Fort Wood in New York Harbor

I have also written about Fort Wood in my Cooter's History Thing and Tattooed On Your Soul World War II blogs.

The first blog tells about the fort's role before and during World War I.  The second blog is about its role in World War II.

Click on My Blogs to the right of this to read more.

--Brock-Perry

Forts Wood and Gibson, New York Harbor

From National Park Service.

These are forts that are located on Liberty (formerly Bedloe's Island) and Ellis Island.  Fort Wood still exists as the base of the Statue of Liberty, upon which the pedestal sits.  Fort Gibson protected Ellis Island which served for many years as the entry to the United States for hundreds of thousands of immigrants.

Bedloe's Island was a strategic spot in New York Harbor and a massive stone fort was constructed in 1807 and named for American Army engineer who died in the siege of Fort Erie in the War of 1812.  The remnants of the eleven-pointed star fort  are still visible today at the base of the Statue of Liberty.  The whole interior has been filled in though.

It was built to defend against a British attack which never came.

Fort Gibson was built on nearby Ellis Island in 1795, but renamed in honor of Colonel James Gibson who also died in the Siege of Fort Erie.

Only a portion of the foundation of the fort remains today.

--Brock-Perry

New York City's Fort Wood-- Part 1: Now At the Base of the Statue of Liberty

Today I wrote about the removal of the torch of the Statue of Liberty to a museum on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.  The base of the statue is the old Fort Wood which gives the base the pedestal sits on the many pointed star shape.

This is a fort dating to the War of 1812.

You can read about the torches removal in my Cooter's History Thing blog.  Just click on that site on the My Blogs area to the right of this.

--Brock-Perry

Col. John Duvall-- Part 4: Resident of Scott County, Ky.

From Find-A-Grave.

DUVALL, COL. JOHN.  Scott County.   Died at his residence in Scott, 7 Sept.  1859, in his 77th year.

He was a citizen of Scott for 67 years and had represented that county in the Legislature, besides filling various other civil offices in it.

He commanded a company in the last  war with Britain and served in a campaign under General Harrison.

C,  23 Sept. 1859.

--Brock-Perry

Col. John DuVall-- Part 3: Served Under Boswell and Willaims

From "Soldiers of the War of 1812, State of Kentucky; Roster of Volunteer Officers and Soldiers from Kentucky in the War of 1812-1815."

Roll of Captain John DuVall's Company, Boswell's Regiment, Kentucky Detached Militia."  The toll indicates that the regiment had  approximately sixty men.

Also, "Roll of Field and Staff, Williams Regiment, Kentucky Volunteers, of the War of 1812, and notes in organization and record of service, raised in pursuance of the address of 31st of July, of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky, and rendezvoused at Newport, Kentucky, August 31st, 1812 --  Commanded by Colonel William Williams.

It appears that DuVall served under both Boswell and Williams.

So, There You Have It.  --Brock-Perry

Col. John Duvall-- Part 2: His War of 1812 Service

From Genealogy.com  by Walter Lynch.

Morris C. LeFever was inquiring about the roster of Captain John Pope Du Vall's 20th Infantry in Kentucky Militia War of 1812.  In particular, he wanted to know the kinship between DuVall, Stout, Jackson and some others.  Also, did the unit fight in Ohio?

Walter Lynch replied that he had found the name DuVall in two books on Kentucky soldiers in the War of 1812.  There was no reference to a 20th Infantry or battles the unit may have fought in.

From "Kentucky In the War of 1812" by Anderson Chenault Quisenberry.

"Boswell's Regiment, Kentucky Volunteer Light Infantry; 6th Company - Captain John DuVall;  Lieut., Richard Tyner; Ensign, James Stewart."

On another page he found:  "Captain John DuVall's company of Kentucky Detached  Militia, organized March 4, 1813.  Lieutenant William Brown;  Ensigns Richard Tyner and Daniel Johnson."

So, the rank of colonel came after 1813.

--Brock-Perry

Col. John Duvall-- Part 1: At Fort Meigs and Dudley's Defeat

From Find-A-Grave.

Birth 14 March 1783, Culpeper County, Va.

Death 8 September 1859  Stamping Ground, Scott County, Ky.  Body lost or destroyed because of a tornado in 1974 destroyed cemeteries and homes.

Colonel John Duvall served in the War of 1812 as a captain in the Kentucky Militia.and a local political figure  and served a term in the Kentucky state legislature.

He fought in two major battles on the frontier: The Siege of Fort Meigs and Col. Dudley's Defeat.

--Brock-Perry

Capt. Leslie Combs Report to Gen. Clay on Dudley's Defeat

Book title:  "Colonel William Dudley's Defeat Opposite Fort Meigs, May 5, 1813:  Official Report From Captain Leslie Combs To general Green Clay."  Originally printed 1869.

Amazon selling it for $12.76 paperback.

"This scarce antiquarian  book is a facsimile reprint of the original.  Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

"Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work."

Since I have written about all three of these men in this blog, this should be an interesting read.  It is 16 pages long.

--Brock-Perry

When Presidents Mislead U.S. Into War-- Part 1: Mr. Madison's War

From the November 16, 2018, Washington Post  "When presidents lied or misled the nation to go to war-- and when they didn't" by Matthew Dallek.

Review of book "Presidents of War" by  Michael Beschloss.

Researching about wars and presidents during the county's history.

ON JAMES MADISON AND THE WAR OF 1812

During the War of 1812, President James Madison failed to level with the American people that fighting Britain would bring about serious sacrifices and that the United States was not under mortal threat.

Congress and the American public were divided over the war.

Mr. Madison "lowered the threshold so that future presidents and Congress could, contrary to the beliefs of the Founding Fathers, more easily enmesh the country in sundry conflicts for lesser purposes.

--Brock-Perry

Col. Wm. Dudley-- Part 4: "Dudley's Massacre"

Of the 800 Kentuckians who captured the British artillery, about 650 were killed, wounded or captured.  Only 150 were able to reach the safety of Fort Meigs.

Among the dead was Col. Dudley, who was killed in the first minutes of the fighting.

The battle became known as "Dudley's Massacre" or "Dudley's Defeat."

The event is commemorated by a plaque on the grounds of the Maumee Library in Maumee, Ohio.  This is not far from the site of the action.

--Brock-Perry

Col. William Dudley-- Part 3: The Slaughter At Fort Miami

The Indians drew the Kentuckians farther and farther into the forest. where they were eventually surrounded by the British and the Indians.  They had no recourse except to surrender.

They were marched downriver to the ruins of Fort Miami where the Indians began firing into the ranks of their prisoners, killing some of them.  They then began tomahawking prisoners and stealing their belongings.  Several British officers could be seen a distance away observing the massacre.  One of them was the British commander, Henry Procter.  They made no effort to stop it.

At least 30 Kentuckians were murdered before Indian leader Tecumseh arrived.   He drew his tomahawk and stood between the prisoners and their attackers.  The Indian leader caller Procter a woman for being afraid to end the slaughter of the helpless prisoners.  He said, "You are unfit to command.  Go put on petticoats."

--Brock-Perry

Col. William Dudley-- Part 2: Initial Success

General William Henry Harrison, at Fort Meigs, sent a courier to Gen. Green Clay ordering him to take the offensive against the British battery on the other side of the of the Maumee River to drive them away and spike their cannons.  General Clay ordered Col. Dudley to take 800 men and accomplish this task.

On the morning of May 5, Dudley made his assault on the battery and succeeded in capturing it.  After this initial success, things quickly fell apart.  The soldiers with the tools to spike the guns accidentally landed on the other side of the river..  Dudley's men, however, did have some success spiking them with bayonets and ramrods.

Then, the Kentuckians came under fire by Indians in the woods.  Determined to avenge their fellow soldiers who had been slaughtered at the River Raisin Massacre the previous year, they charged into the woods against their officers' orders.

--Brick-Perry

Col. William Dudley-- Part 1: Commanded the 13th Kentucky Militia

Col. Dudley was under the command of Gen. Green Clay of Kentucky in the relief of Fort Meigs in Ohio in 1813.  Leslie Combs accompanied Dudley and was captured.

From Wikipedia.

Born 1766  Died May 5, 1813.

Colonel of the 13th Kentucky Militia during the War of 1812.  Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  As a young man, he sought his fortune west of the Appalachians, eventually settling in Fayette County, Kentucky.  He served as the local magistrate for several years.

In the spring of 1813, Dudley was under the command of General Green Clay of Kentucky, whose force numbered around 1200.  The force moved from Maumee River, Ohio, to Fort Meigs.  They arrived May 4 in the midst of the Siege of Fort Meigs.

--Brock-Perry

George Trotter-- Part 3: At the Battle of the Thames

At the Battle of the Thames, George Trotter was in the Kentucky militia which was in the overall command of  Governor Isaac Shelby.

Colonel Trotter commanded the First Brigade which included the First and Second Infantry Regiments.  The First was Trotter;s command.  The Second was commanded by Col. John Donaldson.

They were in the First Division of Kentucky Militia which was commanded by Brigadier General William Henry.  (Not sure if this might have been William Henry Harrison.I have not been able to find a Brigadier general William Henry.)

--Brock-Perry

George Trotter-- Part 2: The 42nd Kentucky's Drum

The 42nd Regiment was commanded by Col. George Trotter, who served in the  campaign as a Brigadier general  He was presented with a drum taken at the Battle of the Thames.  The drum was ornamented with the British coat of arms and the inscription "42nd Regiment."

It was presented the following year with the added inscription "Presented by General Harrison and  General Shelby to Colonel Trotter for the 42nd Regiment, Kentucky Militia, as testimony of it's patriotism and good conduct , for having furnished more volunteers than any other regiment."

I Wonder What Happened To It?  --Brock-Perry

George Trotter-- Part 1: With Campbell and At Battle of the Thames

Same source as previous two posts.

Margaret Trotter was the wife of General Leslie Combs.  Sge was the youngest daughter of George Trotter and she writes about her father.

George Trotter was born in Virginia in 1779 and died in Lexington, Kentucky, October  13, 1815.  He was the son of Lt. Col. James Trotter, a soldier in the American Revolution.

George Trotter entered the Army in 1812 during the War of 1812 as the captain of a volunteer company of  dragoons and was wounded in action with the Indians under Col. John B. Campbell on December 18 of that year.

He became a lieutenant colonel  of Kentucky  Volunteers in 1813 and led a brigade of the state with rank of brigadier general at the Battle of the Thames October 1813.

--Brock-Perry

Leslie Combs War of 1812 Service and Afterwards-- Part 2

Afterwards, he "took a gallant part  in the disastrous defeat of Colonel William Dudley, on the 5th of May was wounded, taken prisoner and compelled to run the gauntlet at Fort Miami."

This was when Gen. Green Clay got to Fort Meigs and in an attempt to relieve the fort had part of his command under Col. William Dudley got involved in what is called Dudley's Massacre.

After the war,  he settled in Lexington, Kentucky, where he practiced law for half a century.

In 1838, General Combs raised a regiment for the Southwestern frontier at the time of the Texas Revolution.

--Brock-Perry

End of World War I and Veterans Day Today

One hundred years ago today, the Great War, World War I, ended with the signing of, and the going into effect of the Armistice.

It was the first of the modern wars with unbelievable losses on both the Allies and Central Powers alliances.

Ever since, Armistice Day has been commemorated.

Now, in the United States, though, it is called Veterans Day, a time to salute and thank our veterans who have made our lives possible.

Thank a Vet.

"They Are Tough, Cocky, Sure Of Themselves" USMC

Captain Samuel Nicholas received orders to raise two battalions of Marines back in 1775.  Sadly, at the end of the American Revolution, both the Marines and Navy were disbanded.  Big mistake with enemies all around.

"The American Marines have it [pride], and benefit from it.  They are tough, cocky, sure of themselves and their buddies.  They can fight and they know it."

General Mark Clark, U.S. Army

What You Call Esprit de Corps.  --Brock-Perry

Leslie Combs War of 1812 Service-- Part 1: At River Raisin and Relief of Fort Meigs

Same Source as previous post.

During the War of 1812, Leslie Combs, age 19 "distinguished himself by his courage and gallantry.

In the campaign that ended  at the Raisin, he was sent by General Winchester with a dispatch to General Harrison and went through the wilderness through snow and water for 100 miles under conditions that almost cost him his life.

In 1813 he was commissioned as a Captain of Scouts and was attached to the force of General Green Clay, which had been ordered to the  relief of Fort Meigs.  Captain Combs "volunteered with the aid of an Indian guide and four men to carry news  of Clay's approach to General Harrison."

"He succeeded in threading his perilous way through the swamps of hostile savages and had arrived in sight  of the closely invested Fort, where he was attacked by Indians, one of his men killed , another wounded, he and the rest escaped back to Fort Defiance."

--Brock-Perry

Leslie Combs War of 1812 Pension

From Combs Families Organization

On or About the  21 day of November 1865  The State House in Frankfort and the Clerks Office of the Court of Appeals was Consumed  by fire with all its Contents including said Pension  Certificate and other  papers of said Leslie Combs.

Combs was in the Kentucky Militia in the regiment commanded by Colonel William Dudley.in the service of the United States and his name placed on the Pension Roll of Kentucky.

--Brock-Perry

Leslie Combs of Kentucky-- Part 3: Wounded Again and Captured

After two days, he returned to Fort Defiance to tell Green Clay that Fort Meigs needed his help.  But, he found General Clay already beginning preparations for Fort Meigs' relief.

Leslie Combs had been badly wounded in the ambush, though, and was ordered to bed by medical personnel.  However, he found there were two  small companies of spies  ready to operate under his command.

He left his sick bed and took command and joined Clay's march.

He was wounded and taken prisoner on May 5, 1813.

After his release and parole, he discontinued his military career and became a lawyer and politician.  He was a strong Unionist during the Civil War.

--Brock-Perry

Leslie Combs of Kentucky-- Part 2: Fort Meigs Besieged

He was born in Clark County, Kentucky in 1793, the youngest of 12 children of Benjamin Combs and officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, Combs enlisted in the First Regiment Kentucky Volunteers under general William Henry Harrison, but was soon transferred to the command of Green Clay.  By April 1813, he was the captain of a scouting group.

On the evening of May 1, 1813,  Combs and a six-man detachment was  dispatched by Colonel William Dudley from Fort Defiance (present-day Defiance, Ohio)  to the besieged Fort Meigs.  As they canoed down the Maumee River, they were ambushed by Potawatomi, and two of Combs' men were killed.

The remaining men of Combs' force returned to Fort Defiance to say that Fort Meigs  was under siege and in need of aid.

--Brock-Perry

Leslie Combs of Kentucky-- Part 1: Politician and Soldier

Another man who was at the 1872 Reunion of War of 1812 veterans in Kentucky was Leslie Combs.  He was 78 at the time.

From Wikipedia.

LESLIE COMBS

November 28, 1793 to August 22, 1881

Was a lawyer and politician from Kentucky.  He served under General William Henry Harrison during the War of 1812 and was captured in 1813.  After his release, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1818.  He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives for many different terms.

--Brock-Perry

Green Clay's Family-- Part 2: Clement Comer Clay, Governor of Alabama

From Find-A-Grave

A cousin of Green Clay.

December 17, 1789 to September 6, 1866.

Eighth governor of Alabama.  Also attorney, politician, Alabama legislator and U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

Born in Virginia.

Served under General Andrew Jackson battling the Creek Indians during the War of 1812.  This is also known as the Creek War 1813-1814.

While governor (1835-1837), his administration's term was dominated by the Creek War of 1836, arising from their resistance to Indian Removal.  During his time in office, the U.S. Army  removed the Creek Indians from southeastern Alabama under the terms of the 1832 Treaty of  Cusseta.

The Creeks were relocated to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

--Brock-Perry

Green Clay's Family: Henry Clay Was a Cousin

From Wikipedia.

Without a doubt, the most famous relative of Green Clay was a cousin by the name of Henry Clay.

April 12, 1777 to June 29, 1852

American lawyer, planter and statesman.  Represented Kentucky in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.  Created the Whig Party.

As Speaker of the House in Washington, D.C., Henry Clay was a leading War Hawk and helped lead Congress into the declaration of war against Britain in 1812.

In 1814, he helped  negotiate the Treaty of Ghent.

He was very powerful throughout the first half of the 19th century and had a lot to do with any and all U.S. government decisions, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.

--Brock-Perry