Major Andrew Hunter Holmes-- Part 2: His Duel

Andrew Holmes fought a duel with a man named Peyton Smith near present-day Shepherdstown, West Virginia.  Both men were from prominent families in and around Winchester, Virginia.  Andrew killed Peyton.

This was one of three famous duels that took place which caused the Virginia legislature to pass the Anti-Dueling Act in 1810.

Mortified at killing his friend, Holmes left Winchester and enlisted in the U.S. Army.

As a member of the U.S. Dragoons, young Captain Holmes first military assignments were in Louisiana chasing smuggler and prate Jean Lafitte.  Lafitte managed to evade them for months, but was finally captured.

--Brock-Perry

The State Department Honors Oliver Hazard Perry

From the Department of State.

The State Department has honored 71people who died while in the service of American diplomacy.  One of them was the War of 1812's Oliver Hazard Perry.

There is a memorial plaque at the  Harry S. Truman Building, the State Department's headquarters, now listing 323 people.

Yes, that Perry of Battle of Lake Erie fame.

But most people, including myself, know the circumstances of his much-too-young death.

COMMODORE OLIVER HAZARD PERRY, who, after serving heroically in the War of 1812, went on a special mission to Venezuela to negotiate an anti-piracy agreement with President  Simon Bolivar.

Perry contracted yellow fever and died  August 23, 1819, less than six years after the Battle of Lake Erie.

He is the Perry in this blog's sign off.

--Brock-Perry

George Campbell Read, USN-- Part 2: A Varied and Long Navy Career

He was promoted to commander in 1816 and then served in the Mediterranean and off the coast of Africa.  In 1825, he was promoted again, this time to captain and commanded the USS Constitution in 1826

In 1838-1839, he took part in the retaliatory action against pirates and raiders who preyed upon American shipping in India.  From 1836 to 1846 he commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard.  He also contributed to the establishment of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.

Then from 1846 to 1849, he commanded the African Squadron.  When the Civil War broke out, in 1861, he was in charge of the Philadelphia Naval Asylum.

His final promotion came in July 1862, to the rank of rear admiral.   He died a month later.

A Long and Varied Career.  --Brock-Perry

Eight Facts About Theodosia Burr Alston-- Part 5: Her Disappearance

7.  IN 1813 SHE DISAPPEARED FOREVER.

Aaron Burr had experienced some very difficult years in his life, but nothing like he did  between 1812 and 1813.

First, his ten-year-old grandson, Theodosia's son, Aaron Burr Alston, died of malaria in June 1812, just a month after he returned from Europe.  A few months later, Theodosia boarded the schooner Patriot, which had been used a s a privateer during the War of 1812, for passage to New York to visit her father.

But, the ship never reached its destination, taking along with crew ad passengers, the 29-year-old Theodosia.

To this day, no one knows what happened.  Many stories abound to answer this question, with the best one seeming to be the ship was captured by pirates.  But, most likely, her end will never be known.

This hit her father hard who was quoted as saying t felt like he "was severed from the human race" because of it.

What Happened To Her?  --Brock-Perry

Disappearance of the Patriot and Theodosia Burr Alston-- Part 4: Preparations and a Privateer

As her health continued to deteriorate, and with rumors of pirates operating along the North Carolina coast, Theodosia was still determined to visit her father.  Her husband, John Alston, wrote a letter to the British blockading fleet to allow passage for his wife.  Aaron Burr sent his trusted friend and doctor, Timothy Green to make the voyage with his daughter.

On December 30, Theodosia, her maid and Green climbed aboard the schooner Patriot which lay moored in Charleston Harbor.  It sailed out of the harbor bound for New York City under the command of Captain William Overstocks.

The Patriot had just returned from several months in the Caribbean where it had done privateering on the behalf of the U.S. government.  It was filled with booty from that.  To disguise his ship, the guns had been stowed below and the name had been painted over.

Some stories had Theodosia taking along a recently completed painting of herself that she intended to give her father as a Christmas gift.

--Cooter

Disappearance of Schooner Patriot and Theodosia Burr Alston in 1813-- Part 2

After the Patriot left Charleston Harbor, no trace of the ship, crew or Theodosia was ever found.

A number of theories and legends have spring up about their disappearance.  Some claim the ship was attacked by pirates and made to walk the plank.  Others think they might have been captured by the British since the war was going on at the time.

Perhaps most fanciful of all was the story of a Karankawa Indian chief, who claimed that he had rescued a woman who had washed up ashore after a shipwreck and that in thanks, she had given him a locket with the name Theodosia inscribed upon it.

Personally, I think their end came from a storm or shipwreck.  The Patriot would have to pass North Carolina's Outer Banks n the way to New York and, as you know, many ships have been wrecked in that area.  Had the British captured or destroyed the ship, they would have written about it.

Now, after more than 200 years, it is not likely we will ever know their fate.

--Brock-Perry

Commemorating the Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815 (205th Anniversary)

From the Jan. 8, 2020 WGNO ABC News "How you can celebrate  the Battle of New Orleans this week."

Wednesday, Jan. 8, morning events began with a wreath-laying ceremony at Chalmette Battlefield.

Also Wednesday, there will be a ceremony at Jackson Square in the French Quarter at noon.  The United States Daughters of 1812 are hosting the event.

At 4 p.m. Wednesday there will be a Mass of Thanksgiving with Archbishop Gregory Aymond at Ursuline Academy , 2635 State Street.

In the Battle of New Orleans, General Andrew Jackson and the pirate Jean Lafitte joined forces  to defeat the British in the War of 1812.

On Friday and Saturday there will be American and British camps set up at Chalmette Battlefield inside the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.  Along with games, talks,  and story-telling, there will be people  dressed in period clothing.  There will be firing of cannons and muskets throughout the day.

--Brock-Perry

Preble's Flag-- Part 4: Encounter at Tylo Bay, China

On November 2, 1854, Lt. Preble and the Queen fired on ten Chinese pirate junks at Tulo Bay.  During twenty minutes of battle, Preble tested water depths and the range of his weapons and then left the scene to get reinforcements.

Nearby was British Admiral Sir James Stirling in the 52-gun 4th Rate Ship-of-the-Line HMS Winchester. He was accompanied by a squadron including the six-gun paddle sloops HMS Barracouta, HMS Styx and the 14-gun screw sloop HMS Encounter.

In addition, there were two more local steam boats and the Portuguese ship Amazonia.  It was quite an international fleet.

On November 3, the allies landed and set fire to two pirate ships and the pirate encampment.  Preble returned with the inscribed flag of pirate chief Luc Ming Suy Ming.  This is the recently found flag at the USNA Museum.

--Brock-Perry

Preble's Flag-- Part 3: Lt. Preble Had a Famous Uncle

On September 1, 1854, Commodore Perry ordered the charter of local steamship Queen to patrol the Chinese coast between Hong Kong and Macau at a monthly cost of $750.

Captain Joel Abbott of the Macedonian placed Lt. George Henry Preble in command of the Queen with 40 sailors and 14 Marines.  Five decades earlier, Lt. Preble's more famous uncle, Commodore Edward Preble, had commanded the Third Squadron against the Tripoli pirates in the Mediterranean.

Young Lt. Preble fought Chinese pirates often with his command.

--Brock-Perry

Preble's Flag-- Part 2: Opening of Japan

Commodore Matthew C. Perry (a War of 1812 veteran) arrived in Japan for the second time in February 1854 with ten ships, including the former frigate USS Macedonian now a sloop of war and under the command of War of 1812 veteran Captain Joel Abbott.  (The Macedonian had been built from the keel of the original Macedonian from the War of 1812).

Japan's opening was a new market for the United States, but trade with the Orient was nothing new as commerce with China had continued since 1785 when the Philadelphia merchant ship Canton had visited the country.

Chinese pirates began attacking American ships.  Perry determined at this time to stop these pirates.

--Brock-Perry

Preble's Flag-- Part 1: Recently Rediscovered at Annapolis

From the January 2018, War On the Rocks:  Preble's Flag:  An Emerging Navy Fights Chinese Pirates" by Claude Berube.

In December last year, the staff at the USNA Museum in Annapolis rediscovered quite a few flags from the 18th century that were thought to have been lost, including ones from the Spanish-American War and the Korean Expedition of 1871.

One of particular interest was a flag captured by George Henry Preble, a young Navy lieutenant in his first command.  It was from a largely-forgotten fight with Chinese pirates in 1854.

This story is a bit beyond the scope of this War of 1812 blog, but quite a few of the ships and people in the story were involved with the war, so I will write about it.

--Brock-Perry

Thomas Chambers-- Part 4: Paintings

Other paintings of Thomas:  Chambers"

**  "Capture of H.B.M. Frigate Macedonian By The USS United States on October 25, 1812", circa 1845.

 A critic remarked of this painting:  "The rolling waves and swirls of smoke convey the noise and excitement of battle."

**  "Pirate Ships and Cutter Firing Cannons, Seascape, Night Scene"  circa 1850.

Cutters were used by several navies in the 17th and 18th centuries and were usually the smallest commissioned ships in the fleet.  They were used for coastal patrol, customs duties, escort, dispatch carriers and for small "cutting out" raids.

--Brock-Perry

Tennessee in the War of 1812-- Part 5: The Battle of New Orleans

Andrew Jackson next pressed into West Florida, securing Pensacola by the end of 1814.  Reports of an impending British attack on New Orleans led him to that place with his hodgepodge army of backwoods militia from Tennessee and Kentucky, U.S. Army regulars, Choctow Indians, free blacks and pirates. They had to face Britain's elite who had defeated Napoleon.

Jackson's defensive strategy and the British commander's underestimation of American fighting ability led to their defeat at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815.

Tennessee troops, under General William Carroll and John Coffee, played an active role in the American victory.

--Brock-Perry

Andrew Holmes Was Special Forces Pirate Hunter Before the Battle of Mackinac-- Part 1

From the July 12, 2014, Mackinac Island Town Crier "A Look at History: Fort Holmes Namesake Was Special Forces Pirate Hunter Before Mackinac" by Frank Straus.

Holmes Hill, a rocky mound and rock hazard in Wawashkama Golf Links is named for him as is the former British Fort George on Mackinac Island.  Andrew Hunter Holmes gave his life fighting for the United States in the War of 1812.  He was second in command of the American forces under George Croghan when they attacked Mackinac Island in 1814.

Before he was killed at the Battle of Mackinac, he assisted  the army against the notorious pirate brothers, Pierre and Jean Lafitte who were into smuggling slaves and anything else they could get their hands on in the Gulf of Mexico area.

--Brock-Perry

Andrew Holmes Captures the Notorious Lafitte Brothers-- Part 3: Trial? What Trial?

In the early summer of 1812, Territorial Gov. William C.C. Claiborne sent an Army unit under the command of Captain Andrew Holmes into Barataria to put an end to the Lafitte smuggling and enterprises.  The Lafittes eluded Captain Holmes for months, until it got to be joke with them.

However, their luck ran out and they were captured in mid-November by sheer luck on the part of Holmes.

They were brought back to New Orleans for trial and locked up.  But, they quickly got bail and left prison.

The trial began two weeks later, but neither Jean or Pierre ever showed up.

--Brock-Perry

Andrew Holmes Captures the Notorious Lafitte Brothers-- Part 2: Privateers, Not Pirates

Jean and Pierre Lafitte commanded about 1,000 loyal buccaneers who controlled an area called Barataria, south of New Orleans on the Mississippi River.  No vessel passing upriver or down could do so without passing them.  And, they benefited greatly from this.  They charges passing fees and sometimes just took the ships.

It is said they didn't attack American ships as Jean Lafitte liked the young country's constitutional values.  They considered themselves privateers instead of pirates as most did.

Anyway, Gov. Claiborne had to deal with them.

--Brock-Perry

Andrew Holmes Captures Jean and Pierre Lafitte in 1812-- Part 1

From the U.S. Marshals Service "History-- A Pirate, a Marshal, and the Battle of New Orleans."

What exactly did Andrew Holmes have to do with the pirate Jean Lafitte?

New Orleans was "something of a political enigma at the onset of the War of 1812.  It exhibits the influence of several different cultures, including French, Spanish, Creole, African and British."

Territorial Governor William C.C. Claiborne had his hands full keeping these groups in line.  "Not the least of Governor Claiborne's worries was the powerful and ever-popular Jean Lafitte."

--Brock-Perry

HMS Dauntless in Pirates of the Caribbean

The movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" featured the HMS Dauntless as the Pride of the Royal Navy, but in search of pirates instead of Frenchmen or Americans.  It was certainly a scourge for Captain Jack Sparrow and Capt. Hector Barbosa.

The movie Dauntless was based on the HMS Victory, a 100-gun first rate ship-of-the-line.  It carried Governor Swann and his daughter Elizabeth from England to his post in the Caribbean.

--Brock-Perry

USS Carolina-- Part 2: Its Role in the Battle of New Orleans

But, whether or not the Carolina was involved in the Sappho chase, it did have a War of 1812 history, one that included giving General Andrew Jackson the time to prepare New Orleans for the attack in 1815.

It sailed to New Orleans and captured the British schooner Shark before arriving 23 August 1814.  Its duties there were to watch for the British and attack the numerous pirates in the area.  On 16 September 1814, it destroyed pirate Jean LaFitte's base at Baratana in Louisiana.

The Caroline and small American squadron at New Orleans played a big role in delaying the British in their move against New Orleans in December 1814, giving General Andrew Jackson time to prepare the city's defenses.

On December 23, the Caroline dropped downriver and shelled the British, but on December 27th, it engaged them and was set afire by heated shot causing her crew to abandon ship before it exploded.

The End of the Carolina.  --Brock-Perry

Stephen Cassin, USN

From Wikipedia.

Stephen Cassin (1783-1857)

Earlier, I wrote about his father, John Cassin, and was wondering if the destroyed so massively damaged at Pearl Harbor had been named after him.  It wasn't, but it was named for Stephen Cassin.  Stephen Cassin also fought during the War of 1812.

Became a U.S. Navy midshipman in 1800.  Served on the USS Philadelphia in the West Indies and later participated in the Quasi-War with France.

Commanded the USS Ticonderoga at the Battle of Lake Champlain and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for bravery at it.  Gold medals were also given to Captain Macdonough and Captain Robert Henley.

Served on the USS Peacock and the West Indies Squadron battling pirates.  Between September 28-30, 1822, he captured five pirate vessels.

Buried in Washington, D.C. and later moved to Arlington National Cemetery and buried at Section W. Div. Site Lot 299.  His wife, Margaret Cassin died June 14, 1830 and is buried beside him in lot 298.

Two U.S. Navy destroyers have been named for him and Fort Cassin in Vermont as well.

--Brock-Perry