Rogue Diving On the Scourge and Hamilton

From the Oct. 18, 2013, Toronto Spec.ca.

"Rogue divers visit shipwreck sites" by Mark McNeil.

Six divers made ten dives to the USS Scourge and USS Hamilton between 2000 and 2002. They were all experts in deep-water diving and refer to themselves as the MAREX group.

The two American ships are located 92 meters deep about 11 kilometers from Port Dalhousie. Both ships sank in a violent storm in August 1813 and were discovered in 1973 by Dr. Dan Nelson, an associate archaeologist at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).

Since then, ownership of the ships has shifted from the U.S. Navy to the ROM and now to the City of Hamilton, Canada.

Diving on the ships is strictly illegal, as they are also considered war graves, but the group figured it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Eight dives were made on the Hamilton and two on the Scourge. Neither ship had any radio security until 2004-2005.

They Are Protected by the Ontario Heritage Act. --Brock-Perry

Some More On the Connecticut River Mystery Ship-- Part 2

Based on the age and location of the ships knee, it is likely from one of two American privateers the British attempted to take downriver with them after their attack on the privateer base at Essex in 1814 in which 27 American ships were destroyed.

They burned the Young Anaconda and Eagle after running them aground in shallow water near where the ships knee was found.

The knee is in a tank undergoing a two-year conservation process and can be seen at the Connecticut River Museum at 67 Main Street in Essex.

The museum is also home to the permanent "Burning of the Fleet" exhibit which includes artifacts from the British raid, a 14-ft long mural, paintings, dioramas and audio clips of the event. A second piece of wood was found in the same location last week. It is believed that a heavy spring freshet (flood) uncovered them. Last year, the museum was given a British sword found in the area.

And I Had Never Heard of the Raid on Essex Before Starting This Blog. --Brock-Perry

Some More On That Connecticut River Mystery Shipwreck-- Part 1

A follow up to yesterday's post from the October 12, 2013, Connecticut Day "Mystery Shipwreck Discovered in Connecticut River."

On June 20th, while dragging nets for sturgeon research in the Connecticut River just south of the town of Essex, Tom Savoy and his state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection snagged an old ship's knee (a large wooden L-bracket used to fasten the deck beams to the ribs of wooden ships).

They took it to the Connecticut River Museum where it was identified and preservation begun.

It is tentatively identified as a wooden knee made in America prior to the 1820s due to its hand-carved wooden trunnels (pegs) and lack of metal fasteners.

So, the Knee Knew. --Brock-Perry

War of 1812 Shipwreck Possibly Discovered in Connecticut River

From the September 30, 2013, WTIC 1080 CBS, Connecticut.

The remains of a ship was found in Old Saybrook in several feet of water off Watrous Point about a mile south of the harbor. All that was found is a ballast pile since the rest of the wooden ship has disintegrated in the water.

Old musket balls have been found buried in the lawn on the banks of the river near the ballast stones.

Archaeologists have started a dig and think it might be the remains of the Young Anaconda.

--Brock-Perry

Rhode Island's Great Road

I'll write more about this road in my RoadLog blog, but for right now, I'll give a short history of it here since I mentioned that the Hearthside House is located on the Great Road.

The Great Road was a major transportation route through the Blackstone River Valley until the early 1800s with the completion of the Louisquisett Pike and Blackstone Canal took away much of its traffic.

It connected Rhode Island with Massachusetts, to the north.

Several small mills operated along it, but the limited power of the Moshassuek River prevented the development of larger mills like those along the Blackstone River. The Great Road remained an agricultural area until well into the 1900s.

The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor has a driving tour guide of it "Great Road-- Lincoln, Rhode Island-- Travel Through Three Hundred Years In Three Miles.". The road dates to 1683 and would definitely have been used during the War of 1812.

Oh, That Great Road. --Brock-Perry

Lincoln, Rhode Island

From Wikipedia.

I was wondering how a Rhode Island town came to be named Lincoln since the man did not become president until considerably after the colony and state of Rhode Island was founded. This town is where the Hearthside House is located and I have written a lot about it and its connection to the bell of the HMS Guerrire this past week.

The town is located in Providence County and has a population of 21,105 and is north of the city of Providence.

It was settled in the 17th century and several colonial stone-enders are still located there. (In case you're wondering, a stone-ender is a house with one wall made up entirely of a chimney, a unique style of architecture to Rhode Island.)

Limestone quarrying was a big early industry.

To answer the Lincoln question, it was part of the town of Smithville until 1871 when the town split off and was named for President Lincoln.

It was an important mill town in the late 19th century with many of them located along the Blackstone River.

Lincoln was recently ranked #63 in Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live" list.

Now You Know Lincoln, Rhode Island.  --Brock-Perry

HMS Guerriere: Captured By a Captured Ship

Wikipedia.

38-gun, 5th rate frigate, originally in French Navy. Launched 1803 and, at time of capture, was attacking British and Russian whalers in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Greenland.

On July 19, 1806, forced to surrender to HMS Blanche and commissioned by the British as the HMS Guerriere and served in the West Indies and off the American coast. Captured by the Constitution August 19, 1812.

Had the ship not been so damaged in the battle and sunk, it might have also served in the U.S. Navy, making twice she was captured and three navies she served.

Of interest, the HMS Blanche, was formerly the 5th rate frigate Amfitrite in the Spanish Navy which had been captured by the 74-gun ship-of-the-line HMS Donegal off Spain 25 November 1804.

Also of interest, the United States laynched its own USS Guerriere, named after the British/French one in 1815, the first frigate built by the country since 1801.

The Story of Some Ships. --Brock-Perry

Some More on the HMS Guerriere Bell-- Part 2

Peter Seest, born in Hadersleben (now Holstein, Germany, around 1715 and became foreman of the City of Amsterdam bell and cannon factory. In 1770, he became director of it.

The HMS Guerriere was built in Cherbourg, France, in 1799. At the time, Amsterdam was under French control so the bell was probably taken by the French for their new frigate.

The USS Constitution also has an HMS Guerriere plate in its collection that is quite colorful and impressive. 

--Brock-Perry

Some More on the HMS Guerriere Bell-- Part 1

From the USS Constitution Museum.

Tradition has it that the HMS Guerriere's bell was removed from the ship on August 19, 1812, to replace the Constitution's bell which had been destroyed in the battle.

A story in the Boston Daily Advertiser in 1897 claimed the bell "was sold among a lot of condemned naval stores between 1812 and 1816. The purchaser was S.H. Smith, who took it to Providence [RI] and placed it in the belfry of the factory in Lincoln [the 'Butterfly' cotton mill in Saylesville, RI, built around 1815] where it hangs today."

Other sources say the bell was removed from the USS Constitution in 1835 during a complete refit, but there are no documents to confirm it.

Doing Some History Sleuthing. --Brock-Perry

Rhode Island's Hearthside House: The House That Love Built-- Part 3

The house is sometimes referred to as "Heartbreak House" because of this.

Stephen and his brother George and his family lived in the home for awhile, but Stephen grew tired of the family life commotion and moved into a house down the road.

Across the street from the Hearthside, he built a mill of fieldstone, but was uncuccessful in the manufacturing business he started. In 1826, he was a commissioner for the Blackstone Canal between Providence and Massachusetts.

Smith died in 1857 and is buried in the cemetery at the Friends Meeting House, one mile from the Hearthside on Great Road. Twelve families have lived in the house since then. The Talbot family gave the house its Hearthside name in 1904.

The Story of a House. --Brock-Perry

Rhode Island's Hearthside House: The House That Love Built-- Part 2

According to folklore, Stephen Hopkins Smith, a Quaker from a prominent agricultural family in Lincoln, Rhode Island, lived a simple life as a good Quaker should, but also circulated in social circles of the rich and famous as far away as Providence.

During this time, he met the love of his life, a socialite. She told him that he certainly was handsome, but she wanted to marrry a rich man so she could live a life of wealth. Poor Stephen Smith was not that. And that should have been that If a girl is going to be like that, best to leave her well enough alone.

The story goes on that he won $40,000 in a lottery, the equivalent of $8,600,000 today, and kept the winnings secret but had the mansion (now called Hearthside) built to sweep the love of his life off her feet.

When the home was finished, he went to Providence to take her on a horse and buggy ride along the Great Road. Not knowing the mansion was Stephen's, she was amazed with its beauty but added who would want to live so far out in the wilderness. Heartbroken, Stephen drove her back to Providence and (wisely) never saw her again.

What We Could Say About That Girl. --Brock-Perry

Rhode Island's Hearthside House: The House That Love Built-- Part 1

From the Hearthside House website.

I have been writing about the HMS Guerriere's bell coming to the Hearthside House in Rhode Island back in 2012 earlier this week. It turns out that the home has quite a history as well and is connected to the War of 1812 (and even old roads).

Hearthside is an 1810 stone mansion located along The Great Road, the first byway built through the wilderness between Providence, Rhode Island, and Mendon, Massachusetts, one of the oldest thoroughfares in the United States.

It was a private residence until 1996 when the Town of Lincoln purchased it. In 2001, the Friends of Hearthside was founded.

The home is an example of 19th century federal-style architecture built of fieldstone and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

What's Love Got To Do With It? --Brock-Perry

The Privateer Dart's Logbook

The logbook of the privateer Dart for its cruise between May 22, 1813, and June 9, 1813, is located in the Dalhousie University Archives along with a full list of the crew. As such, it is one of the best documented privateers of the war.

On its first cruise, it was under the command of Captain John Harris. Captain JamesRoss commanded it for the second cruise.

--Brock-Perry

The British Privateer Dart

From Wikipedia.

Operated out of St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, and took 11 prizes on two cruises over a five month period. The Dart had originally been the American vessel Actress which was captured on July 18, 1812, by the HMS Spartan and taken to St. John and auctioned.

The new owners changed the name to Dart and made it a privateer and operated until captured by the U.S. Revenue Cutter Vigilant on October 22, 1813 (my sources list the capture as Oct. 4th, so I am not sure of the actual date).

After its capture, the Dart was turned over to its original owners when it was the Actress.

--Brock-Perry

A Big Thanks to the Vigilant

From the October 21, 1813, (Middlebury, Vt.) Columbian Patriot. Earlier this month, I wrote about the capture of the British privateer Dart by the U.S. Revenue Cutter Vigilant on Oct. 4, 1813.

I found this big thank you from a period newspaper: "Captain Cahoone, with the volunteers under his command, deserve the highest credit for for the spirit and promptitude with which this affair was conducted, and it is of utmost import once, as it is probable she [Dart] would, but for this, have been almost a constant visitor during the ensuing season, when the mischief she would have done is incalculable."

Thanks, Vigilant.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Guerriere Bell On Display in Rhode Island-- Part 4: Two Other Connections

A SECOND CONNECTION: One of the USS Constitution's officers in the battle was Silas Talbot, great-grandfather of Arnold Talbot who once owned the Heartside.

A THIRD CONNECTION: Frederick Sayles, another Hearthside owner, removed the bell but kept it in storage and it was passed down through the generations of his family.

I wonder how the USS Constitution Museum came to own the Guerriere's bell?

--Brock-Perry

HMS Guerriere Bell on Display in Rhode Island-- Part 3: Oldest Bell in the World?

According to etched information on the bell, it was manufactured in Amsterdam by Peter Seest, likely for a monastery and for a long time the bell was considered the oldest bell in the world. The date was believed to be 1265. Later historians determined that the 2 was an upside down 7 so the real date is 1765 when it was cast. Shoddy merchandise?

There is a crudely etched "1812" near the top of the bell, believed to have been put there by Stephen Smith.

Even So, It Still Has the Benefit of Being Taken In That Famous Sea Battle. --Brock-Perry

So What Happened to the Paul Revere USS Constitution Bell?

I came across mention that the Constitution's bell was damaged and/or destroyed during the 1812 battle with the HMS Guerriere. Another source said the bell was carried away by a shot. Does that mean it was blown overboard and is somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean?

If it was just damaged and replaced, what happened to the original? I couldn't find out any more about it.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Guerriere Bell on Display in Rhode Island-- Part 2

The bell is under plexiglass and there is a recording of it ringing that you can hear.

The Heartstone's connections to the Guerriere's bell:

*** Stephen Smith, who built the Heartstone and the original Butterfly Mill across the street, reportedly bought the bell from the U.S. government as surplus. The Constitution's crew had taken the bell from the British ship before sinking it. The Constitution's own bell, said to have been cast by Paul Revere, had been destroyed in the battle. When the Constitution returned to port for repairs, it was given a new bell and the Guerriere's sold off as scrap, presumably to Stephen Smith.

Here a Bell, There a Bell. --Brock-Perry

HMS Guerriere Bell on Display in Rhode Island-- Part 1

From the September 4, 2012, (Providence, R.I.) Valley Breeze " "Ship's Bell from War of 1812 on display at Hearthstone this weekend" by Marcia Green.

The bell is from the HMS Guerriere, involved in the famous fight with the USS Constitution, is on loan for a month from the USS Constitution Museum. It will be on exhibit at the Hearthside Museum in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

The bell was taken in the battle on August 18, 1812, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off Newfoundland. It and a scale model of the USS Constitution arrived at the Hearthstone.

The Heartstone has three connections to the Guerriere's bell, which is larger than most ship's bells from the era and made out of bronze instead of the usual brass. Many consider a ship's bell as the heart of the ship.

More to Come. --Brock-Perry

Time Line October 19th to 31st, 1813: American Attack on Montreal Fails

OCTOBER 19TH:    Major General Wade Hampton, (father of Confederate General Wade Hampton) crosses the border near Odelltown, Lower Canada, en route to Montreal.

OCTOBER 25TH:    U.S. Master Commandant Jesse Elliott assumes command of Lake Erie fleet after Captain Oliver Hazard Perry was ordered to the East Coast.

OCTOBER 25-26: Battle of Chateauguay, Lower Canada. Together with the Battle of Crysler's Farm, ends the American two-pronged campaign against Montreal. Wade Hampton defeated by Lt. Col. Charles Michel de Salaberry.

END OF OCTOBER: Hampton retreats to Chateaugay, NY.

--Brock-Perry

Southern Maryland's Role in War of 1812-- Part 3

On June 26, 1814, the British attacked Barney's fleet. U.S. infantry set up artillery at today's Jefferson Patterson Park and forced the British ships to withdraw. Two months later, Joshua Barney found it necessary to scuttle his fleet.

Jefferson Patterson Park has 560 acres in it. They are planning a big, two-day event to mark the bicentennial of the battle in 2014.

County seats at St. Mary's and Calvert were both raided July 19, 1814, by two different British forces. The British believed the Calvert County Courthouse was being used for military purposes.

Admiral George Cockburn took 1500 men along the Potomac River toward Leonardtown, where a division of U.S, infantry was camped. The Americans fled when they heard the Britush were coming.

On August 19, 1814, 4,500 British troops disembarked at Benedict and began their march on Washington, DC.

--Brock-Perry

Southern Maryland's Role in War of 1812-- Part 2

On July 19, 1812, the British occupied St. Clements and St. George islands and landed just north of Point Lookout in St. Mary's County and raided along the shores of the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. They already had a blockade along the Atlantic Coast as well as a major presence in the Chesapeake Bay.

Commodore Joshua Barney, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, was the commander of a privateer ship in 1812. He proposed the construction of a small defensive flotilla in 1813 to harass the Royal Navy and protect American property.

His small fleet skirmished with a small British fleet off Cedar Point on June 1, 1814. His fleet was blocked from the Potomac River so entered the Patuxent River whereupon the British blockaded that river's mouth. The British then pursued Barney's ships into St. Leonard Creek and the fleets exchanged gunfire. Outgunned, the Americans retreated into shallower water where the British couldn't follow.

The British then raided along the Patuxent River's shore to draw Barney out. There was a skirmish at Benedict in Charles County on June 21, 1814, between the English sailors and marines and American militia who drove them back to their ships.

It's Not Over Yet. --Brock-Perry

Southern Maryland's Role in the War of 1812-- Part 1

From the September 9, 2012, Washington Post "Recalling Southern Maryland's role in the War of 1812" by Justin Babcock.

How's this for some action during the war: The largest naval battle fought on the Chesapeake Bay was fought at St. Looner's Creek, Calver County's Courthouse was burned, Benedict was the landing point of 4500 British troops and farms and homes in St. Mary's County were raided.

The British did not terrorize the Chesapeake Bay area until 1813 and 1814. In August 1814, 45 British warships sailed up the Patuxent River as part of the operation against Washington, DC. They burned plantations along the way.

On April 7, 1813, British ships began probing the Potomac River. The April 22, 1813, Maryland Gazette reported five British ships were anchored in the harbor of Annapolis and state records were moved from the capital.

And, It Gets Hotter. --Brock-Perry

NC Veterans Get Grave Markers-- Part 3

Sgt. John Huske II (1786-1848), moved to Fayetteville in 1804 and helped procure food for soldiers sent to defend Wilmington. Lt. Col. Dickson Schaffer gave a brief history of his g-g-g grandfather (Huske) who was later appointed aide to general Thomas Brown and became a well-known businessman after the war.

Militiaman John Powers (1794-1881) signed on with the 1st Robeson County Militia Regt. at age 18. His regiment was absorbed into a militia brigade that was activated for service in 1814 and sent to Fort Johnson near Southport, NC.

The Story of Four North Carolina Soldiers. --Brock-Perry

NC Veterans Get Grave Markers-- Part 2

John Eccles and John Huske served in the Light Infantry Company.

All four were deployed at Wilmington to protect the port from British naval attack.

General Thomas Davis was the ranking military officer at Fayetteville, is the 5th great grandfather of the Reverend Robert Alves, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, who spoke at the grave. He was a prosperous businessman and lawyer who served two terms in the House of Commons in 1803 and is buried under a magnolia tree.

Lt. John Eccles was a Fayetteville businessman who donated land for what became a part of the Cross Creek Cemetery and is also buried under a magnolia tree at the corner of North Cool Spring and Grove streets.

--Brock-Perry

October 1813 Timeline-- Part 3: Indian Peace Treaty

OCTOBER 14TH:

Major General William Henry Harrison signs provisional armistice in Detroit, Michigan Territory, with First Nations that have abandoned their British alliance.

OCTOBER 16TH:

Fort Astoria, Columbia District (Oregon Country) is sold to the North West Company.

OCTOBER 16TH:

First troops of Major General James Wilkinson's expedition to attack Montreal leave Sackets Harbor and land at Grenadier Island at the head of the St. Lawrence River. The island will become a staging point for the attack.

--Brock-Perry

NC Veterans Get Grave Markers-- Part 1

From the September 22, 2012, Fayetteville (NC) Observer "Soldiers from War of 1812 honored with grave markers" by Nancy McClearly.

Forty people gathered at Fayetteville's Cross Creek Cemetery No. 1, including members of the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry (I have written about them in my Saw the Elephant Civil War and Cooter's History Thing blogs) and the DAR. They were honoring four War of 1812 North Carolina veterans with gravestones and a ceremony.

Each of the four men honored with a small brass marker shaped like a star with "War of 1812" engraved in it. These four men represented a cross-section of the soldiers who served in the war.

They were General Thomas Davis of the NC State Militia, Militiaman John Powres, Lt. John Eccles and Sgt. John Huske II.

An Overdue Honor. --Brock-Perry

War of 1812 Veteran in Minnesota Gets a Gravestone

From the Sept. 19, 2012, Preston (Minnesota) Republican Leader by Debra Richardson.

Near the end of 1875, Peter G. Benway died at the county poor farm in Canton Township at nearly 87 years of age, no family, without a home and without financial resources. No obituary was published at the time, but the following summer, the Preston Republican ran an update detailing the removal of the remains from from the poor garm burial grounds to the nearby Lenora Cemetery referring to him only as "a man named Benway."

Members of Benway's Masonic Lodge saw that a plain, tiny white slab of stone was placed on his grave to mark it.

As research was made for June's bicentennial commemoration, Benway's military service records were ordered from the National Archives and Research Administration in Washington, DC.

These records were shared with the Fillmore County Veterans Services Office and Jason Marquardt submitted the claim for a government-issued grave marker. The Lewistown Monument Company then offered to set the stone for free. It reads: "Peter G. Benway, Pvt. Capt. McNath's Co., NY Militia, War of 1812, Jan. 1789 Dec. 17, 1875."

About Time. --Brock-Perry

Black War of 1812 Veteran Honored-- Part 2

The new gravestone was paid for by the federal government. Richard Hill's grave is located alongside Portland's black Revolutionary War veterans at the cemetery located at Congress and Montfort streets.

Larry Glatz said that 20,000 white Mainers in the state militia were called upon to defend Portland in 1814. Another 5,000 served in the U.S. Army. Most of the federal troops were buried in unmarked graves.

Hill was born around 1792 and they're not sure if he was born in Portland or moved there later. Records show him in service in 1812 on Gunboat 47 with the New York Flotilla. It is believed that he was at Baltimore Harbor on September 14, 1814, when Fort McHenry was attacked.

After the war, he returned to Portland and worked as a common laborer. He was one of the city's 400 blacks who lived in neighborhoods at the foot of Munjoy Hill. At one point, he applied for and got 160 acres of government land in Ohio as a War of 1812 veteran. He never moved there and probably sold it to a land speculator at a fraction of its cost.

His son, Richard L. Hill, was a troubled young man. He robbed a boot store as a teenager and went to jail. After his release, he killed his father.

An Interesting Story. --Brock-Perry

Black War of 1812 Veteran Honored-- Part 1: Richard Hill

From the September 15, 2012, Kennebec (Maine) Journal "War of 1812 veteran gets his due, late" by Beth Quimby.

Richard Hill, a black veteran of the War of 1812, received military honors and a veteran's headstone after a brief ceremony in the Colored Ground in Eastern Cemetery in Portland, Maine, 151 years after his death.

He is believed to have witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry. His gravesite was forgotten after his death in 1861 at the hands of his son, who murdered him outside their home in Munjoy Hill.

Unfortunately, his new stone lists his death as 1881.

Larry Glatz of South Portland came across Hill's name while researching Mainers who fought the British in 1812.

About Time. Nice Son.    --Brock-Perry

Talbot County and the War of 1812

From the Feb. 22, 2012, Maryland Star Democrat by Jean Griffith.

Most Americans do not know much about the war. (That is why I started this blog which has been very informative to me.). Actually, I was supposed to teach it the last eight years I taught, but I never got much past 1800.) Some Marylanders, of course, know about Fort McHenry and the Star-Spangled Banner.

St. Michaels can be remembered as "The Town That Fooled the British." Before the declaration of war in June 1812, a new armory was established in Talbot County and there was also an organization of local militia.

Not too far away, the HMS Leopard attacked the USS Chesapeake.

The original Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry was sewn by Mary Pickersgill, her daughter, two nieces and a servant. Much of its original length has been lost to time and souvenir hunters.

A Preview of the War Before I Started My Blog Last Year. --Brock-Perry

Got My Battle of Lake Erie Stamps-- Part 5

With several surviving sailors, Perry boarded a small boat and made his way to the Niagara through a hail of gunfire. (This is the scene depicted on the stamps.) Famously, he took with him the private flag displaying the words Captain Lawrence spoke as he lay mortally wounded, 'Don't Give Up the Ship.'

"After taking command of the Niagara, Perry sailed across the enemy line. While attempting to maneuver in response, the Detroit and Queen Charlotte collided and became entangled in their rigging. Niagara could now fire down the length of both ships, making the situation for the British hopeless. The Royal Navy's four largest ships surrendered and Pery's smaller vessels captured the other two.

"In his after-action report to General William Henry Harrison, Perry penned perhaps the most memorable phrase of the war: 'We have met the enemy and they are ours."

A Good Account of the Battle. --Brock-Perry

Got My Battle of Lake Erie Stamps-- Part 4

"On the morning of September 10, Perry's fleet of nine vessels engaged a British fleet of six vessels off Put-in-Bay at the western end of Lake Erie. (Put-in-Bay is on South Bass Island near Sanduskey, Ohio, and home of the Perry Peace Monument.)

The British seized the advantage early in the battle, mainly due to their superior long-range guns. When the winds changed, Perry was able to close his flagship Lawrence, within range, where his firepower (Perry's ship mounted carronades with much shorter range) was almost twice that of the British. For most of the battle the Lawrence fought the two largest British vessels, the Detroit and the Queen Charlotte, unaided.

"After two harrowing hours, all three ships were badly damaged. 'Nearly the whole crew and officers' of the Lawrence, recalled Sailing Master William V. Taylor, were 'prostrated on the deck, interlined with broken spars, rigging, sail, and in fact one confused heap of horrid ruins.'"

 Hard-Fought Battle. --Brock-Perry

Got My Battle of Lake Erie Stamps-- Part 3

Text from the back of the War of 1812 Battle of Lake Erie stamps.

 "THE BATTLE OF lAKE ERIE: MASTER COMMANDANT OLIVER H. PERRY was only 27 years old in the spring of 1813 when he was charged with building a fleet at Lake Erie. Coming from a prominent naval family, he eagerly left his post at Newport, Rhode Island, for a shot at glory.

"The most critical ships of his fleet were the two identical 20-gun brigs Lawrence (named in honor of Perry's friend, Captain James Lawrence) and Niagara. Master shipbuilder Noah Brown completed work on these 500-ton ships by midsummer."

Lawrence had been killed earlier in the war when his ship, the USS Chesapeake, was defeated and he was killed.

The Perry in My Sign-Off Name Is Perry's. --Brock-Perry

October 1813 Timeline-- Part 2: Chief Tecumseh Killed

OCTOBER 5th

Battle of the Thames, Upper Canada. Chief Tecumseh killed. Americans win and secured control of the southwest and Upper Canada.

 OCTOBER 5TH--

 The Portsmouth Packet captured by HMS Fantome off Maine. Her original owners got her back and resumed privateering under her original name, the Liverpool Packet.

OCTOBER 6TH--

Commodore Chauncey's Lake Ontario squadron captures six of seven transports of a British convoy sailing from York to Kingston. Took 250 prisoners.

OCTOBER 13TH--

American raids on Missisiquoi Bay, Lower Canada.

--Brock-Perry

Got My Battle of Lake Erie Stamps-- Part 2

On the back of the sheet, there is a painting of Oliver Hazard Perry, (Old Sideburns. He does sport quite an impressive set of sideburns.) Under it says: "With his victory at the Battle of Lake Erie, Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819) forced the British and their Indian allies (and Canadians) to abandon their outposts on the Detroit frontier. *(And, very importantly, the loss of Detroit itself.) Perry was immediatelty celebrated as a natinal hero."

The reason I sign off these blog entries with Brock-Perry is half because of Oliver Hazard Perry.  The Brock comes from Canadian/British hero Isaac Brock.

My Hero. --Brock-Perry

The War in Real Time: Vigilant Captures Dart 200 Years Ago-- Part 3

The Vigilant refloated the Little Francis and towed it back to port.

The Vigilant remained in service until May 13, 1842, when it was decommissioned and sold at auction.

To the present, there have been 12 cutters named Vigilant.

Now the 210-foot Reliance class cutter Vigilant is homeported at Cape Canaveral, Florida, where it is primarily involved in counter-drug and alien immigrant operations.

There is a painting of the Vigilant-Dart fight off Block Island by Walter Jones.

--Brock-Perry

The War in Real Time: Vigilant Captures the Dart 200 Years Ago Today-- Part 2

On January 25, 1812, John Calhoun was commissioned as a master (captain) in Rhode Island and received command of the Vigilant.

On October 4, 1813, the Vigilant sailed out of Newport, Rhode Island, seeking the British privateer Dart. On board were 28 additional sailors. The Vigilant caught up with the Dart and opened fire. It came alongside, boarded and seized the ship. This was the last armed boarding by a revenue cutter during the Age of Sail.

Then on October 26th, the Vigilant captured a British schooner carrying a cargo of wood.

On June 2, 1814, it towed the fire-damaged brig St. Francis into Newport. It had been en route from St. Bart's with a cargo of molasses and sugar when it had been run ashore by the HMS Nimrod who then torched it.

--Brock-Perry

The War in Real Time: Vigilant Captures the Dart 200 Years Ago Today-- Part 1

From the U.S. Coast Guard site, Revenue Cutter Vigilant.

Two hundred years ago today, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Vigilant captured the British privateer Dart off Rhode Island.

The U.S. Revenue Service, the forerunner of the U.S. Coast Guard, was just 22 years old when the War of 1812 began. The revenue cutter Vigilant was one of its newest ships and the third ship to carry the name.

It was built and equipped by shipbuilder Benjamin Marble of Newport, Rhode Island, for $8,500.

The revenue service bought it August 21, 1812, and the ship was noted for its quickness, maneuverability and was lightly manned with just a crew of seventeen.

--Brock-Perry

Got My Battle of Lake Erie Stamps-- Part 1

Monday, I bought my set of twenty Forever U.S. Postal Service stamps at the Spring Grove, Illinois, post office. Along with the twenty stamps, on the front it read "The War of 1812: The Battle of Lake Erie. The Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, produced an American naval hero, Oliver Hazard Perry, and helped the United States take back territory lost to British forces in the opening months of the war."

Of course, it wasn't just the British who took our territory, but also their close allies, the Canadians and Indians. The most important part of territory they were referring to was Detroit.

--Brock-Perry

Baltimore's One really Big Flag-- Part 2

At 1:30 PM, the flag was unveiled in the Society's courtyard, then the U.S. Army's Old Guard Color Guard folded it and prepared it for the 3.6 mile journey to Fort McHenry. And, this is a heavy flag, weighing in at 42 pounds. The flag was to be raised at Fort McHenry on Saturday.

Bombs Burst In Air. --Brock-Perry

Baltimore's One Really Big Flag-- Part 1

From the September 13, 2013, Baltimore Sun "Fort McHenry captures the glory of Defenders' Day" by Chris Kaltenbach.

In 2012, some 1.5 million people crowded Baltimore's Inner Harbor for the War of 1812 Bicentennial Defenders' Day kickoff. The highlight of the 2013 Defenders' Day weekend will be the hoisting of a replica of that famous Star-Spangled Banner. Fort McHenry and the Maryland Historical Society joined forces for the reproduction.

Sewing on the flag began this past July 4th and more than 1000 volunteers made some 150,000 stitches at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore to recreate the famous 30-by-42-foot flag.

And the Rockets Red Glare. --Brock-Perry

What Actually Happened at the Wooden Bridge 200 Years Ago?-- Part 2

Author Marty Gervais who wrote "The Other Windsor: Forgotten Stories" thinks that perhaps they weren't those mighty heroes. Essex County decided to name the replacement bridge at the site over the River Canard "The Hancock and Dean 1812 Bridge to Nationhood."

Gervais claims that he has come across a story that the two British soldiers on sentry duty there were drunk and had passed out at the time the Americans crossed.

James Hancock became the first casulaty of the war and John Dean was wounded and captured.

Dean later was released and rejoined the British Army, but was captured again and this time deserted. He is lost in history from then on.

Heroes Ir Drubks?  --Brock-Perry

What Actually Happened At That Wooden Bridge?-- Part 1

From the July 23, 2012, Windsor (Canada) Star "Tale of 1812 'heroes' questioned" by Julie Katsis.

I have written about this last year. Look up Canard River Bridge. This was one of the opening incidents of the War of 1812 in the Northwest.

What actually happened at the wooden bridge over the River Canard 200 years ago? Were privates James Hancock and John Dean heroes? Did they deserve the honor General Isaac Brock bestowed on them?

Author Marty Gervais thinks maybe not.

 --Brock-Perry

Fort McHenry Quarter Debuts

From the Sept. 19, 2013, Numismaster.com.

The U.S. Treasury introduced the new Fort McHenry quarter, part of the national parks set that are not in general circulation (which I hate), at Fort McHenry at the start of the Defenders' Day weekend to honor the garrison of Fort McHenry back on that fateful night in 1814.

Rolls of 40 quarters can be purchased for $18.95 (almost double the face value) at the U.S. Mint and there are other options.

I only get them when I find then in circulation which is rare so have no idea when I'll get one. I really hate the fact they are not put out in general circulation as the state quarters were. I haven't even seen any national park folders for your collections.

So Sad. ---Brock-Perry

October 1813 Timeline-- Part 1

New Month, New Timeline. Most of these are from the excellent Canadian site, "Historic Places.Can. What was going on 200 years ago this month in the War of 1812:

OCTOBER-- British reinforcements arrive at Quebec City, Lower Canada.

OCTOBER 1ST-- Skirmish at Chateauguay, Lower Canada.

OCTOBER 2ND--Group of 133 ex-slaves from the Chesapeake Bay area arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

OCTOBER 4TH--Action at McGregor's Creek, Upper Canada.

OCTOBER 4TH-- American revunue cutter Vigilant captures privateer Dart off Rhode Island.

--Brock-Perry