Captain Abraham Fuller Hull-- Part 2

Of the American soldiers who lie here the only one whose name  and resting place are known is Captain ABRAHAM FULLER HULL, of the 9th U.S. Infantry, who lost his life in one of the desperate charges against the British battery.

He was the son of Gen. William Hull, a captain  in the 13th U.S. Infantry and aide-de-camp to his father at Detroit when that place surrendered on August16, 1812.  He was exchanged on the 18th of January 1813 and given a captaincy in the 9th U.S. Infantry with which he served until he was killed at he age of 28 years.

For years, his grave was marked by a humble white marble slab.  In 1901, the bones of nine men of the same regiment were found elsewhere and re-interred on October 19th beside their captain with full U.S. military honors.

The troops performing the honors (13 U.S. Infantry) from Fort Niagara, who on that day  laid their predecessors to rest fired three volleys over the open grave, were the first United States troops to enter Canada under arms since 1815.

--Brock-Perry

Abraham Fuller Hull (Son of Gen. William Hull)-- Part 1

While researching about William Hull's surrender of Fort Detroit to the British and their Indian allies in 1812, I came across Abraham Fuller Hull's name, the son of Gen. William Hull.  

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  8 March 1786

Newton, Massachusetts

DEATH:  25 July1814 (age 28)  Killed at the Battle of Lundy's Lane.

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

BURIAL:  Drummond Hill  Cemetery

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

--Brock-Perry

The Unfortunate Surrender of Detroit-- Part 2: Hull Sentenced to Death by Court Martial

The next morning, British General Isaac Brock crossed the Detroit River and arrived at Springwells unopposed.  His army marched  just north to May's Creek and set up a defensive position along the ravine.  Then Brock and the Natives advanced north to Fort Detroit, setting up positions just 1200 yards away.

Despite having a very sizable force inside the fort, William Hull was convinced   that he and his men were outnumbered.  He surrendered to Tecumseh without firing a shot.

About 2,500 U.S. soldiers were taken prisoner of war and moved to British Canada for imprisonment.

Hull was relieved of his command and later court martialed in 1814 for treason, cowardice, neglect of duty and misconduct.  He was sentenced to death, but spared from hanging by President James Madison.  General William Hull remains the only U.S. general to be sentenced to death by an American court martial.

--Brock-Perry

The Unfortunate Surrender of Detroit-- Part 1

From the Thumbwind site, Finding  Fun in Michigan.  "The tragic surrender of Detroit by General William Hull.

On a foggy morning in August 1812, American General William Hull made one of the worst decisions of his life.  Undder a flag of truce, British authorities warned him that the warriors under Shawnee Chief Tecumseh and Mohawk War Chief  John Norton (Teyoninhokarawen) were about to lay siege on him at Fort Detroit.

And, the British could not vouch for what the Indians might do to the Americans if they attacked.

Native warriors had crossed the  river and arrived south of the fort at Springwells that same night.  (Springwells later became the site of Fort Wayne.) Then, they moved along the edge of the western woods  which bordered the farmlands below the fort.

They went unnoticed as they surrounded the fort.  At the same time, British ships moored in the river, began shelling the fort.  The bombardment set parts of the fort on fire and killed a few civilians who were taking shelter there.

The Americans could not return fire.

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812: Remains of Part of the Old Corduroy Road Still There

From the Michigan Historical Marker on Hull's Trace (Trail).

"Hull's Trace, which linker Detroit and Ohio, was to be Michigan territory's inland lifeline during the War of 1812.  However, the Detroit River and Lake Erie gave the British easy access to the Michigan portion of the road.

"American efforts to use the road to bring supplies  and men from Frenchtown, present-day Monroe (Michigan), were foiled twice before Hull surrendered Detroit on August 16, 1812.

"After the war, Hull's Trace was used  for ever-improving roads, beginning in 1817 with a new military road.  In 2000, low water levels in the Huron River revealed a quarter-mile of old corduroy road, lying three to six feet beneath Jefferson Avenue.

"Ax marks were  visible on some of the logs.  This rare example of a surviving corduroy road is listed in the National Register of Historic Places."

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812-- Part 3: The State of Michigan Marker on the Trace

"In April 1812, as the United States prepared for possible war with Great Britain, Michigan's Territorial Governor, William Hull,  became commander of the Army of the Northwest.    His first task was to lead his army from Dayton, Ohio, to Detroit, building Hull's Trace, a two-hundred-mile long road, as it marched.

"The army left Dayton on June 1.  As they cut the trace through the wilderness from Urbana north, it laid logs crosswise across swampy areas to create a rough, but stable corduroy roadbed that could support supply wagons.

"In late June, a detachment  from Frenchtown, commanded by Hubert Lacroix also worked on the road, attempting to follow a route laid out  under an 1808  territorial  Legislative Council act.  (This must have been McCloskey's work, see previous post.)

"On June 18, 1812, war was declared.  Hull's army arrived in Detroit on July 5."

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812-- Part 2: Who Was McCloskey?

Evidently, the route of this road/trace was originally laid out by someone named McCloskey who won a lottery in 1808 (to mark the route?)  and there is a map of it in the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library.

The article says that he must have traveled   the existing (Indian?) trail, taking compass readings as he traveled.  Somewhere around the Huron River, he may have deviated from the trail because Hubert Lacroix wrote in 1812 that he wasn't able to find the slashes on the trees  for the original route.

Hull's Trace ran close to Lake Erie and the Detroit River, making it vulnerable to British attacks by water.  As a matter of fact, the first land-based skirmish of the war, the Battle of Brownstown, was fought on a road just  north of this section.

The later battles of Maguaga and Frenchtown were also  fought along the trace. 

Hull's Trace has been considered Michigan's first road at the beginning of the settler era.

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812: 200 Miles Long from Ohio to Detroit

From the October 2, 2021, Thumbwind site (Having Fun in Michigan)  "Michigan's Shore Indian Trail-- Hull's Trace & the War of 1812" by Michael Hardy.

The Shore Indian Trail was one of five major routes of traveling by land out of Detroit and the best-known for early settlers.  The trail began at the rapids of the Maumee River in Ohio to Toledo then closely along the Lake Erie shore through Monroe and Brownstown to Detroit.

From Detroit, it went northward along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, past Fort Joseph, Fort Gratoit, to the Thumb.

The Trail became a crucial tactical element during the War of 1812 when the United States became concerned about supplying Fort Detroit and the surrounding Michigan Territory area.  The British controlled Lake Erie, so overland supply was the only option.

Starting in June 1812, troops under the command of General William Hull constructed what became known as "Hull's Trace" (also called Hull's Trail), a military road running 200 miles from Urbana, Ohio, to Fort Detroit.

One hundred and fifty men under the command of Hubert Lacroix completed the "Corduroy Road" on July 4, 1812, with a bridge over the River Huron.   (A corduroy road uses logs to get across swampy, wet areas, in case you're wondering.)

--Brock-Perry

A Partial List of the War of 1812 Veterans Listed on the New Marker in Nagodoches, Texas

I haven't found them listed anywhere yet, other than on pictures of the marker and haven't seen the whole one, but these are the names I can see:

George G. Alford

Bailey Anderson Jr.

Perter Ellis Bean

Asher Branch

James Whitis Bullock

Joseph Thomas Cook Sr.

Jesse H. Crawford

Warren Davis

Elias M. Eubank

Sylvanus Everett

Jesse Gibson

Oran William Haltom

James Wilson Henderson

Israel Holt

Martin Lacey

George W. Matthews

Houston McClure

These War of 1812 veterans also played a big role in the Texas Revolution against Mexico.

--Brock-Perry

John S. Roberts

From the Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas.

JOHN S. ROBERTS

(1796-1871)

Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, East Texas merchant and political figure.

He was born in Virginia on July 13, 1796.  At age sixteen, he enlisted  in the Tennessee  Militia for service in the War of 1812 and was at the Battle of New Orleans as a member of Colonel John Coffee's regiment.

In May 1815, he was discharged

By 1822, he was a resident of Nagodoches, Texas.

--Brock-Perry

John S. Roberts: War of 1812 Veteran and an Important Man in Early Texas

From the John S. Roberts Chapter National Society United States Daughters of 1812.

He was a very important person in the early days of Texas, but also fought in the War of 1812 before that.

The Battle of New Orleans had a great impact on the future of Nacogdoches, Texas, because so many future east Texans participated in it.  Some of those men were Bean, Bullock, Goyens, Perry and John S. Roberts.

John S. Roberts was 19 years of age when he traveled  from Nashville with militiamen under the command of General Carroll, to join Coffee and Jackson with a contingent of Tennesseans.

An account of the battle written in 1840 in France by Cardinal  Moyne credits Roberts  with being  "in the thickest of the historic battle" and conducting himself "in a brave manner" where he fought with "conspicuous bravery."

--Brock-Perry

Historic Marker Placed in Downtown Nacogdoches Honoring 32 Veterans of the War of 1812

From the October 9, 2021,  Channel 7 ABC, Texas by Briananna Linn.

Members of the John S. Roberts  chapter of the Texas State Society of the United States Daughters of 1812 wanted to honor the 32 veterans who fought in the War of 1812 and later made Nacodoches their home.

They chose the site at the old general mercantile and string shop downtown because it was the site of the John S. Roberts home, who is the namesake of their group.  The building is one of the towns least altered storefronts.

All of the men on the marker were  leaders in the community and served with great patriotism.  They also participated in the state of Teas' battle for independence.

It took the group over three years to get the marker.

--Brock-Perry

Arkadelphians Honored for Their War of 1812 Service-- Part 2

I really like the name of this town.

Some of the graves of the War of 1812 veterans in Arkansas will never be found, but, nearly 700 of their names are inscribed n on the War of 1812 Memorial Fountain erected by the U.S.D. 1812 at the State Capitol.  This is the largest listing of the war's veterans on any U.S. monument.

The other residents of Clark County, Arkansas, already  marked include William Hart and Wiseman Moore.  The location of other graves in the county is an ongoing investigation and include  Edwin Crosslin, William Adcock, Jacob Wingfield, John Caruthers (who also served in the American Revolution) and Walter Crow.

The dedication team  was comprised of U.S.D. 1812 State President and Pine Bluff Simon Bradford  Chapter President Jerrie Jones Townsend; SAR  State President Charkes McLemore; U.S.D. 1812 State Markers Chair Sheila Beatty-Krout; Patricia McLemore Baseline-Meridian President; Bobbie Lovell, Baseline Meridian Markers Chair and her husband, Dale Lovell, GSW 1812.

Keep On Marking Them.  --Brock-Perry

Arkadelphians Honored for Their War of 1812 Service-- Part 1

From the October 10,2021, Sentinel Record  (Arkansas).

Neat name for a town.

The Baseline-Meridian Chapter, United Daughters of 1812 and the Arkansas General Society War of 1812 recently marked the graves of two War of 1812 veterans in Arkadelphia.

Assisted by the Sons of the American revolution and the Clark County Historical  Association, permission was obtained to mark the graves of Solomon  Spence Sr., buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, and John Browning, buried on private land at the Bozeman Cemetery.

Many War of 1812 veterans settled in Arkansas due to receiving Bounty Land for their service.

Over 6,000 Federal Bounty Land Grants  were allotted in Arkansas and although most did not claim the land, or sold it, it is estimated some 15% of the veterans did.

The Arkansas Society U.S.D. 1812 has been  searching for the grave sites of War of 1812 veterans buried in Arkansas since 1908.

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812 October Events: Thames, Tecumseh, Jackson, Brock, Queenston Heights, Chateauguay

1813

OCTOBER 5

**  Battle of the Thames.  Tecumseh killed.

1813

OCTOBER 7

**  Andrew Jackson established camp ay Fayetteville, Tennessee (Camp Blount) to recruit Americans to fight the Creek Indians in Alabama.

1811

OCTOBER 9

**  Major General Isaac Brock appointed Administrator of Upper Canada.  He is the Brock in my signoff, Brock-Perry.

1812

OCTOBER 13

**  British and Canadians win the Battle of Queenston Heights, Canada.  Isaac Brock killed.

1813

OCTOBER 26

**  Engagement at Chateauguay.

--Brock-Perry

Replica of James Monroe's Birthplace Dedicated-- Part 5

In 1976, the College of William and Mary conducted an archaeological survey of the Monroe  birthplace site and uncovered  a 20-by-58 foot foundation, which coincided with known  1845 etchings of the Monroe birth home.

In the early 2000s, plans for developing  the birthplace site came to the attention of the James Monroe Memorial Foundation, which was established  in 1928 by Monroe's  great-great-grandson, Lawrence Gouverneur Hoes.

Partnerships with and donations from Westmoreland County and many state and local  chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Daughters of 1812, Daughters of Colonial Wars, Order of Founders and Patriots and the Daughters of Founders and Patriots, as well as individuals, enabled development  to begin.

"If we mentioned  everyone involved in the project, we'd be here until lunchtime," said Woody Hynson, vicechair of the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors.

A visitors center has been open at the site on weekends  for several years and now the house, which is lightly furnished, is part of the experience.

The birthplace park is open free of charge  on Saturdays and Sundays.

--Brock-Perry

Replica of James Madison's Birthplace Dedicated-- Part 4: His Formative Years

Ron Wittman, who represents the First Congressional District, which includes Westmoreland County, in Congress-- said the foundation for Monroe's decades of public service was laid at his birthplace and childhood home.

"We can imagine a young James Monroe here with his siblings, doing his chores, taking care  of the animals and garden," Wittman said.  "What he learned here, he took with him the rest of his life.  This place keeps alive an important part of  history -- the formative years of James Monroe.

Monroe sold  his birthplace property in  1783, describing it  in a newspaper advertisement as, "About 500 acres of land in Westmoreland county on Monroe's creek, within a mile and a half of Potowmack river," with "a dwelling house  with a passage and several rooms below and above, with a kitchen, barn, stables, and other necessary out-houses...."

--Brock-Perry

Replica of James Monroe's Birthplace Dedicated-- Part 3: A Presence in Early U.S. History

 After serving as Virginia's governor, Monroe served as ambassador to Great Britain and special envoy to France -- where he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase -- under Thomas Jefferson.  Under James Madison's presidency, Monroe served as both Secretary of State and Secretary of War.  

Om 1816, he was elected to the first of two terms as president of the United States.  His presidency is sometimes referred to as the Era of Good Feelings due to a sense of national purpose and unity following the War of 1812.

"Like the wind, sometimes quietly  and sometimes boldly, [Monroe] was always making his presence known" in the early history of this country," G. William Thomas said.  After reading the last two entries I fully agree with that statement.  This man did a bit of everything in our early history.

--Brock-Perry

Replica of James Monroe's Birthplace-- Part 2: Service in the American Revolution and Virginia

James Monroe, still a teenager, joined the 3rd Virginia Regiment, commanded by Hugh Mercer, and served in campaigns led by George Washington in  New York and New Jersey.

"He is our only  president to have  served on active military duty in the Revolutionary War  aside from George Washington," said G. William Thomas, president of the James Monroe Memorial Foundation, in the opening ceremony.

At the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, Monroe sustained a bullet wound to his shoulder and nearly died.  He carried that bullet in his body for the rest of his life. 

Following his military service, Monroe served in the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress and then was elected by state legislators to be one of the first U.S. senators from Virginia.

Washington appointed him  ambassador to France, and in 1799, he was elected governor of Virginia.

--Brock-Perry

Replica of James Monroe's Birthplace Completed in Virginia-- Part 1

From the October 4, 2021, Fredericksburg (Virginia) Free Lance-Star by Adele Uphaus.

After more than a decade of planning,  fundraising and building,  a replica of former President James Monroe's  birthplace farmhouse is finally complete and open to the public.

The James Monroe Memorial Foundation has overseen the reconstruction process ever since signing a 99-year lease on the land with Westmoreland County in 2005, held a grand opening ceremony this past Saturday, October 2.

For decades, the site near the town of Colonial Beach where the nation's fifth president was born and lived until his teens was nothing more than a dusty pull-off from State Route 205--  the James Monroe Highway.

James Monroe was the son of a middling plantation owner and carpenter Spence Monroe and  his wife Elizabeth was born in the family home  on April 28, 1758.

He lived there until the age of 16 when both of his parents died, and he enrolled at the College of William and Mary, where he studied law for two years until he joined in the American fight for independence against Great Britain.

--Brock-Perry

Camp Blount Volunteer Days Begins-- Part 3: Led To the State's Nickname and Jackson Becoming President

"We  think we have a little bit of the claim to the reason why Tennessee got its name (Volunteer)," Dr. Farris Beasley said.  "We  were the biggest muster site for the War of 1812.  That's where we come from."

The association said that this was led to General Jackson becoming the seventh president of the United States and the turnout  of Tennessee volunteers earned the state its nickname, the "Volunteer State."

The public is invited to the free and open event  from 9 am until 4 pm Saturday, October 2.  

Volunteer Days will include speakers, music, demonstrations, history and more.

Some of the demonstrations which will be taking place include firing a cannon, rifles and pistols; blacksmithing; spinning and weaving; flint knapping; woodworking and leather working.  Native American, equestrian, local archaeologist, period crafts, period music, women's fashion and historic impression demonstrations will also be held.

Camp Blount is located at 1124 Huntsville Highway in Fayetteville and is Tennessee's eighth historic site.

It's Going On Right Now, So, If In the Area.  --Brock-Perry

Camp Blount Volunteer Days Gets Underway-- Part 2: How Tennessee Got the Nickname Volunteer State

"Fayetteville was involved in two of the muster sites that supplied troops to two of the major battles in the War of 1812," said Dr. Farris Beasley, a member of the association, who said that Tennessee at that time was considered a frontier state.  "There was no Alabama, no Mississippi, or no Louisiana."

In September 1813, a call for troops went out from President James Madison to Tennessee  Governor Willie Blount.

"The governor called on General Andrew Jackson, in charge of the Tennessee militia, to raise militia and volunteers,"  Beasley said, adding that they met at Camp Blount.  "The governor gave the order to meet on the south bank of the Elk River at the big oak trees."  Those oaks would have been  in front of where the Walmart in Fayetteville sits today.

They called for 2,500 volunteers,"  Beasley said.  "4,500 showed up.  And for the first time, a Nashville newspaper used the term Tennessee, the volunteer state."

Beasley said that Andrew Jackson kept a diary and often the words "my Tennessee volunteers" are found within those pages.

So That's How We Got "Tennessee Volunteers."  --Brock-Perry