North Carolina in the War of 1812-- Part 1

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

After the United Staes declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812, North Carolina Governor William Hawkins quickly let President James Madison know that he had the state's full support.

North Carolinians served in both the regular army and militia.  The 10th Regiment US Army, contained the most North Carolinians, although there were also state men in the 12th, 13th, 15th and 43rd Regiments and the 2nd US Artillery.

When Detroit surrendered to the British early in the war, this stirred up even more support.  In Mecklenburg County, 100 men past militia age, including many Revolutionary War veterans, drilled at a militia muster and pledged that, if necessary, they would fight the british a second time.

The state was proud of the exploits of the U.S. Rifle Regiment and one of its officers, native-born Captain Benjamin Forsyth tat participated in the capture of York in 1813 and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel.  He was killed at the Battle of Odell Town, Canada on June 28, 1814.  The state's Forsyth County is named for him.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

North Carolina's Blakely Silver Service-- Part 2

After locating Captain Johnston's widow, Jane Hoope Blakely in Boston, they found out the couple only had one child, a daughter, Udney Maria Blakely.  Instead of a sword, the General Assembly decided on a set of tea-plate, soemthing more fitting for females.  As much as $500 was appropriated for it.

The French-style tea service was completed in 1819 and consisted of a teapot, coffee pot, milk jug, waste basin and sugar bowl and tongs and was presented to the daughter on her 16th birthday.  It was made by silversmith Anthony Rasch.

That silver service remained outside of North Carolina for 150 years before returning permanently in 1968 as a gift to the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh.

So, That's Where It Came From.  --Brock-Perry

North Carolina's Blakely Silver Service-- Pt. 1

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

I found this huge book at Books-A-Million in Goldsboro, NC, a few days ago for just $5.  I've been enjoying looking through it where I found the article about the privateer Wasp and its captain, Johnston Blakely (which I had never heard of before) and the CSS Wilmington ironclad (which is in my Running the Blockade blog).

During the War of 1812, US fortunes were down when North Carolina heard about the captures of the British sloops Reindeer and Avon by the Wasp in the summer of 1814.  I was wondering why the Wasp would be in this book until I found out its commander, Captain Blakely, was a Wilmington resident, and to honor him, on December 7, 1814, the General Assembly voted to present him a superb sword on his return.

Unfortunately, that never came to be as the Wasp and all aboard was lost sometime after Oct. 9, 1814.  The General Assembly waited until the end of December 1816 to find out his fate and finally determined to deliver the sword to his widow, Jane Blakely, who they located in Boston.

Something Else.  --Brock-Perry

The Privateer Wasp Carries the War to Europe-- Part 2

The Wasp departed for the Spanish coast on August 27, 1814 and soon spotted a ten-ship convoy guarded by a 74-gun ship-of-the-line.  The Wasp was able to cut one out, the Mary, and burn it.  A second ship, the Avon, fell out of line and after a 47 minute fight, the ship surrendered.  But, before the Wasp's crew could board, other convoy ships returned and forced the American ship to retreat.

Three weeks later the ship captured three more prizes and one was sent to Savannah.  Sadly, after that the Wasp disappeared sometime after Oct. 9, 1814, and was never seen again.

Not Always a Successful Story.  --Brock-Perry

The Privateer Wasp Carries the War to Europe-- Part 1

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

The privateer Wasp was a sloop commanded by North Carolinian Capt. Johnston Blakely and mounted 20 carronades and 2 long 12-pounders built in Newburyport, Massachusetts. 

Blakely hired a crew of 173 and received orders to sail May 1, 1814, and inflict damage to British shipping in western  Europe and then attack English allies along the Spanish coast and return to New Orleans.  He was to destroy all prizes inswtead of depleting his crew to sail them back.  Under no circumstances was he to engage British warships.

From May to July 6, the Wasp destroyed six commercial vessels.  One, the Reindeer, put up a fight  and damaged the privateer., causing it to limp into the French port of L'Orient.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

War Comes to the Chesapeake Bay-- Part 2

There was a two-hour battle that ensued between the British ships and the Lottery.  It was the first salvo in a campaign of fire, plunder and fear for the Tidewater and Bay which would continue for two years.  During this time, the Royal Navy seized and burned hundreds of vessels, launched scores of hit and run raids and pillaged.

The Times of London had demanded "America must be BEATEN INTO SUBMISSION."  And the Royal Navy was to be just the instrument to do it.

A major reason for the arrival of the British fleet was to blunt an American invasion of Canada.

The American frigate Constellation almost became a victim of the British ships.  Captain Charles Stewart had arrived in the ship from Annapolis and had anchored at Hampton Road and had to leave quickly, being pursued by two ships-of-the-line, three frigates, a brig and a schooner.

As the months went by, the number of British ships increased with huge effect on the Virginia,  The state's trade dropped from $3 million annually to just $17,000.

And, Then, There Was Another Blockade of the Area in 1861.  --Brock-Perry

War Comes to the Chesapeake Bay-- Part 1

From February 10, 2013, Virginia Daily Press "War comes to Hampton Roads" by Mark St. John Erickson.

It was February 4, 1813, and, out of the blue, British warships started arriving at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.  Days went by and more appeared.  Just one of the 74-gun ships-of-the-line mounted more guns than all those defending the Elizabeth River at Norfolk.  And there were a lot of them.

They immediately commenced blockading between Lynnhaven Bay and Old Point Comfort.

It didn't take long for a first encounter.  On  February 8th, the HMS Maidstone spotted a sail and began pursuit.  The strange ship turned out to be the six-gun schooner Lottery.  Unfortunately for the American ship, it got becalmed and a two-hour fight ensued.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

Top Two Designs for Canada's Bicentennial Revealed

From the March 21, 2013 Ottawa (Canada) Citizen.

The two finalists for Canada's $787,000 to build a War of 1812 bicentennial monument in Ottawa are Brian Cooley and Adriene Alison.  They both have scale models on display.  Brian Cooley's consists of twenty figures on a rectangular base and Adriene Alison's of seven in a circle facing outward.

The Department of Canadian Heritage and National Capital Commission are sponsoring it.  There has been a bit of controversy over the whole process and even with the final two, with Cooley wanting to farm out some of his strucrure to China to keep costs down.

Whoever wins, it is expected to have the monument unveiled in the front of the East Block of Parliament Building in 2014.

Each proposal had to include: the Bitish Army, Provincial Marine, English-speaking militia, French-speaking militia, First Nations and Metis.  (I'm not sure what Metis is?  Provincial Marine I take to be Canadian ships.)

It Will Be Interesting.  --Brock-Perry

HMS Highflyer-- Part 2

In late May, the Highflyer had an indecisive battle with the American privateer Roger.  The Highflyer's commander, Lt. Theophilus Livery and two others were killed.

In July 11, 1813, the fleet arrived off Ocracoke Island, NC and landed troops, engaged and captured American ships.  The troops captured both Ocracoke and Portsmouth islands.

On September 23, 1813, the frigate USS President recaptured the Highflyer off Nantucket Sound by some chicanery.  The President had captured the British recognition signals and lured the Highflyer alongside and captured it without firing a shot.

However, the Americans did not take the ship into their service.

There were other ships in the Royal Navy by the name of Highflyer.  The HMS Highflyer Association doesn't have much to say about this one other than it was captured by the HMS Poictiers.

An Interesting History of a Ship.  --Brock-Perry

HMS Highflyer-- Part 1: American Privateer, British Warship

Wikipedia.

On an earlier post, I wrote about ships on the British blockade of the Chesapeake Bay and I also wrote about the HMS Poictiers.  One of the ships mentioned as being on the blockade was the HMS Highflyer.  I'd never heard of it.

The Highflyer was built in 1811 in Dorchester County, Maryland.  During the War of 1812, it carried five cannons as an American privateer and captured about ten ships before it was captured January 9, 1813, by the HMS Poictiers (which also captured the USS Wasp and Frolic) and taken into the Royal Navy.

It joined Warren's blockade fleet April 13, 1813 and soon afterwards, pursued four schooners up the Rappahannock Riverin Virginia.  When the river depth got too low for the Highflyer, boats were sent out and captured them.  Three of these were also taken into the Royal Navy.

April 28th, there was an expedition up the Elk River to destroy American ships, stores and a cannon factory at French Town.  This took until May 3rd.  On the way back, they were fired on by batteries at Havre de Grace.  A landing party destroyed the battery and most of the town.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

The Illinois Military Tract of 1812

Wikipedia.

Since I live in Illinois, I was interested to learn more about the land given to War of 1812 veterans in the state.

The military tract was in a huge triangle of land in the Illinois Territory between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers in the western part.  The northern boundary extended 90 miles east of the Mississippi along the southern border of today's Rock County.

The area was surveyed between 1815-1816 and consisted of 5 million acres of which 3,500,000 was considered suitable for cultivation.

Soldiers in the war received 160 acres and received warrants for the land by lottery.  Most of the veterans, or their heirs, however, sold the warrants to speculators.  One such company acquired over 900,000 acres.

Also, it was found that many squatters were on the land.  In the end, many of the speculators lost the land.

Settlement of Illinois didn't really kick off until Indian removal.

Brock-Perry

The Military Tract of 1812

From Wikipedia.

This is a follow up to my Feb. 18, 2013 entry about War of 1812 genealogy with some of the sources coming from bounty land warrants, which I had never heard of before.  So, I had to do some more research.

On May 6, 1812 (six weeks before the declaration of war), an Act of Congress set aside land as payment to volunteer soldiers for the upcoming war (they definitely must have been expecting it).  Land in the west that eventually became the states of Arkansas, Michigan and Illinois.  Missouri land was added after the land in Michigan was determined to be undesirable.

Land was given as partial compensation by states and later the federal government.  This had also been done during the American Revolution, but most of that land was in western Virginia.

Shoot Gun, Get Land.  --Brock-Perry

1812 Veterans Graves Marked in Arkansas

From the July 3, 1812, Harrison (Ark) Daily.com.

The U.S. Daughters of 1812 marked the graves of sixteen War of 1812 veterans at the Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock.

Direct descendants of three of them were in attendance.

Membership in the Daughters is open to women 18 and over who can prove direct lineage.

Brock-Perry

Not Much War Impact on Harvard

From the July 4, 2012, Harvard Gazette "Harvard in the Wat of 1812" by Corydon Ireland.

Other than book deliveries from England being delayed for two years, there wasn't much impact on Harvard.

The sloop Harvard used to deliver wood from Maine to the campus, but on June 6, 1814, was captured by the British and burned.  Local sources were hard to find, so there was a bit of a wood shortage.

Roofing slate from Wales instead had to come from a New York supplier to finish Holworthy Hall.

Sounds Like An Educated Guess to Me.  --Brock-Perry

The War's Impact On Illinois-- Part 2

Two expeditions were sent out.  One met with some success, the other with disaster.  They were to rendezvous in Peoria for supplies, but both groups were sent home after engagements with various Indian groups.

Their return was not communicated to Captain Thomas E. Craig who was heading to Peoria with supplies.  As he approached, fleeing french settlers told him that 1,000 warriors were nearby.  He found Peoria deserted and the Americans looted it, feasting and returning to their boats that night.

Six Frenchmen appeared there and demanded the return of their possessions.  Very little was given back.  They later heard gunfire and blamed it on the French who denied it.  The village was looted again and this time homes burned and livestock killed.

Pottawatomie Chief Gome agreed to attack the Americans.

A Bit Confusing.  --Brock-Perry

The War's Impact on Illinois-- Part 1

From the June 30, 2012, Canton (Il) Daily Ledger "War of 1812 had impact on local area" by Larry Eskridge.

Information from"Illinois in War of 1812" by Gillum Ferguson.

First off, Illinois was not yet a state, still a territory.

Peoria found itself at the forefront of the struggle between the United States and Indians fighting for Britain.

An early French settlement had been established on Lake Peoria, but in the 1790s had moved one and a half miles upstream to New Village. (La Ville de Maillet).  Most of its inhabitants were French hunters and traders whom the Americans viewed as working for the British.

In August and September 1812, the Illinois Territorial Governor, Ninian Edwards, organized an offensive against hostile Indians.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

The Truth About the War of 1812

From the June 30, 2012, Baltimore Sun "Letters to the Editor" by David Brandenburg.

Some call it "America's successful 'Second War of Independence'" which is wrong on two counts.  First, it wasn't successful and Second, It was not a war for independence.

It was an attempt by the U.S. government to steal Canada from Britain and it failed.

The British burning the White House and their attack on Fort McHenry were for good reason.  The White House burning was in response to an earlier American attack on York, capital of Upper Canada where American troops set fire to the parliament building.

Fort McHenry was attacked because Baltimore was a "nest of pirates" according to the British.  This would be concerning the numerous privateers operating out of said port.

A lot of the war was the result of a small group in Congress called the War Hawks.  They actively pursued a war with Britain.  The writer of "The Star-Spangled Banner," Francis Scott Key, was opposed to the war.

Now, You Know.  --Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution's "Forgotten Crews" Honored-- Part 3

PHILIP BRIMBLECOM--  Born 1786 in Marblehead and grew up fishing.  In 1809 on his uncle's schooner and sailed to Spain.  But his ship was taken off the Spanish coast and impounded in France.  he went to work on a French merchant ship, but that was seized by the English and he found himself imprisoned again.

He later escaped on an America-bound ship, but was captured again and exchanged in September 1812 as a POW.

He signed onto the Constitution that month. In a December 1812 battle, (probably against the HMS Java) a cannonball took off an arm at the elbow.  This ended his service in the Navy and he couldn't find a job, disabled as he was.  A letter to the Navy requesting that his pension be increased from $6 a month was written.  Whether he got it is not known.

Then, he was able to get a job at the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1816 and he died at age 38.

The Story of a Sailor.  --Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution's "Forgotten Crews" Honored-- Part 2

Historians combed through pension applications, military documents and personal correspondence to come up with the stories of the hundreds who served on the ship.  Fortunately, there was a solid list of crewmen.  In addition, there were pension records and protection certificates which crewmen used as proof of citizenship.

DAVID Debias, a freeborn black from Beacon Hill, was just 8 when he joined the crew and became the servant of a master's mate.  He was among the crew members selected to sail the HMS Levant after the Constitution captured it.

The British seized the ship on its way to the U.S. and he was imprisoned in Barbados for a few months before being sent to his family.  He was discharged in 1815 and earned $32 for his 7-month stint in the Navy.

But, he was back at sea again, joining the merchant fleet then enlisted again on the USS Constitution.  In 1838, he left the ship while docked in Alabama and was seized in Mississippi as a runaway slave.

Researchers found a letter from Debias' lawyer to the Secretary of the Navy asking for proof of military service, but they were unable to find a response at first.  They finally did find one saying he was in the military, but it is not known whether he regained his freedom.

Now, That Is One Really Interesting Story.  --Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution's "Forgotten Crews" Honored-- Part 1

From the July 1, 2012, Boston.com "USS Constitution's forgotten, brave crew honored" by Peter Schworm.

Undefeated in battle and so stalwart it earned the name "Old Ironsides," the nation's most famous warship and "an abiding symbol of national pride and naval might," the frigate USS Constitution is well-known.

Yet, in its two centuries afloat, the lives of the hundreds of ordinary sailors who served on the ship is little-known.  "As the ship's legend grew, they faded into obscurity."

Now, their stories are being told.

In the past decade, researchers at the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown have pieced together the lives of hundreds of seamen and Marines stationed aboard.

JAMES BENNETT was a freeborn black man who plugged holes from enemy shot and was later killed at the Battle of Lake Erie.

ASA CURTIS of Scituate, a ship's gunner, was "weather-beaten and scarred from many years at sea.

"Aye, Tear Her Tattered Ensign Down."  --Brock-Perry