 1812, Mexican War and Civil War.

The War of 1812 USS Montgomery was on Lake Champlain.

I am going to write about his War of 1812 service here (and also in my Running the Blockade blog for his entire 50 year service record).

From Wikipedia.

JOHN BARRIEN MONTGOMERY  (1794- March 25, 1872)

Officer in the U.S. Navy who rose through the ranks, serving in the War of 1812, Mexican War and Civil War.  He performed in various  capacities including commanding several vessels.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on Destroyers Named USS Jacob Jones

The USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) was sunk by a German U-boat during World War I.  It was named after War of 1812 veteran naval officer Jacob Nathaniel Jones.

It was sunk on December 6, 1917, with the loss of 66 men of a crew of 99.

This was the first ship in the U.S. Navy with the name.

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But, there was another USS Jacob Jones (DD-130), Wickes-class destroyer.  Commissioned in  1919 and it too was sunk by torpedoes from a German U-boat on February 28, 1942 during World War II.  Only 11 of her crew of 113 survived.

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Then there was a third USS Jacob Jones (DE-130) commissioned in 1943.  It was a destroyer escort.  It was not sunk by a torpedo and decommissioned in 1946.

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So, there were three vessels in the U.S. Navy named after Jacob Jones.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Jones and the Destroyer Named After Him

Today, I posted about the discovery of the shipwreck of the destroyer USS Jacob Jones this past August in my Cooter's History Thing blog.  It was discovered off the coast of England's southwest side.  It was the first U.S. Navy destroyer sunk in enemy action.

It was torpedoed by a German U-boat, the U-53, on 6 December 1917, after the United States had entered World War I.

It was named after Jacob Nicholas Jones who had quite a career in the American Navy that spanned the Quasi-War with France, The First Barbary War, the War of 1812 and the Second Barbary War.

I have written a whole lot about him.  Just click on his name in the labels below.

--Brock-Perry

USS McCall (DD-400), A World War II Ship (What Does This Have to Do with the War of 1812?)

So, the first thought has to be exactly why is a World War II destroyer here in a War of 1812 blog?

In my Tattooed On Your Soul: World War II blog I am writing about the USS Gridley (DD-380) which was the lead ship of her class of US Navy destroyers and fought in World War II.  This was a relatively small class of destroyers with just four ships. 

One of those other three destroyers was named the USS McCall (DD-400) which served during World War II.  This ship was named after War of 1812 naval officer Edward McCall.

There was also an earlier destroyer named after him, the USS McCall (DD-28), a modified  Paulding-class destroyer that saw service in World War I and was a part of the Coast Guard's Rum Patrol.  I'll be writing about this one in my Cooter's History Thing blog.

--Brock-Perry

About That Fort Wayne in Detroit-- Part 5: IN WW II, It Was the World's Largest Motor Supply Depot

In World War I, Fort Wayne became important in the acquisition of cars, trucks and spare parts for the military, of course, Motor City you know.  And that role really took off during World War II.

There was a "Red Scare" in the United States after World War I with the troubles going on in Russia, and Fort Wayne served as a temporary detention center for persons accused of being Communist.  In 1921, the world's first motorized  ride-on lawnmower was used at Fort Wayne, along with several other sites.

During the Great Depression the fort was opened to homeless families and it housed a local group of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

During World War II, Fort Wayne was designated Motor Supply Depot and additional buildings were constructed for warehousing and shipping.  At that time Fort Wayne was the largest motor supply depot in the world.  Its command center controlled the flow of materiel from the automobile factories   to the citywide network of staging facilities which included the Michigan State Fairgrounds and the Port of Detroit  terminal.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on the Macdonough Monument in Plattsburgh-- Part 2

However, World War I disrupted plans for the monument.  A federal act was passed to prohibit the spending of federal funds for the construction of monuments indefinitely passed.  Additionally the cost of construction increased dramatically.

All this delayed Plattsburgh's memorial until  1921, when citizens became very urgent that the matter of erecting the memorial became very urgent."

An Act of the Legislature of 1921 abolished the former commission and established a new one in favor of having more locals serve and more frequent meetings.  The state appropriated more funds for the project, and after some revisions of the original plans forced by budget limits, the commission selected a man named John Young Jr. to construct the memorial.

--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

About That Uncle Sam-- Part 2: Uncle Sam Poster Based On a British Poster

James Montgomery Flagg was a creator of cartoons, illustrations, and drawings of publications of all sorts.    He worked for advertisers, magazines, newspapers, book publishers and was commissioned by  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper in  in 1916.  It was a weekly publication  that pioneered in the use of early photography (and illustrations especially during the Civil War) during its 70+ year run and he used himself as a model.

The headline of that week's issue was "What Are You Doing For Preparedness?" At this time, the U.S. was drawing closer to entering the war raging in Europe.   He decided to make a poster of the then-famous recruiting poster of the British Army depicting the famous  Field Marshal Lord Kitchener pointing his finger and looking directly at the viewer and  telling them they're wanted in the British Army.  But he was going to use the likeness of Uncle Sam instead.

Okay, then, so who was this Uncle Sam?

Well that harkens back to our war, the War of 1812.

--Brock-Perry

About That Uncle Sam-- Part 1: A War of 1812 Connection

From the Jan. 13, 2020, We Are the Mighty  "Uncle Sam is a real guy and his poster is a self-portrait" by Blake Stilwell.

And, he has a War of 1812 connection and a World War I one as well.

In 1917, artist James Montgomery Flagg created his most famous work, a recruiting poster for the U.S. Army as the United States prepared to enter World War I.  It featured a white-haired, white-whiskered old man in an old-timey top hat, coat  and tie in bold red, white, and blue colors.  And the words "I Want You for the U.S. Army."

He was inspired by similar recruiting posters in Europe (which had been at war since 1914). It was designed to appeal to American patriotism.  (I myself like how the finger points to you as well as the eyes follow you when you're looking at it.  That used to really get my students.)

And, it is basically a portrait of Flagg himself.  This article has a photo of Flag next to his creation and you can see the resemblance.

--Brock-Perry

Other USS Fultons in U.S. Navy

From Wikipedia.

Besides the USS Demologos, there were other ships by the name of Fulton in the U.S. Navy.

USS FULTON  (1837)--  Sidewheel steamer launched in 1837, captured by Confederates  in 1861 and destroyed when they evacuated Pensacola, Florida, in 1862.  I'll be writing about this ship in my Running the Blockade blog later today.

USS FULTON  (AS-1)--  A submarine tender launched in 1914, reclassified as a gunboat (PG-49) in 1930, and decommissioned  in 1934.

USS FULTON (SP-247), a tugboat, converted into a patrol vessel in commission 1917-1919.

USS FULTON  (AS-11)    A Fulton-class submarine tender, launched in 1940 and struck in 1991.

--Brock-Perry

The Family of Ann Minerva Rodgers Macomb and John Bavarre Macomb-- Part 2

Looking at the military side of things.

One of their sons was General Montgomery Meigs Macomb (1852- 1924) who is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  Graduated 4th in Class of 1974 USMA.  Served ion the American Frontier

Commissioned brigadier general in 1910  During WW I he was post commander of Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Montgomery Meigs is definitely a military name.

--Brock-Perry

Descendants of Christopher R. Perry-- Part 2: Aviators and Horse Racing

**   Great Grandson, Rear Admiral S. Rodgers (1858-1931) Spanish-American War and World War I.

Two other descendants came through Christopher Perry's daughter, Anna Maria Perry Rodgers

 **  Calbraith Perry Rodgers  (1879-1912), a pioneer American  aviator who was the first civilian to own a Wright Flyer and the first to make a transcontinental flight.

**   Commander John Rodgers (1881-1926), Navy officer and early aviator.

Through his son Matthew's daughter, Caroline Slidell Belmont, he was great grandfather to:

**  Perry Belmont, a statesman who also served in the Army  during the Spanish-American War and World War I.

**  August Belmont Jr (1853-1924) was an American financier and builder of New York's Belmont  racetrack and a major breeder/owner of thoroughbred racehorses.  (Part of horse racing's Triple Crown.)

Still More to Come.  This Is Quite a Family.    --Brock-Perry

Four USS New York's Destroyed by U.S.-- Part 2

From Wikipedia.

The fourth USS New York destroyed by the United States was the battleship USS New York (BB-34) which fought in World War I and World War II.  It is believed to be the only U.S. ship to sink a U-boat in WW I.

During WW II, it was involved in the invasion of North Africa, convoy duty, a training ship and then went to the Pacific where it was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

It then became part of Operation Crossroads as a test ship, surviving two atom bomb blasts before being used as naval target practice and being sunk.

An Interesting and Full Career.  --Brock-Perry

Four USS New York's Destroyed By the United States-- Part 1

So, we had a USS New York burned in the War of 1812, and another USS New York burned in the Civil War, but I just came across two more USS New Yorks destroyed by Americans.

The USS New York (ACR-2/CA-2) was an armored cruiser in service 1893 to 1938 and was in the Spanish-American War and World War I and had her name changed to the USS Saratoga to free up the name New York for the battleship USS New York (BB-34).  Later, she became the USS Rochester to free up the name for the battlecruiser USS Saratoga which eventually became the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3).

Decommissioned in 1938 and based in the Philippines, it was scuttled December 24, 1941, to prevent capture by the Japanese.

--Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution's Last Visits to Washington, D.C.

The Constitution's final visits to Washington Navy Yard and D.C.  were during her National Cruise following a four-year restoration that was completed in 1931.   The "Old Ironsides" arrived at the Yard on November 7, 1931, and stayed for eleven days.  During that time thousands of visitors walked its decks, including President Herbert Hoover on November 11.

On November 18, the minesweeper USS Grebe towed the ship back down the Potomac River to warmer climes for the rest of its tour.  The Grebe, a World War I ship, remained the Constitution's tender and towing ship for the whole tour.  The Grebe was also at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The Constitution returned on April 16, 1932, where it remained until December 8.

By the time of the ship's last visit, Washington Navy yard was no longer a shipbuilding facility.  Now it was better known as a Naval Gun Factory.  However, the Yard still had  people with the needed skills to  to repair wear and tear on the ship's wooden decks caused by the trampling of feet from over two million visitors during its National Cruise.

--Brock-Perry

Butler's Barracks, Canada-- Part 2: Named for John Butler and Training Site for Many Wars

By 1854, the site was known as Butler's Barracks, named in honor of John Butler who commanded Butler's Rangers, Loyalist soldiers who founded the town of Niagara towards the end of the American Revolution. Also, by 1854, there were twenty buildings on the six acre site, surrounded by an extensive log palisade.

Buildings included the Commissariat, Officer's Quarters, the Commandant's Quarters, the Hospital (former Indian Council House), a fuel yard and storehouses.

The site was transferred to the new Dominion of Canada in 1871 and it was used as a summer training camp for both regular and militia units.  Soldiers who were trained here served in the Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict and peacekeeping efforts in the 20th century.

Today, Butler's Barracks commemorates over 150 years of Canada's military history.  Four original British colonial buildings and one Canadian built structure remain on the site.

A Place For many Wars.  --Brock-Perry