The Glengarry Light Infantry-- Part 3: Action in 1813 and 1814

A company of the Glengarry Light Infantry was at the Battle of York, but didn't play a big part.  They were misdirected by the commander of the Upper Canadian  militia.  Another company  suffered severe losses at the Battle of Fort George trying to prevent American forces landing  on the lake shore from outflanking the fort.

Yet another company was present at the Battle of Sackets Harbor where troops under Prevost and Baynes withdrew after failing to drive American troops from buildings and hastily constructed defenses.

During the latter part of 1813, the entire regiment was concentrated around Fort George and was engaged for several weeks in harassing American outposts  around the captured fort.

They were built back up to full strength during the following winter (1813-1814).  A company took part in the raid on Fort Oswego in the spring of 1814.  During the following summer, the full regiment along with  light infantry companies of four regular line regiments, formed a covering  force on the Niagara Peninsula, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel  Thomas Pearson.

Later, on 25 July, the regiment formed part of a light infantry brigade under Pearson and played a major role in the Battle of Lundy's Lane where they harassed  the left flank of the American Army but suffered casualties when mistaken for Americans by other inexperienced British troops.

--Brock-Perry

The Glengarry Light Infantry-- Part 2: The Battles of Ogdensburg

Edward Baynes was appointed the regiment's colonel, Major Francis Battersby became the units lieutenant colonel and Captain George MacDonnell became the major.

The Glengarry Light Infantry gathered and trained first at Trois-Rivieres in the first half of 1812 and then for the latter part its companies were  deployed to various sites in Upper Canada.

On 3 October, two of its companies were at  Prescott on the St. Lawrence River and were involved in the failed attack on Ogdensburg on the American side of the river.

(Civil War/Fort Fisher hero Newton Martin Curtis is buried in Ogdensburg, New York.)

However, the American town remained a target.  George MacDonnell, who had been promoted to lieutenant colonel and commanded the garrison at Prescott, mounted a successful attack in Ogdensburg, this time across a frozen St. Lawrence River.

A company of Glengarry Light Infantry and some militia made a frontal attack while the main body of MacDonell's force turned the  American right flank.  The Reverend Alexander Macdonell was conspicuous  in urging the militia and Glengarry soldiers in their advance.

--Brock-Perry

The Glengarry Light Infantry-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Alexander Macdonell was much involved with this military organization. 

The Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles  was a light infantry group raised primarily in the Glengarry District of Upper Canada shortly before the outbreak of the Anglo-American War of 1812 (another name for the War of 1812).  It was disbanded shortly after the war ended.

Many of the inhabitants of the Glengarry District  were Catholics from Glengarry, Scotland and many had already served in the Scottish Glengarry Fencibles from 1794 to 1802.  During that time, they performed duty on the Channel Islands and fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1798

The fencible unit raised in Canada would serve the same enlistment as  regular soldiers, but would only have to serve in North America.

By 1812, as war with the United States appeared more and more inevitable,  Governor General of Canada, George Prevost,  decided he'd raise the unit of his own accord, and appointed Captain George Macdonell of the 8th (King's) Regiment to raise the "Glengarry Levy."

Originally it was to have  376 members.  Recruits received a bounty of  four guineas on enlistment and were promised 100 acres at the war's conclusion.

Partly through the efforts of the unit's chaplain, Alexander Macdonell (it was composed mostly of Catholics), the unit soon exceeded 600 men.  Prevost raised the corps level to regiment and named it the  Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles.

--Brock-Perry

Will the Real Alexander Macdonell or Alexander McDonell Sign In?

One man with two different spellings of his last name or two different men?

From Wikipedia.

Wikipedia says not to get confused with Alexander McDonell, a politician.  Will the real Alexander Macdonell or is it McDonell please stand up?

I can see where there might be some confusion between the two because of the same first name and possible spellings of their last name.

They were both emigrants from Scotland, both fought in the War of 1812 on the British side and Upper Canada Rebellion.  Alexander McDonell was born in 1786, Macdonell was born in 1762.

Both were politically involved and both also worked with immigrants.  However, the Wikipedia article did not say anything about the Catholic religion work that Macdonell did in the McDonell article.

So, Who Is Who?  Perhaps Two Different Men Then.  --Brock-Perry

Alexander Macdonell in the War of 1812

From the Catholic Encyclopedia.

"During the War of 1812, Alexander Macdonell's powerful influence was successfully used  in rousing the martial spirit of his countrymen, and, indeed, the other inhabitants in defence of their adopted land.

"With the reorganized 'Glengarry Fencibles' he was present at several engagements against the American forces.

"His civil and military service was recognized by the British government in 1816 by an addition to his own government allowance, and by  an annual grant of 100 pounds (money) each, to three clergymen and four school-masters."

--Brock-Perry

Alexander Macdonell-- Part 5: Becomes Catholic Bishop of Upper Canada

A central figure in the religious and political life of the Crown Colony of Canada, Macdonell was appointed vicar general in 1807 and vicar apostolic in 1820 and was  consecrated bishop or Regiopolis in 1826.

During his tenure thousands of Irish immigrants arrived, and by 1840, there were 34 priests and  48 parishes in  Upper Canada (today's province of Ontario) for which Macdonell had secured financial assistance from the local and British governments.

A firm conservative, Macdonell was a legislative counsellor  from 1831, and soon came under fire from the Reform Movement.

He died while in Britain attempting to secure funds for the Regiopolis College and recruiting more Catholic emigrants.  Alexander Macdonell was buried at  St. Margaret's Convent in Edinburgh, Scotland, but his remains were removed to  St. Mary's in Kingston in 1861.

--Brock-Perry

Alexander Macdonell-- Part 4: Bringing Catholicism to Canada

From the Canadian Encyclopedia.

Alexander Macdonell, Roman Catholic   bishop.

Born at Fort Augustus, Glengarry, Scotland 17 July  1762. Died at Dumfries, Scotland, 14 July1840.

Ordained in 1787, he spent the next several years  in the Scottish Highlands.  In 1793, he persuaded  the British government to establish the Catholic corps, the Glengarry Regiment, of which he was the chaplain.

In 1802, the regiment was disbanded and two years later Macdonell got the British government to promise 200 acres to every soldier who emigrated to Canada.  Macdonell and a large group of Catholic settlers did just that.  They settled in what became known as Glengarry, Upper Canada.

--Brock-Perry

Canada's First Catholic Bishop Alexander Macdonell-- Part 3

By 1822, the Catholic population of York had grown to 1,000 and Macdonell moved from Glengarry to York (Toronto) and built a home at the corner of Jarvis and Richmond in 1832. of Upper Canada's Catholic crusade.

That home is barely noticeable today, but at one time it was the center of Upper Canada Catholic crusade.

Macdonell has been described by  William Foster Coffin as "a medieval churchman, half bishop, half baron, [who] fought and prayed with equal zeal, by the side of men he had come  to regard as  his hereditary followers."  

Thomas D'Arcy  McGee referred to him as the "greatest Tory of Canada."

Macdonell was definitely a man of many talents, despite his allegiance to the Crown and chief among him were his power of political persuasion.  As a member of the Legislative Assembly, he would eventually push for government salaries to be paid to Catholic priests and teachers in the colony in return for their loyalty to the Crown.

However, this effort met with resistance from Anglican Church heads of Upper Canada and John Strachan in particular.

It turns out that  the political ties between Strachan and Macdonell were not enough to overcome their religious differences.

--Brock-Perry

About Canada's First Catholic Bishop, Alexander Macdonell-- Part 2

Before he came to Canada, Alexander Macdonell  raised a Catholic regiment to defend British interests during the Irish Rebellion in 1798.  The regiment would be disbanded and its men left destitute, but Macdonell  persuaded the Crown to give them land in Upper Canada in return for their loyalty. 

Macdonell first settled in Glengarry near Kingston.  He went to the Upper Canada capital in York in 1806 and found that Catholics were few and far between.  The town had a population of 200 of whom less than a quarter were Catholic.  In all of Upper Canada, there were only three Catholic churches and three Catholic priests.

Macdonell reported to his superiors on what he had seen at York and was given the task of acquiring more land for churches in the town.  (Of course, York eventually became Toronto.)

A plot on George on present-day Adelaide would be set aside "for the purpose of erecting a chapel for public worship."  But, it was destroyed by fire during the War of 1812.  (Likely burned by American troops when they torched the town.)

--Brock-Perry

About Canada's First Catholic Bishop, Alexander Macdonell-- Part 1

From the November 14, 2021, "NowToronto  "Hidden Toronto:  First Catholic  bishop's residence" by Enzo Dimatteo.

It's barely noticeable today but it was once the home of the man behind Upper Canada's Catholic crusade.  It's at 113 Jarvis in Toronto.

John Strachan was Canada's first  Anglican bishop and known for his Tory politics and ties to the Family Compact.  He was also a member of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada.  Today there are schools and a street named for him near where his home used to stand at University and Front.

It was there that  loyalist forces gathered on the first night of the rebellion against the Family Compact led by Mackenzie in 1837.

But his equal, and the subject of this article was Alexander Macdonell (sometimes called McDonell).  This man was also a staunch Tory and he became John Strachan's religious counterpart as Upper Canada's first Catholic bishop.

Like Strachan, Macdonell was born in Scotland and his Catholic upbringing preached obedience to the Crown, but he was perhaps an even more strident  crusader of Tory values.  Indeed, he would take up arms in defense of the Crown in a number of wars, including the War of 1812, when he raised a regiment against the American forces.

--Brock-Perry

What's in a Name? 'The Anglo-American War' Is There a New Name for the War of 1812?

From the November 12,2021, CVBJ.biz site  "Veterans Day:  These are the main wars the US has participated in."

This site is calling the War of 1812 the Anglo-American War (1812-1815).

Here is what it says:

"Also known as the 'Anglo-American War' or 'War of 1812'.  It was a war that pitted the United States against the United Kingdom and its Canadian colonies.

"Among other causes of the war are the restrictions placed on trade imposed by the United Kingdom because of the war  in Europe against France, the forced recruitment of US merchant sailors to serve in the British Royal Navy and British support of the indigenous peoples of North America who opposed the expansion of the US.

"The confrontations took place by land and sea.  286,730 Americans served, among these were 2,260 deaths and 4,505 wounded."

Well, Which is It?  --Brock-Perry

A USS Constitution Spar at Topeka High School

From the September 29, 2021, Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal "A spar from the USS Constitution, 'Old Ironsides,' is flagpole at  Topeka High School" by Tim Hrenchir.

A school in the capital of landlocked Kansas proudly displays a spar from what is probably the best-known ever U.S. warship, the USS Constitution, also known as the "Old Ironsides."

That spar rises high in the air while serving as the flagpole in Constitution Plaza on the east side of Topeka High School, 800 S.W.  10th Avenue, which recently kicked off a year-long celebration of its 150th  anniversary.

Topeka High acquired the spar (a piece of wood used to support the sail) on 1930.  Barton Phelps, a Topeka High graduate and Santa Fe Railway official was inspecting the Boston Navy Yard for the Department of the Navy, found the spar in storage as the USS Constitution was being refitted.

With the help of then-U.S. Vice President Charles Curtis, a fellow Topeka High graduate, Phelps arranged for the school to acquire the spar, which was dedicated as a flagpole there in October 1931.

By 2004, time and woodpeckers had caused the spar to deteriorate to the point where the school retired it and it was replaced with another spar from the Constitution.  Sadly, the second spar was destroyed by lightning three years later and then replaced with the current spar.  (The article did not say whether this one is also from the USS Constitution, however.)

Topeka High's Constitution Plaza  also is home to the ship's bell of the light cruiser USS Topeka (1944-1969.

--Brock-Perry

This Veterans Day: A Grave Marker Dedication for War of 1812 Vet Sgt. Elias Breese

Today being Veterans Day, one of the greatest things we can do is marking the graves of out veterans.

From the September 29, 2021, Daily Telegram (Adrian, Michigan) "Grave marker  ceremony at Canandaigua Cemetery recognizes veteran's service in War of 1812"  by David  Panian.

Sgt, Elias Breese served under  Lt. Jacob Smartwood's regiment in General Mathew  Carpenter's 18th  Brigade of New York Militia during the War of 1812.  He and his wife, Deborah Bennett, came to Michigan when Elias' son, Solomon, moved here.  This information provided by Elijah  Shalis, webmaster of the Michigan Society of the War of 1812.

Shalis continued:  "More than 3,400 veterans of the War of 1812 are buried in Michigan.  Many moved here after the war for the land or with their children like Elias Breese and his wife."

Of interest, according to the article, Elias Breese is the third great grandfather of Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.

Saluting Our Veterans Today.  --Brock-Perry

Marines in the War of 1812

Happy 246th birthday United States Marine Corps!!

From Wikipedia.

During the War of 1812, Marine detachments on ships took part in the great frigate duels that characterized the war at sea.  These were also the first and last engagements of the war.

Probably their most significant service took place when they held the center of General Andrew Jackson's defensive line at the Battle of New Orleans, the final major land battle and one of the most one-sided engagements of the war.

Then, there were victories of American ships over the HMS Cyane, HMS Levant and HMS Penguin in the last engagements of the war where the Marines gained a reputation as expert marksmen in ship-to-ship action.

They played a large role in the 1813 defense of Sackets Harbor, New York, and Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia.

--Brock-Perry

Victory and Valour Service Will Honour Indigenous Veterans

From the November 3, 2021, Niagara Falls Review (Canada).

Niagara Parks will host a ceremony to honour Indigenous veterans at the Landscape of Nations  Memorial in Queenston Heights Park, Saturday.

It will be held on sacred grounds where Six Nations and Native allies  fought alongside their British and Canadian compatriots throughout the War of 1812.

The program will include guest speakers, the laying of wreaths, a traditional tobacco ceremony and sacred fire.

Six Nations and Native allies helped to secure victory at pivotal events  at Queenston Heights and throughout the War of 1812.

--Brock-Perry

Gen. Hull's Proclamation-- Part 3: A British Proclamation

William Hull also believed that his invasion would frighten the native tribes.  In a letter to the Secretary of War, he wrote,  "It is likewise  probable that when the Indians see the American standard erected on both sides of the river it will have a favorable effect."

Like many Americans who lived on the  frontier, Hull was wary of native warriors.  In his proclamation, he wrote that their method of warfare "respects no rights  & knows no wrong."

To persuade locals from joining with indigenous warriors to resist  the American invasion, Hull informed them that any white man fighting alongside the warriors would receive no quarter.  Instead, "Instant destruction will be his Lot."

Hull intended his proclamation to coerce its inhabitants of Upper Canada into accepting the authority of the United States.   

The British commander (Isaac Brock), in turn, issued his own proclamation promising to defend Upper Canada -- and, in later  engagements, took advantage of Hull's fear of indigenous warriors to force his surrender.

--Brock-Perry

Gen. Hull's Proclamation-- Part 2: To Liberate Upper Canada from British Tyranny

To announce his presence in Upper Canada, William Hull printed a proclamation to  distribute amongst its inhabitants.  "This army under my Command has invaded your Country," he wrote, "and the standard of the United States waves on the territory of Canada."

Hull was convinced that the inhabitants of Upper Canada would welcome the Americans as liberators from oppressive British rule.  His experience in the American Revolution had taught him to hate the British and to believe in American freedom.  he reassured the people, "I come to find enemies not to make them, I come to protect not to injure you."

Convinced hat being an American citizen was better than being a British subject, Hull offered to battle the British  army on behalf of its inhabitants.  

"You will be emancipated from Tyranny and oppression," he assured them, "restored  to the dignified position of freedom."

--Brock-Perry

'I Come to Find Enemies Not to Make Them': Gen. Hull's Proclamation to the People of Canada-- Part 1

From the National Park Service.

As I said in the last post, I need to find out about General William Hull's Proclamation that his son, Captain and Aide de Camp Abraham Fuller Hull (who I have been writing about) witnessed in official capacity.

The whole quote from the headline:  "I come to find enemies not to make them, I come to protect not to injure you."

When American General William Hull made an early invasion of Upper Canada he was convinced that the inhabitants there desire freedom from the tyranny of the British.  He also feared attack by native warriors.  In one sweeping proclamation, Hull tried to impress  and threaten the entire region into compliance.

On July 11, 1812, American Brigadier General William Hull led his army across the Detroit River into Upper Canada, capturing  the town of Sandwich.  Hull's invasion was the first major offensive since Congress declared war on Britain in June 1812.

--Brock-Perry

Captain Abraham Fuller Hull-- Part 5: Poor William Hull

Source continues from the previous post.

From the Memoir of Gem. William Hull.

Only a few months after the sentence of the court martial (finding William Hull guilty in his court martial and sentencing him to death), General Hull met  with a greater misfortune in the loss of his only son, Captain Abraham Fuller Hull of the Ninth Infantry, who fell in the battle at Lundy's Lane, July 1814, while leading his company in a bayonet charge on the enemy's guns.

So, here was William Hull, facing the death penalty for his surrender of Fort Detroit and he then finds out about the death of his only son.  Like I said, poor William Hull.

As his father's aide, Captain A. F. Hull signed "Hull's Proclamation" in July 1812.

(Well, it looks like I'll be looking up Hull's Proclamation to see what that is all about.)

--Brock-Perry

Captain Abraham Fuller Hull-- Part 4

From the July 25, 2012, War of 1812 Chronicles.

Captain Abraham Fuller Hull, of the Ninth Infantry, died on July 25, 1814; killed at Lundy's Lane.

In the History of the Ninth  U.S. Infantry, his burial is described:

"Only one other body of an American has been dug up on the battle-field at Lundy's Lane.  It was that of Captain Abraham Fuller Hull of the  Ninth Infantry, to which regiment  of the nine other Yankees, as their buttons showed, belonged.

"The bones of Captain Hull, unearthed several years ago, were reburied in an isolated spot at the south end of the Drummond Hill Cemetery.  The grave into which the remains remains of his nine comrades were laid yesterday is close beside it."

--Brock-Perry

Capt. Abraham Fuller Hull-- Part 3

In 1910, the remains of nine more American dead were found and placed in a similar grave nearby with quiet ceremonies  in which historical societies from both countries took part.  The monument that marks these graves is the gift of the Niagara Frontier Landmarks Society of Buffalo.

The name "Bridgewater" that appears in the inscription was given by American officers and historians to this battle  because of the long-vanished hamlet of that name, near Burning Spring, was  the last place the Army passed through before it became engaged, and near where they had their base hospital and supplies during the fight.

How many American dead are buried in this field will never be known.  Many who fell in the action were removed and a number of them were burned.  But certainly, many were interred in unmarked trenches.

Adjutant Thomas  Poe, of the Pennsylvania Volunteers was killed here, but he was buried  at Fort Niagara, New York.

--Brock-Perry