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