This Blog Recently Passed 4,000 Posts

I just noticed that this blog is now at 4,045 posts.

It started  October 4, 2012, during the bicentennial of the War of 1812.  I realized back then that I didn't know much about this war, even though I taught it in middle school (America Prehistory to the Civil War).

I have sure learned a lot about it.

This grew out of my Cooter's History Thing blog.

--Brock-Perry

12th Year of This Blog

Today marks the 12th year I've had this blog which started in 2012.

I started it because that year marked the bicentennial of the war which started in 1812.  I realized that I really didn't know a lot about it and I sure have learned a lot since then.

This marks the 3,951st post and the blog has had 496,926 visits.

A real learning experience for me.

The Brock-Perry signoff refers to British General Isaac Brock and American naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry.

I have to wonder if there are any other War of 1812 blogs that have been around this long or have had as many posts?

--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

You-Know What Putting a Zap on Maine's 200th Birthday Party

March 15, 2020, Fox News  "Maine marks 200th birthday, but coronavirus zaps party"  AP.

The pandemic forced Maine's bicentennial committee to postpone Sunday's celebration in Augusta that was supposed to kick off with activities that will continue all year, including plans for a big parade in  May and the arrival of the tall ships in July.

How many of these will be postponed or dropped is not known.

--Brock-Perry

The Eighth Year of This Blog

I started this blog in 2012 to mark the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.  I figured on keeping it going until 2015 to mark the 200th anniversary of the end of the war.  As you can see, it didn't stop then.

I knew more about the war than most Americans, but I have learned a whole lot about the war.  For instance, from today's earlier post, I didn't know the first star in Chicago's flag represented the Fort Dearborn Massacre.  Now I know.

Anyway, today's posts mark the beginning of the blog's eighth year and this is the 2897th post.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Shannon Legacy-- Part 3: Books, Coins, Parks

**  A fine detailed account of the battle between the USS Chesapeake and HMS Shannon is in the book "Enduring Journey of the USS Chesapeake" by Chris Dickon.

**  A fictionalized account of the battle appears in the book "Fortunes of War" by Patrick O'Brien.

**  A special Canadian ten dollar coin was made to commemorate the War of 1812 and depicts the HMS Shannon.

**  South West Western Australia has a Broke Inlet and a Shannon River.  There is also a Chesapeake Road in Shannon National Park.

--Brock-Perry

As This Blog Enters Its Sixth Year

Today I begin the sixth year of this blog with my 2128th post.

This blog began out of my Cooter's History Thing blog and began to mark the bicentennial of the war.

I even occasionally taught about this war in my classes at John T. Magee Middle School in Round Lake, Illinois, but usually didn't get that far in my U.S. History to the Civil War 7th grade classes.

I realized I didn't know all that much about the War of 1812 and this was a good way to solve that problem.

At first, i was just going to keep this going through to the end of the 200th anniversary of the war, but, that didn't happen.

--Brock-Perry  (For Isaac Brock and Oliver Hazard Perry)

2007th Post of This Blog

This post marks the 2007th that I have done since 2012 when I began this blog to honor the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.  I believe that to be more posts than any other blog on this somewhat forgotten war.

I started it so I could learn more about the war as I realized I really didn't know a lot about it.  Back when I was teaching U.S. history, I was supposed to cover it from the beginning to the Civil War.  I think only one year I made it as far as the War of 1812.

I have definitely learned a lot about the War of 1812.

The Brock in the Brock-Perry sign-off refers to British/Canadian hero General Isaac Brock and the Perry refers to U.S. Naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Jennings in Ohio-- Part 5: Memorial Hall Built to Honor War's Cenetennial, 1912

In June 2012, the Ohio State University forensic anthropology team, using ground-penetrating radar was unsuccessful in its attempts to locate the exact site of the fort.  The question remains, was the blockhouse situated where the monument is or perhaps it is where the Memorial Hall stands today.

Construction of Memorial Hall was to honor the centennial of the War of 1812 and completed in 1916.  It fell into disrepair over the years, but was preserved in 2012 in preparation for the war's bicentennial.

August 19-21 Fort Jennings held its annual Fort fest to honor the centennial of the building.

--Brock-Perry

St. Marys to Observe 200th Anniversary of Its Battle-- Part 1

From the Jan. 11, 2015, Florida Times Union "St. Marys to observe 200th anniversary of its battle in War of 1812" by Jared Keever.

"Historians sometimes have a hard time marking the exact date of the end of the War of 1812."  It took place, however, in St. Marys and that city will observe what is also referred to as the Battle of Point Peter, one of the last known battles of the war. The commemoration will begin Saturday.

On Jan. 10, 1815, the British landed about 1500 Marines on the north end of Cumberland Island, Georgia, and later attacked a small wooden fort outside St. Marys called Fort St. Peter on Jan. 13.

--Brock-Perry

American Veterans Honored at Princess Anne Service

From the Nov. 10, 2014, Delmarva Now "War of 1812 veterans honored at Princess Anne service" by Jeremy Cox.

The 15-star U.S. flags were placed on the graves.  Each star represented a U.S. state.  Also, each star represented one Somerset Country War of 1812 veteran.  The flags were planted at three cemeteries and at each one a brief prayer was said and "Taps" played.

This was done by the Somerset War of 1812 Committee after researching for the graves in preparation for the War of 1812 Bicentennial.  So far, they have located 80 graves, but there are probably more because just Maryland militia rosters have been used so far.

Probably the best-known of the veterans was Joshua Thomas, a Methodist minister called the "Parson of the Islands."  In September 1814, he gave a sermon to British troops and officers in which he told them they would be defeated at Baltimore.

Thomas is buried at Deal Island.

--Brock-Perry

Central Park's Fort Clinton's Cannons-- Part 2: Carrying Gold?

The guns were removed from Fort Clinton and taken to a warehouse on Randalls Island.  They were brought back because of the War of 1812 Bicentennial commemoration and because of the reconstruction of Fort Clinton and Nutter's Battery Overlooks.

It was originally thought that the guns protected the city during an expected British attack during the War of 1812, but that wasn't true.

The guns date back to 240 years to the British ship HMS Hussar, a 28-gun frigate commissioned in 1763.  It ran aground in New York's treacherous East River in the 1780 and sank.  Rumors abounded that the ship had been carrying gold to pay the British Army and as a result, many salvage efforts were made.  None was ever found, but many artifacts were recovered.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Erie Commemoration in 2014-- Part 1

From the August 1, 2014, Niagara At large "War of 1812 Commemoration Anniversary of the Siege of Fort Erie.

Held August 9-10, 2014, the 200th anniversary.

Re-enactment camps were set up on the battlefield grounds on Saturday and there was a re-enactment of General Drummond's night assault on the fort.  Over 1,000 re-enactors registered for the event, making iy the largest to tale place in Canada during the war's bicentennial.

The fort is located on the site of ancient Indian flint quarries.  It was the first fort built by the British in Ontario.  It was rebuilt in 1764 during Pontiac's Rebellion.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Mackinac Celebrates 200 Years in American Hands

From the July 28, 2015, Great Lakes Echo by Kevin Lavery.

At the end of the War of 1812, the British fort on Mackinac Island was returned to the United States.  The Mackinac State Historic Parks system is currently celebrating the 200th anniversary of it.

The war played a huge role in shaping the territory which eventually became the state of Michigan.  The United Staes held the fort early in the war.  On July 17, 1812, British, Canadian and Indians captured it and held it until the war's end.

The U.S. got it back on July 18, 1815.

--Brock-Perry

Marking the True End of the War of 1812 on Mackinac Island

From the July 18, 2015, Toledo News "Snyder, others marking War of 1812-related bicentennial" by Jeff Karous, AP.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and others are helping mark the bicentennial of the true end in the War of 1812 on Mackinac Island.

The ceremony was held July 18th at Marquette Park near Fort Mackinac and featured a peace garden dedication.

The event marked the 200th anniversary of the British withdrawal from the island after the war had officially ended months earlier.They had recaptured the fort in 1812 with the help of hundreds on Indians in one of the war's earliest operations.

The Battle of Mackinac Island, which took a month, came two years later.

So, It Didn't End With the Treaty of Ghent.  --Brock-Perry

Battle of Prairie du Chien to Be Commemorated-- Part 3

Here is a list of activities planned back in 2014 for the bicentennial of the battle:

May 10th:  Rivertown Reliques

June 29:  Music by Mike McCoy and presentation  of restored 1827 cannon.  It will be unveiled and fired for the first time since the Civil War.

July 11-13:  Villa Louis walking tours at the villa on St Feriole Island and see an archaeological dig on the Villa Louis lawn where the battle took place.

July 13 and 17:  Cruises

July 18:  Parade

July 19: Encampment and battle reenactment at Villa Louis.

September 12-13:  Cannons at the fort.

October 4:  Visiting our Ancestors Cemetery Tour.

Sounded Like a Full Slate.  --Brock-Perry

Canadian Forces Continued War of 1812 Commemoration Until This Week

From the Feb. 18. 2015, Ottawa Citizen by David Fugliese.

Canada's Conservative Government spent $30 million on the commemoration of the war, but that officially ended in 1813.  Even with that amount spent, most Canadians paid little attention to the war.

The Canadian Forces (name given to Canada's military), however commemorated the war until Feb. 16, 2015, by wearing War of 1812 pins on their uniforms.

I suppose they have now been removed.

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Taylors Island, Md: Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 1

From the January 28, 2015, Star-Democrat (Md) "War of 1812 battle of re-enactment planned.  The bicentennial of the Battle of Taylors Island from the War of 1812 is scheduled for February 7th at the Taylors Islamd Volunteer Fire Company House.  There will be a re-enactment of the Battle of Ice Mound immediately following the ceremony.

The battle, actually more of a skirmish, is often referred to as the Battle of Ice Mound, which I find somewhat strange for the Chesapeake Bay which I generally think of as being warmer.

At 9:30 a.m., the 20-member Chesapeake Blues will honor battle participants buried at Old Trinity Church in Church Creek as well as at Bethlehem's "Brick" Church at Grace Church, both on Taylors Island.  They will fire a three-volley salute at both cemeteries.

The battle took place today, February 7, 1815, 200 years ago.

--Brock-Perry

200 Years Ago: War Still Goes On Despite Treaty of Ghent

OK, news was a bit slower back in 1815.  Definitely took longer to get from Europe to North America.

FEBRUARY 4TH:  U.S. adopts second enemy trade law.

FEBRUARY 7TH:  Skirmish of Taylor's Island, Dorchester County, Maryland.

FEBRUARY 8TH:  News of the Treaty of Ghent (signed Dec. 24, 1814) arrives in North America.

FEBRUARY 11TH:  British besiege Fort Bowyer, (today's Alabama), at mouth of Mobile Bay.

On the same day that the British begin their siege of Fort Bowyer, Mississippi Territory, Henry Carroll, secretary of U.S. Secretary of State Henry Clay, arrives in New York from Plymouth, England, with a signed copy of the Treaty of Ghent.

--Brock-Perry

New Krewe Honors the USS Sea Horse

From the WLBT-WDBD MS News, March 3, 2014 "New Krewe rolls in downtown Bay St. Louis" by Jonathan Brannon.

A new Mardi Gras krewe, the Mystic Krewe of the Seahorse had its first Mardi Gras parade on Monday in Bay St. Louis and there were many more people on the streets in town than usual.  The group has only been in existence for a few months and was formed to honor the handful of Americans on the USS Sea Horse and shore who fought off an overwhelming British attack in 1814.

this could best be described as a "David vs. Goliath" fight.

However, even in victory, the USS Sea Horse, it became necessary to scuttle and burn the American ship at the foot of the street just down from where the parade started.  The parade back in March was considered the first event in a year-long bicentennial preparation to mark the battle, concluding in December.

The parade was described as a much more intimate (fewer people) than other ones in the area.

--Brock-Perry