Siege of Fort Harrison

From the October 29, 2022, Tribune-Star "Historical treasure:  Historic model reveals history of Fort Harrison" by Matthew Higgins.

Tecumseh, the leader of the Shawnee Confederacy, allied his nation with neighboring Indian nations  to resist white settlement as he watched his people's ancestral lands being stripped from their hands one treaty at a time.  William Henry Harrison,  Indiana's first territorial governor, was tasked with making the area safe for white settlement as thousands of settlers moved in sought a new life for the territory.

Tragically, these two opposing aspirations could not exist in harmony and thus, conflict was born.

In order to protect white settlements and facilitate trade along the Wabash River, Fort Harrison was constructed.  The primary conflict that took place there was the Siege of Fort Harrison in September 1812.  Warriors of Tecumseh's Confederacy attacked the fort on the night of September 4.

Harrison was not present at the attack and the fort was commanded by another future U.S. president, Zachary Taylor.  His soldiers fought well and were able to fend off the Indians who surrounded the fort and slaughtered livestock in an attempt to starve the fort's defenders into surrender.

--Brock-Perry

One of John Downes' Sons Was a Naval Officer in the Civil War: John A. Downes

From Find-A-Grave.

JOHN A. DOWNES 

BIRTH:  25 August 1822, Massachusetts

DEATH:  21 September 1865 (aged 43), New Orleans, Louisiana.

BURIAL:  Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts

United States Navy officer, Civil War.  Entered naval service September 4, 1837.  Lieutenant in 1851 and commander in 1862.

Commnder of ironclad USS Nahant in attacks on Fort McAllister in March 3, 1863 and Fort Sumter on April 7,  1863, as well as assisting in the capture of the ironclad CSS Atlanta on June 10, 1863.

On July 1, 1965, he took command of the Gulf Squadron at New Orleans and was killed while in service.

--Brock-Perry

John Downes, USN-- Part 5: Around the World in the USS Potomac and End of His Career

Along the around the globe voyage, the USS Potomac became the first U.S. Navy ship to host sitting royalty, when the king and queesn of Hawaii came aboard.

When Downes arrived in Valparasio Chile, Jeremiah N. Reynolds came aboard.  He was an American explorer and author and served as Downes' personal secretary for the trip and wrote a book about his experience, "The Voyage of the United  States Frigate Potomac."

Downes'  sea service ended with this cruise.

On returning home, Downes was severely criticized for his actions in Sumatra, but President Jackson defended his actions, saying that what he did there would deter future aggression by the Malays.  However, that didn't come to pass because in August 1838, another American merchant ship, the  Eclipse, was attacked.  The United States responded with what is called the Second Sumatran  Expedition.

From 1837 to 1842, and again from1850-1852, he commanded  the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston Harbor.  He died there on August 11, 1854.

--Brock-Perry

John Downes, USN-- Part 4: A Questionable Period and Making Sumatra Pay

Downes took command of the USS Macedonian in 1818 and set out on a three year show of American power to South America and beyond.  On this trip he decided to make some money giving protection, passage and banking to pirates, privateers and others.  He became quite rich from this.  I am surprised he was able to keep his rank in the Navy for doing this.

Regardles of this other stuff, John Downes became commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron and from 1828-1829, commanded the USS Java.

From 1832-1834, he commanded the Pacific Squadron.  In 1832, he went to the coast of Sumatra in the USS Potomac to avenge the attack on the American merchantman Friendship, of Salem, Massachusetts.  He attacked four Malay forts, killing all their defenders and then bombarded a village until it caught fire.

He then took the Potomac on an around the world voyage, becoming the second American vessel to circumnavigate the globe.  (The first was the USS Vincinnes, commanded by William B. Finch.)

--Brock-Perry

John Downes, USN-- Part 3: Cruising with the Essex and the Second Barbary War

Among the prizes taken by the USS Essex was the whaler Atlantic.  Captain Porter fitted it out as a cruiser and classified it as a sloop-of-war with twenty guns and named her Essex Junior.  The ship was placed  under the command of Lieutenant Downes.  The Essex and Essex Junior were both captured at the same time on 28 March 1814.

Downes was promoted to master commandant in 1813 and two years later commanded  the brig Epervier in the squadron under the command of  Stephen Decatur against Algiers.  On June 17, 1815, he assisted in the capture of the Algerian frigate Mashouda.  Two days later, the Eperviere and three smaller vessels captured the Algerian brig Estedio off Cape Palos.  

After the conclusion of peace with Algiers, Decatur transferred Downes to his ship, the USS Guerriere.

Downes also served on the Ontario and Independence before becoming a captain in 1817.

--Brock-Perry

John Downes, USN-- Part 2: Service in the First Barbary War and War of 1812

From Wikipedia.

Commodore John Downes (December 23, 1784-August  11, 1854) was a career naval officer, whose service covered the first half of the 19th century.

John Downes was born in Canton, Massachusetts,  on December 23, 1784.  He served as  acting midshipman from September 9, 1800, and was appointed midshipman from June 1, 1802.  He rendered distinguished service during the  First Barbary War in  1804 on the frigate Congress and distinguished himself again on the frigate New York in a boat attack upon Tripolita feluccas (a type of ship).

In March 1807, he was made a lieutenant and served as executive officer for Captain David Porter on the USS Essex during her cruise in the Pacific during the War of 1812..  In an action off James Island (in the South Pacific) Downes was in command of the sloop Georgiana during the capture of three British whalers.

He also participated in the action off Charles Island (Galapagos Islands) before sailing to Nuku Hiva to assist in building America's first base in the Pacific Ocean.

--Brock-Perry

John Downes, USN-- Part 1

From Find-A-Grave

War of 1812 naval officer.

BIRTH:  December 1784, Canton, Massachusetts

DEATH:  11 August 1854, Charlestown, Massachusetts

BURIAL:  Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts

*******************************

From U.S. Navy Officers 1798-1900.

Midshipman:  1 June 1802

Lieutenant:  6 March 1807

Master Commandant:  24 June 1813

Captain:  5 March 1817

Died 11 August 1854

--Brock-Perry

Ceremony Is Tribute to War of 1812 Veteran William Burch

From the September 7, 2022, Observer (Fredonia, N.Y.).

The local Celea Sampson Cole chapter of the United States Daughters of 1812 will hold their first grave marking ceremony since receiving  their charter September 11, 2020.  The ceremony will be at Plot  E/30 Forest Hill Cemetery in Fredonia on Sunday.  The ceremony will honor William "Billy" Burch.

Burch is the 3X great grandfather of 1812 Daughter Sandra Johnson of Lakewood.  He was born November 19, 1787 in New York state.  He entered U.S. service in Cooperstown into the 23rd Infantry of the Regular Army on August 12, 1812, and served until February 1815.

He was stationed at Fort Niagara, Fort George and Sackets Harbor.

After the war, he settled in Pomfret and married Jemima Adams in November 1817.  He died  February 16, 1818 at the age of 33 in Randolph.

His Find-A-Grave site says he died  16 February 1881 at age 93.

(Fredonia was also the home of Civil War heroes Alonzo and William Barker Cushing.)

--Brock-Perry

River Raisin Massacre-- Part 12: 'Remember the Raisin' and Aftermath

This deliberateness of behavior from the Indians did not diminish, and perhaps intensified, the horror many survivors later described.  Indeed, the most vivid recollections related to to the systematic nature of the killings and treatment of the remains.

The battle ended in what was described as a "national calamity" by Major General, and later president of the United States, William Henry Harrison.  

It also left an impact on the broader American consciousness.  The Americans who pushed north to liberate Detroit went to destroying the British-Canadian-Indian coalition in the west at the Battle of the Thames, near present-day Chatham, Ontario, on October 5, 1813.

Fueled by the battle cry, "Remember the Raisin!" their massive victory sealed the War of 1812 in the western theater for the United States, claimed the life of the great Shawnee leader Tecumseh, and resulted in the end the American Indian Confederation.

In an even broader sense, the aftermath of these battles resulted in the implementation of the U.S. policy of Indian removal from the Northwest Territory at the conclusion of the War of 1812, leading to the Indian Removal Act of 1830, a policy that continues to resonate today.

--Brock-Perry

River Raisin Massacre-- Part 11: Was It an Orderly, Utilitarian Massacre?

As Dr. Gustavus Bower later described what transpired with the Indians:  "They did not molest any person or thing upon their first approach, but kept sauntering about until there were a large number collected (one or two hundred) at which time they began plundering the houses of the inhabitants and the massacre of the wounded prisoners."

Even then, the killings followed a method that -- however brutal -- might be described as utilitarian.  The wounded who could nottravel were the primary victims, and they were killed swiftly.  The looting, the taking of able-bodied and the burning of buildings and structures were done methodically --  Dr. John Todd, a surgeon with the Kentucky 5th Regiment Volunteer Militia later described these actions as a kind of "orderly conduct."

(By the way, seeing the name John Todd in the paragraph above and him being from Kentucky, I had to wonder if this man might be related to Abraham Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln.  He was.  He was her uncle.  Small world.  For more on him in the War of 1812 click on the label below.)

(I am taking these last two paragraphs directly from the article and have a hard time accepting them.  There is no such a thing as a utilitarian or orderly conduct massacre.)

A Massacre Is a Massacre.   --Brock-Perry

Horrors of the River Raisin-- Part 10: A National Calamity Turned Into a Rallying Cry

When the British departed, they left the Americans who were too wounded to walk in the homes of the French inhabitants under a small guard of British troops.  On January 23, in retaliation for past brutalities, Native warriors returned to the River Raisin to plunder, burn homes, killing and scalping many of the remaining Americans and taking others captive.

Official U.S. estimates of the aftermath include a dozen named individuals killed and up to 60 more who were probably killed in this manner.

The event became known as the "River Raisin Massacre" and was not a sudden burst of collective violence.  Rather, it began as a somewhat incredulous confirmation that no U.S. forces had arrived, then progressed to a deliberate taking of valuables and able-bodied captives that was later punctuated by the killing of the most severely wounded survivors.

--Brock-Perry

Horrors of the River Raisin-- Part 9: An Unmitigated Disaster for the Americans

These were brave words, but the Kentuckians' position was dire.  Their ammunition was low, they were completely hemmed in on the south, British artillery was in position to fire volleys of gunfire through their defensive lines and Confederacy warriors were firing into the heart of the settlement while preparing to set it on fire.

In short, Major George Madison of the Kentucky 1st Regiment had two choices:  surrender to the British or, as he put it, "be massacred in cold blood."  Still, Madison was commited to holding out long enough to influence the terms of surrender.

After some back-and-forth with the British over the disposition of prisoners, protection from Confederacy forces and care for the wounded, Madison formally capitulated.

Expecting American reinforcements from General Harrison's troops, the British quickly withdrew due to heavy casualties.  The battle was costly for the British Regulars and Canadian militia, but for the Americans it was an unmitigated disaster:  Of the 934 who had heard the morning's reveille, 901 were either dead, sounded or prisoners of war.

--Brock-Perry

Horrors of the River Raisin-- Part 8: Things Going Better for the Kentuckians

Over the course of two hours, the British regrouped and made two more frontal assaults, but the Kentuckians position was too strong --  British losses were perhaps four times greater than those suffered by the entrenched Kentuckians --  you know, being that puncheon fence they were behind.

As the British pulled back and evaluated their seemingly weakening situation, they received word about what was going on elsewhere on the battlefield.

American General James Winchester, now a prisoner of war and unable to give orders to those still engaged, arrived in the area.  When told that his men would otherwise be burned out of their position and attacked by a much larger force of Indians, he agreed to send a message encouraging the Kentuckians to surrender.

When they received this message, the Kentuckians balked, feeling that they could still carry the day.  As Private Elias Darnell later recalled, "Some plead[ed]  with officers not to surrender, saying they would rather die on the field."

--Brock-Perry

How the Horrors of the River Raisin Became a Rallying Cry-- Part 7: The Rout of the U.S. Infantry

An attempt was made  to send a few companies of Kentucky militiamen to the aid of the 17th Infantry, but the effort proved disastrous.

General Winchester, arriving from his headquarters, ordered the infantrymen to fall back to the north bank of the river where they they could rendezvous with the Kentuckians.  Together they made a brief stand, but were soon overwhelmed by the pursuing Canadian, Wyandot and Shawnee fighters.

After a frantic retreat to the south side of the river and another futile stand, the American position disintegrated entirely.  Within 20 minutes, about 220 U.S. soldiers were killed and another 147 captured.  Only 33 American Regulars managed to escape to the Maumee River.

Bit the actions east and south of Frenchtown barely registered for the British Regulars and Kentuckians still entrenched behind that puncheon fence line.

Instead, they remained locked in what seemed to be the main battle area.

--Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812: Battle of the Thames and Battle of Queenston Heights, Isaac Brock, Tecumseh

From the American Battlefield Trust  "War of 1812 Timeline."

OCTOBER 5, 1813

**  Battle of the Thames.    British defeat and death of Tecumseh.

OCTOBER 7, 1813

**  Andrew Jackson establishes camp at Fayetteville, Tennessee, to recruit American forces to combat  the Creeks in Alabama.

OCTOBER 9, 1811

**  Major General Isaac Brock is appointed administratior of Upper Canada.  (He is the Brock in my Brock-Perry sign off each post, and an amazing general.)

OCTOBER 13, 1812

**  British-Canadians win the  Battle of Queenston Heights, Upper Canada (Ontario).

OCTOBER 13, 1812

**  British General Isaac Brock killed at the Battle of Queenston Heights.

OCTOBER 26, 1813

**  Engagement at Chateauguay.

--Brock-Perry

How the Horrors of River Raisin Became a Rallying Call-- Part 6: Things Go Bad on the Eastern Flank of Americans

Well, that line of "soldiers" that the British saw in the early morning hours proved to be that PUNCHEON FENCE thing.  And the Kentuckians, who were behind it delivered a withering fire on them from relative protection.

Meanwhile, the British artillery was overshooting the mark.  The British suffered many casualties in this part of the battlefield.

Matters, however, were different on the eastern part of the battlefield.  The Canadian militia men quickly adjusted the aim  of their artillery and wreaked havoc on the exposed position of the U.S. 17th Infantry.  

As cannon fire tore through the encampment and shattered breastworks, the Regulars also had to contend with militiamen and Wyandot fighters who had taken possession of some nearby buidings from which they could fire at will into the American encampment.

The Americans struggled to hold their ground, but eventually faltered when mounted warriors came around their right flank.

--Brock-Perry