Caldwell's Western Rangers

From Wikipedia  "Canadian Units in War of 1812."

Known as Western Rangers or Caldwell's Rangers.  Unit named after its leader, William Caldwell, noted Loyalist and Indian trader,   The unit was a relatively small one, probably not more than fifty men, normally organized into two companies.  

They worked in conjunction with the Indian Department and often fought alongside the Indians (chiefly the Ojibwe, Wyandotte and Pottowottomi).

The unit, or parts of it fought at the Battle of Moraviantown,  the Battle of Longwoods,  the Battle of Lundy's Lane and in several actions on the Niagara Peninsula.

--Brock-Perry

William Caldwell-- Part 2: Northwest Indian War and War of 1812

During the Northwest Indian War, Caldwell led a company  of 80-150 Canadian militia alongside Northwestern Confederacy Natives against advancing American troops at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the final engagement of that war.

With the outbreak of the War of 1812, Caldwell was commissioned a lieutenant colonel and given command of a group of between 40 and 50 volunteers from the Canadian militia and they became known as Caldwell's Rangers(also sometimes referred to as the Western Rangers).

He fought at the Battle of   the Thames and the Battle of  Longwoods, among many actions.

He gained commissions for all his sons in the regular army.

--Brock-Perry

William Caldwell, Member of Butler's Rangers, Had Own Ranger Group in War of 1812

The Wikipedia article on Butler's Rangers had a list of officers who served with John Butler.  One of them was William Caldwell who not only was in the American Revolution, but also served with his own company of rangers in the War of 1812.

WILLIAM CALDWELL

(1750 - 20 February 1822)

Irish-born,  military officer and colonial official who fought against the Americans in the Revolution as a member of Butler's Rangers and helped found the town of Amherstburg near the mouth of the Detroit River (near Detroit).

During the American Revolution he demonstrated a ruthlessness that Americans would not forget.  After the war, he settled in the Detroit region on land he was granted for his war experience.

--Brock-Perry

This Blog Recently Passed 4,000 Posts

I just noticed that this blog is now at 4,045 posts.

It started  October 4, 2012, during the bicentennial of the War of 1812.  I realized back then that I didn't know much about this war, even though I taught it in middle school (America Prehistory to the Civil War).

I have sure learned a lot about it.

This grew out of my Cooter's History Thing blog.

--Brock-Perry

This Month in War of 1812: Forts Meigs and George, York and USS President

From the 2023 American Battlefield Trust May calendar.

MAY 1, 1813

**  Siege of Fort Meigs, Ohio.

MAY 1, 1813

**  American forces evacuate York, Upper Canada.  (Toronto today).

MAY 3, 1813

**  Burning of Havre de Grace, Maryland.

MAY 16, 1811

**  The American frigate USS President fires on British sloop HMS Little Belt.

MAY 27, 1813

**  Engagement at Fort George.

MAY 29, 1813

**  Battle of Sacketts Harbor, New York.

--Brock-Perry

Okay, So Who Was This Butler Who Had the Barracks

The last several posts I have been writing about Butler's Barracks, located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.  I mentioned that Butler's Barracks were named after a Loyalist officer by the name of John Butler (1728-1796).

Well, who was he?

Essentially, an enemy of the new country the Patriots were trying to establish.

He was an American-born military officer, merchant, landowner and colonial official in the British Indian Deparment.  During the American Revolution he was a prominent Loyalist who led the provincial regiment Butler's Rangers on the frontiers of New York and Pennsylvania.

Born in Connecticut, he moved to New York.  To say he was a thorn in the side of Americans would be an understatement.  In thanks for his services, Britain was given a land grant in the Niagara region.  This eventually became Butler's Barracks.

I'll write about him in my Cooter's History Thing blog later.

--Brock-Perry

Butler's Barracks-- Part 3: Polish Army Trained There in WW I

From October 1917 to  March 1919, the Polish Army trained at Niagara Camp in an area known as Camp Kosciuszko.  These men would go on to fight alongside the French Forces, in Haller's Army, also known as the Blue Army in World War I.

After the war, the barracks that were constructed at Camp Kosciuszko were used into the 1960s.

It is now  part of the Fort George National Historic Site.

The Lincoln and Welland Regimental Museum is located at  in Butler's Barracks.  Exhibits include displays and artifacts from the 18th century through to the present, including uniforms, weapons, medals, photographs, regimental  band instruments and other memorabilia.

--Brock-Perry

Butler's Barracks-- Part 2: One of Several Military Installations Along Niagara River

Butler's Barracks are just one one of four military installations along the Niagara River by Niagara-by-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.  

The others:

Fort George

Fort Mississauga 

Navy Hall

I have written about the two forts this past month.

The British passed control of the Butler's Barracks over to the Canadian Army in 1871.

--Brock-Perry

Butler's Barracks-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Was the home of Loyalist military officer John Butler (1728-1795), in what was then Newark, Upper Canada which is present-day Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.  Butler is most famous for leading an irregular military unit known as Butler's Rangers on thye northern frontier during the American revolution.  He fought against the Americans.

The original barracks were constructed in 1778 on the banks of the Niagara River, but were torn down during the construction of Fort George.  

The building currently called Butler's Barracks was constructed in 1818 and the site at one time was quite extensive, being first used by the Indian Department and later by thye British military.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Mississauga-- Part 3: Operations

With the American Navy now controlling Lake Ontario, the importance of this fort was crucial to British security in the area.

The British Army was stationed in the fort from 1813 to 1855, after which the Canadian militia provided garrison duty.    The militia used  it as a summer training ground beginning in the 1870s and this went on for both World Wars and the Korean War.

Today, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Course surrounds the site, but public access is permitted via a walking path.  But, there are warnings for visitors to watch out for golfers who have the  right of way.

The blockhouse is the only original structure still standing.  All the other buildings (which were mostly log structures) have been destroyed or dismantled.  The interior of the blockhouse is closed, but there are wooden staircases providing access.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Mississauga-- Part 2: Built from Ruins of Newark, Upper Canada

The site of was used by three different First Nations (Indians) before the fort was built.  In 1804, a lighthouse was built there and the site became known as Mississauga Point.  The lighthouse was dismantled in 1814 to make way for the fort.  It incorporated stone from the lighthouse in its construction.

Mississauga Point Lighthouse was designated a National Historic Site in 1937 and today commemorated by a plaque within the walls of the fort.

After the British captured American Fort Niagara across the river on 19 December 1813,  Captain Runchey's  Company of Coloured Men was attached to the Royal Engineers to help repair the fortifications at the mouth of the Niagara River.

Toward the spring of 1814,  the company was ordered to construct a new fort there which became Fort Mississauga. Many of the materials used were acquired from the nearby City of Newark, Upper Canada, which had been razed by the Americans when they retreated from the Canadian side and gave up Fort George.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Mississauga-- Part 1: Defending the Mouth of the Niagara Fiver

From Wikipedia.

Fort Mississauga National Historic Site is a fort located on the shore of Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Niagara River by the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.

It consists of a box-like brick tower surrounded by a star-shaped earthworks.

It was built from 1814-1816 during the War of 1812 to replace the nearby Fort George (which was considered to be too far from Lake Ontario).  It was built on a foundation of brick and stone salvaged from rubble left over  after retreating U.S. forces burned the nearby town of Newark (today's Niagara-on-the-Lake) in December 1813.

It would help in the defense of Upper Canada as a part of the regional network that also included Fort George, Navy Hall and Butler's Barracks.

However, Fort Mississauga was not completed until after the end of the war.

--Brock-Perry

Fort George-- Part 13

Fort George's reconstruction was completed by 1939 with the installation of wooden gates.  Reconstruction and preservation were largely based on the fort's original 1799 designs and largely competed through make-work programs designed to find work for unemployed during the Great Depression.

Wood during the reconstruction was pressurized using creosote for longevity.

Fort George was included in the 1939 Royal Tour of Canada, though the calvacade only passed by it and did not go inside.  Then came the Second World War.  The fort was opened to the public on 1 July 940 although its official dedication was not until June 1950 when there was a fly-by by the Canadian and U.S. Air Force.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 12: Conversion Into Historic Site

On 21 May 1921 the site was named as a National Historic Site of Canada and a stone cairn placed on the site.  During the mid-1930s, the Department of National Defence accepted an offer from the Niagara Parks Commission to reconstruct and restore Fort George, Fort Mississauga and Navy Hall in return for a 99-year lease on all three properties for C$1 a year; although the Department reserved the right to reclaim the properties with a six-month's notice.

The commission began to restore Navy Hall in August 1937 which was followed by work on the fort's gunpowder magazine.  The fort's officers' quarters were moved  to another part of the fort.  The buildings erected during the First World War  were relocated outside the fort.

During this period, bulldozers were used to push the fort's earthen ramparts back into place.  The surrounding area was also cleared of undergrowth.  In 1939, the reconstruction of Fort George's former buildings and a visitor centre outside the fort took place.  White pine from northern Ontario was brought in for construction.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 11: 'A Desecration of Sacred Heroic Sites' and First World War Use

The golf course changed to an 18-hole course in 1895, further expanding into the ruins of the fort.  Then the golf club proposed clearing the remaining ruins of the fort.  This caused a major controversy.  members of the golf club were primarily Americans  summering in the area.

This brought about much criticism from locals and even newspapers in Toronto who called it  a "desecration of scared heroic sites."  Facing this outcry, the golf club abandoned its plans for the fort's ruins.  The club eventually dissolved after the First World War.

During the First World War, the Canadian government built a military hospital on the site of the fort's esplanade with a kitchen, mess and guardhouse collectively known as Camp Niagara.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 10: 1828 to 1882

In 1828, the headquarters of  the British Army Centre Division was officially transferred to to York, Ontasrio.  At that time, Fort George was reportedly just a few "wooden decaying barracks."  In 1839, Navy Hall  was converted into barracks for the fort's garrison and the former barracks became stables.

During the 1860s, the British government took control of the military complex in the area which included Fort George, Fort Mississauga, Butler's  Barracks and the training common.  The ruins of the fort were intermittenly leased to a private citizen who acted as the custodian-tenant of te property.

During that period, structures in the fort were converted to other uses:  Officers quarters were incorporated into a farmhouse, the stone gunpowder  magazine used for storing hay and the property itself used for grazing cattle.

By the 1880s, the bastions and gunpowder magazine were in bad condition.

In 1882, the Wright family was granted a lease by the Department of Militia Defence, which led to the opening of a golf club in the area with the golf course occupying portions of the ruin.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 9: After the War of 1812

Fort Niagara remained under British control for the rest of the war and their focus shifted to more strategically located Fort Niagara across the river instead of Fort George.

In July 1814, American forces under Winfoeld Scott attempted to capture Fort Niagara, but called off the attack when he realized  that the naval support he had been promised would not come.

In 1817, American President James Monroe visited the Canadian side of the river on a goodwill trip and was entertained at Fort George by British officers.  However, Fort George's  inability to guard the entrance to the Niagara River caused a new installation named Fort Mississauga to be built near the mouth of the river in the 1820s.

During this same period, the constuction of Butler's Barracks was undertaken southwest of Fort George and out of range of American batteries.

The equipment within the fort was auctioned off in 1821 and the palisades relocated to other sites in the next year.  By 1825, the body of Isaac Brock was exhumed from the northeast bastion and placed at Brock's Monument in Queenston.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 8: British Recapture It and Then Capture American Fort Niagara

The Americans had intended to use Fort George as a bridgehead in Canadian territory to launch further attacks.  However, that did not come to pass.  Disease,  increased desertion rates,  risks of ambushes and a general British advance toward the fort following their victories at  Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams kept it from doing that.

American forces began a slow withdrawal from the fort until in December 1813, there were but 60 soldiers there.  Upon receiving intelligence that a force of 1,500 British and 500 First Nations Indians were advancing the Americans withdrew and razed the fort and nearby settlement.

The American garrison left the fort on December 11 after spiking the cannons and destroying the town.  However, the fort itself was left intact.

British forces arrived shortly after the Americans left.  Nine days later, they conucted an attack across the Niagara River that led to the capture of the American Fort Niagara and the razing of American communities in retaliation for what had happened to Niagara (the name of Niagara-on-the-Lake as it is called today).

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 7: American Occupation

Although the British evacuated the fort on June 7,  Americans did not formally occupy it until June 9.  Once the Americans were in the fort they set about immediately working on new fieldworks, refortifying bastions and extending the northwest bastion.  The fort now served as the U.S. Army of the Center's headquarters.

Although American forces used some parts of the fort's old fieldwork, the fort was made substantially smaller, into a more defensible pentagonal-shaped fortification. In addition to this, they also repaired the palisades and added entrenchments near the northeast bastion and towards the river.

They did not, however, build any permanent structures within the fort, instead garrisoning small outlyng posts around the fort.

The American intention was to use the fort as a staging area for further attacks inthe Niagara peninsula.  

--Brock-Perry

This Month in War of 1812: Chesapeake Bay, Lewes, Mobile, West Florida and York

All events in April 1813.

APRIL 1813

**  Commerce raids  begin in the Chesapeake Bay.

APRIL 6, 1813

**  Lewes, Delaware bombarded by the British.

APRIL 13

**  Capture of Mobile, Alabama, by the British

APRIL 15

Americans occupy West Florida.

APRIL 27

**  Battle of York.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 6: The Battle of Fort George

The Battle of Fort George began on 26 May 1813, when Fort George was subjected to an artillery barrage and heated shots from Fort Niagara across the river. Joining also from the Americans were new batteries along the shore of the Niagara River.  The result was the destruction of log buildings inside the fort.

Two days later, an American landing force of 2,500 crossed the river in  four waves about 1.9 miles from Fort George under cover of cannonade fire.  By the time the third wave attacked, Fort George's commander, Brigadier General  John Vincent, realized that his force of 560 men could not hold the place and were in risk of being outflanked and trapped in the fort.

He ordered the fort evacuated after the ammunition was destroyed and cannons spiked.  First Nations warriors under John Norton covered the British retreat although the Americans made no real effort to pursue them.

The Americans approached the fort carefully wanting to avoid possible casualties from the explosion of the fort's magazine, like had happened at the conclusion of the Battle of York.  Even so, they arrived in time to prevent the destruction of a substantial part of the fort.  They were able to extinguish one of the fuses that was going to blowup the magazine.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 5: The Battles of Fort George and Isaac Brock Buried There

After the declaration of war in June 1812, work began on the  northeast bastion.  During the war, the fort was manned by British Army regulars, the Canadian militia and members of Captain Raunchey's Company of Coloured Men as well as First Nation allies.

Given the fort's location on the U.S. Canada border, it became the scene of much action during the war.

In October 1812, th fort was the subject of bombardment by heated shots from American forces at Fort Niagara as a diversion for the American attack on nearby Queenston Heights.  This bombardment, as well as  another one in November of that year, caused the destruction of several structures in the fort.

After Isaac Brock's death at  Queenston Heights, he was buried in a military funeral  at Fort George's northeast bastion.

--Brock-Perry

(The Brock in the signoff Brock-Perry is there for Isaac Brock.)

Historic Fort George-- Part 4: Increasing the Size and Reducing It

Tensions with First Nations and the United States in the late 1790s prompted British forces to refortify the colony, including the fort.  Six earthen and log bastions, connected by a wooden 12 foot high palisade and a ditch was built around the fort.

The fort was expanded to include five log blockhouses/barracks, hospital,  kitchens, workshops and officers' quarters by the start of the 19th century.  Timber was obtained from trees felled in the area and transported along the Niagara River.  Most of the fort was built by  members of the Royal Canadian Volunteers, a unit that was later disbanded in 1802.

By 1812, the fort was used as the headquarters for the central division of the British Army and a depot for the Indian Department.

Believing Fort George was too large to defend given the number of troops he had at his disposal, Isaac Brock drafted plans to reduce the fort's size by a third.  Specifically, he proposed to abandon the southern bastions, the octagonal blockhouse and the stone gunpowder  magazine.  A palisade fence would be built to partition the abandone parts off from the remaining fort.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 3: Who's Higher?

Fort George was built by the British to serve as a secondary fort to Fort Niagara, across the Niagara River. Its large size was because it was originally also supposed to serve as a supply depot.

However, the Jay Treaty required the British to withdraw from Fort Niagara. In 1791, land was set aside to build the fortifications that became Fort George on the high ground next to the Navy Hall at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The site was selected by mermbers of the Royal Engineers at an elevation of 14 feet higher than Fort Niagara across the river.

However, the British Army didn't leave Fort Niagara until 1796 after the Jay Tearty was signed.  Fort George was completed the same year with a blockhouse/barracks, a stone gunpowder storage magazine and two small warehouses.

In an attempt to negate the elevation advantage, Americans built a battery on an elevated bank across the river.  In an effort to counteract this, the British then built a half moon battery southeast of Fort George.

Fort George was largely manned by members of  the Royal Canadian  Volunteers after British forces withdrew many troops from Upper Canada.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 2: The Reconstructed Fort George

The poor wartime construction of Fort George led to its replacement by Fort Mississauga in the 1820s.  Even so, the grounds of the former Fort George saw military activity until the end of the First World War.

During the late 1930s, the Niagara Parks Commission built a reconstruction of Fort George.  The site was opened in 1940 and has been managed as a historic site and living museum by Parks Canada since 1969.

The fort is an irregular-shaped earthwork with six bastions and a number of reconstructed buildings within it.  A restored gunpowder magazine is the only building that dates back to the original Fort George.  The fort forms part of the Fort George National Historic  Site which also includes  Navy Hall to the east of the fort.

The historic site serves as a learning resource for the War of 1812, 19th century military life in Canada and the historic preservation movement during the 1930s.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Since I gave been writing a lot about two women who, performed heroic jobs at two of the Battles of Fort George, I decided I might as well write about the fort in more detail.

Was a military fortification  in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.  It was  used by the British Army, the Canadian militia and for a brief period of time, United States forces.

The fort was mostly destroyed during the War of 1812.

The site has been a National Historic Site of Canada since 1921 and features a reconstruction of the fort.

The British established Fort George in the 1790s to replace Fort Niagara.  Many of its structures  were demolished in May 1813 duing the Battle of Fort George.  After the battle, American forces occupied the fort briefly for seven months before withdrawing in December 1813.

Althouggh the British regained the fort a short time later, little effort was made to reconstruct it after they captured the American Fort Niagara across the river the following week.

--Brock-Perry

Two Heroines Along the Niagara River-- Same Forts, Different Years

As I was writing about Mary Madden Henry and her role at a battle at Fort George, Upper Canada, it came to mind that I had also written about another woman, only she was on the American side of the fighting there between Niagara, Upper Canada and the American Fort Niagara.  She too was a hero.

During the fighting on November 12, 1812, she had carried hot shot to American cannons firing at Fort George across the Niagara River.  Like with the case of Mary Henry, she was under fire as well.

I wrote quite a bit about her earlier this year in January and February.  Just click on her name below.

The battle where Mary Henry distinguished herself took place about six months later on May 27, 1813.

Some bravery with these two women.

Sadly, not a lot is known by most people about these two women.  There isn't even an entry on Wikipedia on either of them.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry, Canadian Heroine-- Part 8: After the War

Following the war. Mary Henry's acts of courage were recognized by the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada.

They referred to her as "a heroine not to be frightened" and she was granted a gift of twenty-five pounds sterling.  When adjusted for time and inflation, that grant would be worth more than 1,000 pound today.

Until this month, I had never heard of Mary Madden Henry.

But, since this is Women's History Month, this fits right in.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-- Part 7: The Americans Destroy the Town of Niagara

After the battle, the Americans held on to the area until December.  They had hoped to use Fort George to launch an attack on the British base at Burlington Heights, but their defeat at Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams wrecked their plans.

Moreover, occupying Fort George made them vulnerable to ambushes.

As a result, on December 10, 1813, the Americans decided to abandon Fort George and Niagara, burning the town in their departure.  Those who lived there only had an hour's warning before they lost their homes.

Mary's house was spared though.  How did she get so lucky again?

The lighthouse was considered useful by the Americans for shipping, so they chose not to destroy it or the keeper's house.

As she did before, Mary came to the aid of those who needed her.  She and her husband opened their doors to the newly homeless.  Mary again provided hot food and medical care, which was undoubtedly much appreciated considering that winter had already come to the region.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-- Part 6: 'Walked Through a Shower of Iron...'

This battle wasn't just a small skirmish.  It was a major deal for War of 1812 standards.  The Americans brough some 80 cannons with them to cover the landings on Canadian soil.  Soldiers at te battle compared the bombardment to a "hailstorm."

However, this did not deter Mary.

A chronicler describes what happened:

"Suddenly they (the defenders) saw a vision.  Walking calmly through the shower of iron came Mary Henry with hot coffee and food, seemingly unconcerned as if she were in her own small garden on the shore on a Summer evening before the peace was shattered.

"Time and again she went and came back with more sustenance, apparently guarded by some  unseen angel from the peril which menaced her every step. Through the day until darkness brought respite she was caterer and nurse, the only woman in the company to bind the wounds of those maimed in the fight.

"These who survived never forgot that day, nor the courage of Mary Henry."

Quite the Hero.  --Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-, Canadian Heroine- Part 5

Ten years later, the War of 1812 was being fought between the Americans and the British and Canadians.  On May 27, 1813, the Americans attacked Fort George  and the surrounding area.  Known at the Battle of Fort George, it was a showdown between 4,000 American trrops and 1,000 British soldiers bolstered by Canadian militia and Indian allies.

Despite the British defenders being outnumbered 4 to 1, they were able to hang on for two days before being forced to retreat to Burlington Heights (now Hamilton).

With the lighthouse being so close to Fort George, Mary had a front row seat to the action.  But she did not sit idly by.  Instead, she repeatedly walked through the battlefield and brought food and coffee to the troops.  In addition to that, she helped in the treatment of the wounded.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-- Part 4

From the October 6, 2015, "All about Canadian history" blog.

The story of Mary Henry; an al-but-forgotten heroine form the War of 1812.  There is not a lot of source material about her.

She was born Mary Madden c1770 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.  Not much is known about her early life.  Around the age of 20 she married a Royal Artillery gunner from County  Derry named Dominic Henry in 1790.  The two immigrated to British North America when Dominic was shipped to a post in Niagara.

In 1803, Dominic retured from the military, became a pensioner and was appointed the keeper of the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes town of Niagara (now Niagara-by-the-Lake.)

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-- Part 3

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  1770  County Antrim, Northern Ireland

DEATH:  1823  (Aged 52-53)

BURIAL:  St. Mark's Cemetery  Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.

Her husband, Dominic Henry is also buried there, but his birth and death dates are not listed.

The wife of Dominic Henry is a well-known War of 1812 hero, Mary (Madden) Henry, who tended the wounded on the battlefield of Fort George while under fire.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry, Canadian Heroine-- Part 2

The lighthouse her husband operated was located where the remnants of Fort Mississauga are today, along the shore of Lake Ontario, surrounded by what is today the Niagara-on-the-Lake  Golf Club.

Mary calmly walked through thye men with refreshments and helped the wounded several times as the battle raged around her.  She returned to her house near the lighthouse for more supplies.  Miraculously, she was not wounded or killed.

When the American soldiers ntorched the town, she housed as many of the townspeople as she could at her place.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry, Canadian Heroine-- Part 1

From the March 1, 2023, Niagara Now  "History shines spotlight on brave women of War of 1812" by Somer Slobodian.

Mary Madden Henry handed the hard-pressed troops hot beverages and food as the fighting continued around her.  It was a sight that would remain etched in the minds of those soldiers from then on.

And, these soldiers were British and Canadian, not Americans as I at first thought.

It was May 1813 and the Americans had just attacked British troops at Fort George, now Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Amid the fighting,  Mary Henry, who was married to the lighthouse keeper Dominic Henry, surely knew the risk she was taking.  She still braved the prospect of injury or death to help the troops.

--Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812: James Madison, Winfield Scott and Oliver Hazard Perry

From the American Battlefield Trust timeline.

MARCH 4, 1809

**  James Madison is sworn in as the 4th President of the United States of America.

MARCH 4, 1813

**  James Madison inaugurated for his second term as president.

MARCH 19, 1814

**  Winfield Scott promoted to brigadier general at the age of 27.

MARCH 27, 1813

**  Oliver Hazard Perry takes command of American flotilla on Lake Erie.

MARCH  27, 1814

**  Engagement at Horseshoe Bend

--Brock-Perry

Quite the Naval Career for John B. Montgomery

Had John Montgomery just served in the War of 1812, that would have been a distinguished career.  But, that was just the start of 50+ years in the service of his country.

He served in two other wars:  Mexican War and Civil War.  Though, by the time the Civil War rolled around he was quite aged and his service was more in the backwaters.  But, even so, his career is worth a closer look.  I just concentrated on his War of 1812 service in this blog.

But, you can get his whole career in my Running the Blockade:  Civil War Navy blog this month.

And to think, very few people have ever heard of him.  I know I hadn't before I started doing research on ships by the name Montgomery in the U.S. Navy.

--Brock-Perry

Military Service Institution of the United States

In the last post, I wrote about John B. Montgomery's sword being in the collection of the Military Service Institution of the United States museum.  I had never heard of this organization so looked it up.

From Wikipedia.

It is a voluntary organization of officers of the Army for mutual improvement and was fostered by Generals Sherman and Sheridan.

It was organized September 28, 1878 in New York City.

The organizations museum was opened on Governor's Island in New York Harbor in 1884.  It has a collection of 10,000 books and manuscripts of interest.  It also contains relics and trophies from all wars and campaigns of which the United States has been involved.

Sadly, the museum was shut down in 1924 due to declining attendance.

I was unable to find out what happened to the museum's collection.  I hope it was kept intact.

--Brock-Perry

John Montgomery's Congressional Sword

 Military Service Institution of the United States Museum

Listed as Item 261 Sword of Honor

Presented by Congress to  Midshipman (later Rear Admiral) John B. Montgomery, U.S.N., for services rendered  at the Battle of Lake Erie, 1813.

Loaned by  his great-grandson.  (See first page of cover.)

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

Also at the museum is DECATUR'S SWORD  "The quarterdeck sword of Commodore Stephen Decatur, U.S.N."

--Brock-Perry

Some More on John B. Montgomery, USN

From Cyclopedia of New Jersey.

**  In conjunction with seven other officers and 100 enlisted men, Montgomery volunteered for duty on Lake Erie with Perry.

**  In August 1814, he  was at the destruction of a British blockhouse and  gun brig on the British side of Lake Huron.

**  During the last siege of Fort Erie the Niagara was employed in protecting communication between the fort and the U.S. hospitals at Buffalo.  Also, transportation for troops between the two shores of the lake during the months of September and October.

It would have been interesting had he been at the Battle of Lake Champlain and in command of the USS Montgomery (which was named after American Revolution General Richard Montgomery).  Then we would have had Montgomery in command of the Montgomery.

To find out about John Montgomery's entire naval career, go to my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog from February 9-16 of this year.

--Brock-Perry

John B. Montgomery, USN-- Part 4: On USS Niagara at Battle of Lake Erie

In August 1813, Montgomery volunteered for transfer to Lake Erie and joined the squadron commanded by Oliver Hazard Perry.  He was stationed on the brig USS Niagara under Captain Jesse Duncan Elliott and fought in the decisive Battle of Lake Erie on September 13, 1813.

He consequently received  a sword and thanks of Congress.  Though not directly involved  in the subsequent Perry-Elliott dispute, he  apparently sided with his commanding officer.

Montgomery remained on Lake Erie throughout the summerof 1814 and sailed with Commander  Arthur Sinclair during his ill-fated campaign against Mackinac on Lake Huron.

He spent the last weeks of the war performing courier duties on Lake Erie before arriving in New York City during the celebrations of peace.

--Brock-Perry

John B. Montgomery, USN-- Part 3

From American Military Leaders A-L by John Fredricksin.

JOHN B. MONTGOMERY

(November 17, 1794-March 25, 1874)

John Barrien Montgomery is best-known for raising the U.S, flag over what became San Francisco in the Mexican War..  A religious, Bible-quoting officer, he completed fifty years of service without  a single incident or  controversy to mar his  reputation.

Montgomery was born in Allentown, New Jersey, the second of three brothers.  All three joined the U.S. Navy just before the War of 1812 and enjoyed  distinguished careers.  Montgomery became a midshipman in June 1812 and ventured to Sackets Harbor as part of Commander Isaac Chauncey's Lake Ontario Squadron.

Attached to the schooner Hamilton, he participated in the November 10, 1812,  bombardment of Kingston, Ontario, before transferring to the brigs Madison and General Pike.  In this capacity, Montgomery fought during the capture of York (now Toronto), Ontario (Upper Canada at the time), in April 1813 and Fort George, Niagara,  the following month.

--Brock-Perry

John B. Montgomery, USN-- Part 2: War of 1812 Service

From Wikipedia.

He was born in New Jersey and entered service in the US Navy as a midshipman during the War of 1812 where he served during the attack on Kingston, Upper Canada, in Novenber 1812 and in the capture of York in April of the following year.

For gallantry and distinguished service aboard the USS Niagara at the Battle of Lake Erie, he received a vote of thanks and a sword from Congress.

In 1815, he served in Stephen Decatur's squadron in the Second Barbary War in the Mediterranean Sea.

From Geni.

He was also involved in the capture of Little York, Fort George and Newark.  In 1814, he was at the blockade and attack on Mackinaw Island in August.

--Brock-Perry

John B. Montgomery, USN: Officer in Three Wars

I have been writing about the USS Montgomery on my Running the Blockade:  Civil War Navy blog.  It is part of my "RoadTripping Through History:  The Continuing Saga of the USS Montgomery" presentation that I made in January at McHenry County College.

There have been six ships in the U.S. Navy by the name USS Montgomery:  American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I and II and current.  Right now I am writing about the World War I-II ship which was named after John B. Montgomery who was a U.S. Navy officer in the War of 1812, Mexican War and Civil War.

The War of 1812 USS Montgomery was on Lake Champlain.

I am going to write about his War of 1812 service here (and also in my Running the Blockade blog for his entire 50 year service record).

From Wikipedia.

JOHN BARRIEN MONTGOMERY  (1794- March 25, 1872)

Officer in the U.S. Navy who rose through the ranks, serving in the War of 1812, Mexican War and Civil War.  He performed in various  capacities including commanding several vessels.

--Brock-Perry

Betsy Doyle

From Alexanders Map.com  "Betsy Doyle" by N.H. Carmichael.

Fort Niagara came under fire from the British on November 21, 1812.  Thirteen months later, the British and their Indian allies captured the fort after the Americans had refused to surrender. The British commander ordered no quarter, in other words, no surrender.  All captured were to be killed.  

Somehow, Betsy Doyle and her family escaped.  However, fleeing on foot and now in enemy territory along with the cold of December and winter, their chances weren't good at all.  But somehow they did and after four months reached American forces near Albany.

She was never paid for her heroism at Fort Niagara and died six years later.  The author of this wanted to know where she was buried.

There is a plaque at Fort Niagara that isn't prominently displayed on the top floor of the French Castle where she brought the red hot shot to a cannon.  However, it misidentified her as Fanny Doyle.

Her husband Andrew Doyle came back to the United States after his release, but never found her. He married someone else the same year Betsy died.

I Also Would Like To Know Where She Is Buried.   --Brock-Perry

A Video and More Information on Betsy Doyle

From the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, "Heroine of Fort Niagara Betsy Doyle:  History happened here."

There is a minute and a half video as well as a historical marker featured at this site.

Some more information about Betsy Doyle:

**  She has been called "The Hero of Fort Niagara."

**  After the fort fell to the British in 1813, she took her family 310 miles to the Greenbush Cantonment.

**  There, she continued to support the American cause, often without pay.

**  She died in 1819.

**  In 2012, she was named a New York State Woman of Distinction for her bravery.

--Brock-Perry

Gunsmithing Event Feb. 11-12 at River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Michigan

From the February 9, 2023, Monroe (Michigan) News USA Today Network.

See how War of 1812 weapons were built and maintained this weekend at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park.

"War of 1812 Gunsmithing Weekend" will run from 11 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday at the Visitor Center, 333 Dixie Highway.

Admission is free and the public is welcome.

"Using tools and methods from the War of 1812 era, living history demonstrators will show how firearms in the age of flintlock were built, repaored and maintained," according to the site.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on Betsy Doyle-- Part 3: What Did She Look Like?

Several months later, in the spring of 1813, a group of young American officers at Fort Niagara were discussing Betsy's exploits and decided to summon her to the roof of the Mess House to view the reputed charms of a "sort of Gallic Amazon,"

(Supposedly, Betsy was said to be quite pretty.  I imagine the officers had been there during the battle.)

According to William Worth, the group was  "sadly disappointed" to discover that Mrs. Doyle more resembled  Meg Merilles, a gypsy-witch character in literature, rather than the Maid of Orleans (Joan of Arc).

If you look up Meg Merilles like I had to do, you'll see what they meant.

Not So Pretty.   --Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812: Battle of Ogdensburg, Treaty of Ghent and USS Constitution

From the American Battlefield Trust.

FEBRUARY 1, 1793

**  France declares war of Great Britain.  And we were sure fortunate they were still fighting during the early part of the war.

**  FEBRUARY 22, 1813

**  Battle of Ogdensburg, New York

FEBRUARY 16, 1815

**  The United States Senate ratifies the Treaty of Ghent.

FEBRUARY 18, 1815

**  The Treaty of Ghent is declared.  The War of 1812 is over.

FEBRUARY  20, 1815

**  The USS Constitution engages the HMS Cyane and HMS Levant, not knowong that the war is over.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on Betsy Doyle-- Part 2: Her Feat

After the Battle of Queenston Heights, the two sides agreed on a 30-day truce needed to recover from the battle and strengthen  their respective positions.  When the truce expired on November 21, 1813,  the guns of Fort Niagara and Fort George, just 600 yards apart across the river, opened fire.  

To gain a height advantage, the Americans had removed the roofs of several buildings in Fort Niagara and installed artillery batteries on the buildings' top floors.

As an added advantage. American gunners employed hot shot which were cannonballs heated red hot to set fire to Fort George's wooden buildings.  One particular gun was located  on the top floor of  Fort Niagara's  stone Mess House (today called the French Castle), a structure built by the French in 1726.

As casualties began to mount, Betsy Doyle  swung into action, carrying red hot cannonballs from downstairs fireplaces to the cannon on the exposed top floor.  

This was her moment of fame.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on Betsy Doyle-- Part 1

FromWCNY Org. Fort Niagara.

By Cathy Emmerson.

Betsy Doyle was a woman of the Army, one of a small number of military wives who were permitted to accompany their husbands to perform menial tasks like nursing and laundry.  Prior to the War of 1812, she had married  Andrew Doyle, a private in the 1st U.S. Artillery Regiment.

He was stationed at  Fort Niagara, an antiquated outpost on the Canadian/U.S. border, about 30 miles north of Buffalo, New York.

When U.S. forces invaded Upper Canada, just seven miles south  of the fort, on October 13, 1812, Private Doyle was among the forces crossing the Niagara River.  The subsequent Battle of Queenston Heights was a disaster for the Americans and Doyle became a prisoner of war.

When he was recognized as a  native of Upper Canada, he was sent to England to be tried for treason.  There he remained for the balance of the war, an inmate at the infamous Dartmoor Prison.

Andrew's capture left Betsy Doyle and her four children  alone at Fort Niagara.

--Brock-Perry

Betsy Doyle?

I have not been able to find a date for her death, and tghe last post was a bit confusing.  Did she die during the war or several years after its conclusion?

There is no listing for her in Wikipedia which is surprising.  

Nor, is there anything in Find-A-Grave.

Where is she buried?

--Brock-Perry

Betsy Doyle and Battle of Fort Niagara-- Part 6: After the Battle and Death

Although one man was killed and five wounded loading hot-shot, Betsy survived the artillery barrage and her bravery was mentioned in several battle reports.  The story of her actions spread quickly among the American troops at the fort and the whole region. 

In December 1813, Betsy fled the Fort Niagara area when the British invaded and captured Fort Niagara.  Withn her children at her side, she fled 300 miles to the East Greenbush Cantonment near Albany, New York.

This journey took nearly four months.

Betsy Doyle then served for six years as a nurse and  laundress at the cantonment.  Sometimes, she did not receive pay from the Army.

Betsy fell ill  and was bedridden for  a month before her death in April.

According to one officer:  "Her death was accelerated by the want of necessities which her pay would have procured."

Despite her service, Betsy Doyle became  a victim of the war long before it ended.

--Brock-Perry

Betsy Doyle and the Battle of Fort Niagara-- Part 5: A 12-Hour Bombardment.

About an hour before sunrise, the British cannons at Fort George opened fire on Fort Niagara.    For the next twelve hours, the American and British artillery exchanged a cannonade  that was heard along the entire length of the Niagara River.

During this exchange, Betsy Doyle carried red-hot cannonballs from a fire to the six pound cannon mounted on top of the mess hall.  That hot-shot" was intended to set fire to British buildings and battlements.

But loading hot-shot was difficult and dangerous.  The hot iron  could cause gunpowder to explode prematurely in the cannon, wounding or killing anyone standing nearby.

--Brock-Perry

Betsy Doyle and the Battle of Fort Niagara-- Part 4: 'An Instance of Extraordinary Bravery'

From the National Park Service "Autumn 1812:  Betsy Doyle helps operate a cannon to defend Fort Niagara."

While British cannonballs crashed around her, Betsy Doyle carried red-hot iron shot to the American cannons atop Fort Niagara.  With her husband a prisoner of the British, Betsy was left alone to fight for survival on the frontier, going above and beyon the call of duty.

"An instance of extraordinary  bravery"--  Lieutenant Colonel  George McFeeley.

In the early  dawn of November 21, 1812, Betsy Doyle looked out from Fort Niagara across the Niagara River to British Fort George, waiting for the first shots to be fired.  With ammunition for only a 12-hour bombardment, the American artillery was ordered to hold fire  unless fired upon by the British.

Betsy stood alongside soldiers of the First Regiment of United States Artillery, with whom her husband had served before his capture at  the Battle of Queenston Heights just one month earlier.  While Andrew Doyle remained imprisoned, Betsy continued to live and work at Fort Niagara with her children.

--Brock-Perry

Betsy Doyle, American Heroine-- Part 3: Carrying Those Red-Hot Cannonballs

After the capture of her husband, Betsy Doyle was left to fend for herself at Fort Niagara.  Like many women, she supported herself and her family by laundering soldiers' clothing.

When the cannons began to roar on November 22, 1812, Betsy abandoned her washtub and offered her services to the gun crew from her husband's regiment.

During the ensuing barrage she carried red-hot cannon balls from the furnace to the cannon which was then fired at Fort George, 1,300 yards away.  Fort Niagara's commandant noted that Betsy "showed fortitude  equal to the Maid of  Orleans (Joan of Arc)."

The participation of women in America's wars is recorded in many scattered sources -- order books, letters, journals, and official records for all  of America's early wars, and these sources are well represented in the University of Michigan Clements Library.

--Brock-Perry

Betsy Doyle, American Heroine-- Part 2

From the  Nov. 12, 2012, Clements Library Chronicles "Today in History:  Heroine of Fort Niagara" by Brian Dunnigan.

Two hundred years ago, Betsy Doyle, wife of a U.S. artilleryman at Fort Niagara, New York, stood by the soldiers stationed at a gun platform during a ferocious exchange of cannon fire with the British-held Fort George across the Niagara River.

Betsy, whose name is often incorrectly given as "Fanny,"  was the wife of artilleryman Andrew Doyle.  As such, she was one of the many married women who accompanied their husbands into the field with both the British and American armies.

Doyle, however, was not present to see his wife's heroism; he had fought at the Battle of Queenston Heights on October 13, where he was taken prisoner.

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812 Heroine Betsy Doyle

While doing research about the Greenbush Cantonment I came across the name of this woman in connection to her role in the War of 1812 and to Greenbush, New York.  I decided to follow up on her.

Historical Marker located in Youngstown, Niagara County, New York.

BETSY DOYLE

Heroine of Fort Niagara.  Carried hot shot to cannon, stood  sentry duty.

Fled  310 miles to Greenbush, NY when enemy attacked fort in 1812.

--Brock-Perry

Anniversary of the River Raisin Massacre: 'Remember the Raisin'

From The Press (Toledo, Ohio)

JANUARY 22, 1813

The River Raisin Massacre takes place near Frenchtown Township in Michigan (Near Monroe).

Hundreds of American troops under the command of General Winchester are killed by the British and Indians.  The attack is led by Chief Tecumseh and the it became a rallying cry for American troops for the rest of the war.

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

I'm not so sure that hundreds of American soldiers were massacred.  After Winchester's surrender to the British, Americans were taken by them and some sixty of the worst wounded were left behind.  When the Indians came on the 22nd, those that could travel were taken and those that couldn't were put to the tomahawk.

The cry "Remember the Raisin" was heard after this.

--Brock-Perry

Greenbush in the War of 1812: The Cantonment-- Part 3

Major John Defreest, who lived in what is now North Greenbush,  was an officer in Colonel Carr's New York Militia.    Carrr was one of several Rensselaer County soldiers who served during the war.

Depending upon which story you believe, Col. Carr's soldiers arrived just in time to turn the tide at the Battle of Plattsburgh, or was too late to tip the  balance for an American victory.

After the war ended in 1815, the government continued to station a few soldiers at the Cantonment and finally sold the property to  Hathhorn  McCulloch for $8,007, in 1831.

Today, the only building left at the site is one of the officers' quarters and it is a private residence.

--Brock-Perry

Greenbush in the War of 1812-- Part 2

When General Dearborn took command of the Greenbush Cantonment, the cost overruns began.  He bought the land on behalf of the government for $9,000 and construction of the Cantonment began.  It wasn't until a year later that Dearborn discovered the government didn't have a clear title to the land.

So he had to pay an additional $1,250 to perfect the title.  Additionally, the government purchased a large field of standing rye nearby that was ready for harvest.  However, a cavalry unit arrived there and the hirses promptly devoured the whole crop.

The Cantonment consisted of  eight barracks for enlisted men, three units for officers, the general's house,  surgeon and physician's quarters, a hospital, horse stables, armory, arsenal  storehouse, guard house, kitchens and many latrines.

Jim Greenfield is not sure whether local units were stationed there.

--Brock-Perry

Greenbush in the War of 1812: The Cantonment-- Part 1

From Town of North Greenbush Notes:  Greenbush in the War of 1812" by Jim Greenfield.

No battles occurred in the old town of Greenbush, New York (Rensselaer,  East and North Greenbush) during the war, the area does have claim to fame because the U.S. Army constructed a large military post called the Greenbush Cantonment there.

The several hundred  acre cantonment was located near the present-day Red Mill School in East Greenbush.  During the war, over 5,000 troops trained there.

The Greenbush location was well located because it was near the action occurring at both the Niagara Frontier and Lake Champlain.

The commanding general of the cantonment was  Henry Dearborn, a veteran of the American Revolution.  One suspects he might have been well past his prime abilities.  Rather than a "fighting general" he was more of an administrative general" far from the battlefield.  Think General Halftrack from the "Beetle Bailey" comic strip.

--Brock-Perry

Greenbush Cantonment-- Part 3

From North American Forts site.

GREENBUSH CANTONMENT

(1812-1819) East Greenbush, New York

A 400-acre post that was the headquarters of the Northern Division of the U.S. Army.  Built here were eight two-story barracks, three officers' quarters, hospital, two commissaries, arsenal, armory, guardhouses, magazine and stables around a parade ground.

Inactivated and then sold in 1831.

All buildings were removed except one of the officers' quarters which then became a private residence.  This structure still exists today at 250 McCullough Place (provate property).

The Red Mill Elementary School occupies the parade ground.

--Brock-Perry

Greenbush Cantonment-- Part 2

The central core of the cantonment was surrounded by  the support buildings and stables.

Each set of four enlisted barracks faced a  separate large parade field while the three  officers' quarters were positioned at the head and foot of the parade areas.

The post was declared surplus in 1819 and sold to private parties in 1831.

CURRENT STATUS

It is private property in East Greenbush, Renssalear County, New York.

One building, an officers' quarters, remains and is converted into apartments.  The Red Mill School now occupies the grand parade grounds.

--Brock-Perry

Greenbush Cantonment-- Part 1

Private Samuel Helms was executed here.  (See last three posts.)

From Fort Wiki.

Greenbush Cantonment (1812-1819)--  A U.S. Army  post established in 1812 during the War of 1812 in Renssalear County, New York.  Abandoned in 1819.

HISTORY

First established in May 1812 on 400 acres purchased by the government for training of troops.    Built on this site were accomodaqtions for  some 4,000 troops and included a 100-bed hospital.

A central core of  buildings, eight large enlisted barracks (252 feet by 22 feet) and three large officers barracks (90 feet long), housed the garrison.

--Brock-Perry

 

Private Samuel Helms Executed-- Part 3: Death in Late August or Early September 1813

"All of my research doesn't support desertion.  It proves he went AWOLn and was tried on charges before an illegal court-martial," said Bobbie Reno.  He was sent to the provost marshal jail at Greenbush Cantonment, a major Army base during the War of 1812, where some 4,000 soldiers were housed and trained.

Samuel Helms always intended to return and was not running from military services as the desertion charges indicated.  War of 1812 records  show that he was listed as AWOL on October 2, 1812, and he was back in camp and placed on muster rolls on October 22, 1812.

It appears that Private Helms became an example for what would happen to deserters.

Helmswas ordered to be tried in July 1813 at Greenbush Cantonment for desertion.  he was convicted and executed by firing squad in either late August 1813 or early September 1813.  Reno says she believes he was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere on the grounds of the cantonment, perhps at the school fields.

With the 210th anniversary of his execution coming up this year, Reno said, "I thought it might be a good thing to go to the governor."

(Hopefully, the governor will clear Private Helms' name.)

--Brock-Perry

Private Helms Executed-- Part 2

Private Helms was an unknown soldier who was executed during the War of 1812 for desertion at the Greenbush Cantonment (camp), which is now the site of  the Hampton manor neighborhood and Red Mill Elementary School.

Now, Greenbush historian  Bobbie Reno is out to get those charges dropped.

Samuel Helms of Captain Joseph Delafield's Company in the 1st New York Militia Regiment apparently might have had an illegal court martial.

Reno attempted to have the state militia  rule in his innocence but they couldn't.  However, she got the governor of the state, Kathy Hochul, to review her documentation and rule on it.

The issue for Private Helms is whether he deserted his post in Ulster County or went AWOL (absent without leave) to see his wife and three young children.

Reno's research makes it seem that the private was AWOL and shouldn't have been tried at court martial.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

Private Samuel Helms Was Executed 210 Years Ago, A Modern-Day Historian Wants Him Exonerated

From the January 5, 2023, Times-Union by Kenneth C. Crowe II.

East Greenbush, New York

Bobbi Reno of  East Greenbush says the War of 1812 soldier didn't desert, he went AWOL.

She's asked the governor to remedy that.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Montgomery-- Part 10: Good Ol' Fort Blunder May Be Gone Soon

Fear of Fort Montgomery having a structural collapse stems from the removal of iron reinforcing rods which were likely cut out for their scrap value during wartime scrap drives of World War II.

These rods were initially devised to brace up and reinforce the massive fort's detached outer wall face, a defensive element of the fort's construction whichlater proved to be a structuarl flaw.

Previously, a third remaining  bastion on the northern side of the fort suffered a similar collapse and was completely destroyed in 1980, mostly falling into the moat.

In September2008, the Preservation League of New York State placed Fort Montgomery on their "Seven to Save" properties.  This listing effectively recognized the historical significance of the Fort Montgomery ruins.  It also identified the ruins as being in dire need of stabilization and preservation.

Save Fort Montgomery.  --Brock-Perry

Fort Montgomery-- Part 9

During the mid-1980s, Victor Podds worked with local historical societies to have the state of New York purchase the property with a view toward the possible restoration of the site.  Despite being offered the fort at no cost,  negotiations broke down and the state declined to accept the property.  

Since May 2006, Podds' heirs have attempted to sell the property on eBay.  The first auction ended on June 5, 2006, with a winning bid of $5,000,310.  However, the sale was not completed, and as of 2019 the fort and lands surrounding it remain for sale.

(Of course, we now know that it has been bought recently.  See last month's posts.)

There are current concerns among preservationists that what remains of the fort today in in danger of  catastrophic structure collapse.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Montgomery on Lake Champlain-- Part 8: In the Last Century

In 1926, the U.S. government sold Fort Montgomery along with the adjacent military reservation at public auction.  

During the period of disuse which followed, as had also happened with the abandoned 1816 fortification on the site,  many locals visited the fort and carted off untold ammounts of wood, bricks, windows and doors for use in their homes and other buildings.

Ultimately, most of the fort, aside from the gutted western facing officers' quarters, a small portion of the southern wall and three bastions (two of which remain today), was demolished in 1936-1937.

It's massive  stones were crushed into the lake for fill to construct the nearby bridge between Rouses Point, New York, and  Alburg, Vermont.

The property had a number of private owners before it was sold in 1983 to Victor Podd, Sr. who constructed the headquarters of te Powertex Corporation on the adjacent "Commons" to the west of the fort.  Island Point, the actual fort site, was left untouched.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Montgomery on Lake Champlain-- Part 7: Decline

Continued from last month.

In the years following the Civil War, with the introduction of much more modern and powerful armaments such as explosive shells and rapid-firing rifled cannon, the military importance of  masonry fortifications like Fort Montgomery was rapidly drawing to a close.  

Technology now existed which could allow  an enemy force to quickly  reduce a masonry fort's massive casemates and walls to piles of rubble.

The last decade of the 19th century saw the gradual removal of  the old fort's guns, also long obsolete.  By 1900, there were just 37 guns still present and by 1900, that number was down to just 20.  It is thought that the larger guns were removed and taken down the lake by barge in 1909.

After being loaded onto  railroad cars in Plattsburgh, many of the iron cannon met their end being melted down for scrap metal in Philadelphia.

Following that, the now gunless and empty fort was watched over by a caretaker, usually a retired soldier who loved in a nearby house and  patrolled the grounds.

--Brock-Perry

Events Occurring in January: Battle of New Orleans, Britain Declares War, River Raisin Massacre

From the January American Battlefield Trust 2023 calendar.

JANUARY 8, 1815

**  Battle of New Orleans, Louisiana

JANUARY 9, 1813

**  Great Britain declares war on the United States.  (The U.S, declared war in June 1812.)

JANUARY 13, 1813

**  John Armstrong replaces William Eustis as Secretary of War.

JANUARY 18, 1813

**  American forces seize Frenchtown, Michigan Terrirory.

JANUARY 22, 1813

**  The Battle of River Raisin; roughjly 40 to 60 American soldiers are killed in what became kniown as "The River Raisin Massacre."

--Brock-Perry

Andrew Jackson's Hermitage to Host Commemoration of the Battle of New Orleans-- Part 2

The annual wreath-laying ceremony with keynote speaker Robert D. Tuke and the presentation of the colors with the Tennessee National Guard and Tennessee SocietyUnited States Daughters of 1812 will take place at 1 p.m.

Robert Tuke, who was an active duty Marine Corps officer 1969-1973 and recently retired from his law firm Trauger & Tuke as well as serving as an  as an adjunct professor at the Vanderbilt School of Law.  Following the brief program, the wreaths will be laid on the tomb to honor both General Jackson and his wife, Rachel.

At 2:30, there will be an exclusive event for Hermitage members with the Vice President of Collections, featuring New Orleans-related relics from the Hermitage collection.

"This is one of my favorite days at the Hermitage," said Howard J. Kittell, President and CEO of the Andrew Jackson Foundation.  "This event commemorates a crucial victory for our nation in a conflict with Great Britain.  General Andrew Jackson led a ragtag army of U.S. servicemembers, volunteer militia, free blacks, Native Americans, and even a band of pirates to defend New Orleans in an invasion.

"The battle only lasted about 30 minutes but resulted in more than 2,000 British casualties.  Jackson became an American hero, and national pride was at an  all-time high.  We look forwad to commemorating that  victory with a day filled with events that young and old will not only enjoy, but learn from, including an annual wreath-laying ceremony at Jackson's tomb."

Brock-Perry

Andrew Jackson's Hermitage to Host Battle of New Orleans Commemoration

From the December 30, 2022, Rutherford County Source.

Andrew Jackson's home, the Hermitage in Tennessee will host its annual Battle of New Orleans Commemoration from 9 a.m. to5 p.m., Sunday January 8, 2023 with a keynote address by former Marine Corps officer and recently retired Nashville lawyer, as well as a line-up of activities for the family.

Ground passes to the public will be free to the public with a wreath-laying ceremony at 1 p.m.

ACTIVITIES:

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.:  Children's crafts and games.

10 a.m., noon and 3 p.m.:  Battle of New Orleans Gallery talks by  the Director of Interpretation.

Noon:  A reading from Jackson's orders to rally the 2nd Division of the State of Tennessee will take place on the balcony of the Hermitage Museum.

--Brock-Perry

12th Year of This Blog

Today marks the 12th year I've had this blog which started in 2012.

I started it because that year marked the bicentennial of the war which started in 1812.  I realized that I really didn't know a lot about it and I sure have learned a lot since then.

This marks the 3,951st post and the blog has had 496,926 visits.

A real learning experience for me.

The Brock-Perry signoff refers to British General Isaac Brock and American naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry.

I have to wonder if there are any other War of 1812 blogs that have been around this long or have had as many posts?

--Brock-Perry