St. Marys to Observe 200th Anniversary of Its Battle-- Part 1

From the Jan. 11, 2015, Florida Times Union "St. Marys to observe 200th anniversary of its battle in War of 1812" by Jared Keever.

"Historians sometimes have a hard time marking the exact date of the end of the War of 1812."  It took place, however, in St. Marys and that city will observe what is also referred to as the Battle of Point Peter, one of the last known battles of the war. The commemoration will begin Saturday.

On Jan. 10, 1815, the British landed about 1500 Marines on the north end of Cumberland Island, Georgia, and later attacked a small wooden fort outside St. Marys called Fort St. Peter on Jan. 13.

--Brock-Perry

St. Marys Gunboat Project Hopes to Locate and Acquire Artifacts-- Part 1

From the December 8, 2005, Florida Times Union "St. Marys Group Floats Scheme to Search for Gunboats That Sank; the Two Boats Went Down During a Hurricane That Struck Coast of Georgia in 1813" by Gordon Jackson.

Two Jeffersonian gunboats were ported at the battery of Point Peter in what is today the town of St. Marys, Georgia.  Recent archaeological excavation at the battery has yielded much information of its use as a Navy base before and during the War of 1812 (important for its location right on the border of Florida).  It also verifies that St. Marys was the site of the last battle of the War of 1812.

Now, a group of area residents have formed the St. Marys Gunboat Project to search for two gunboats that were sunk there by a hurricane in 1813.  Hopes are for locating them and raising any artifacts they may still contain

--Brock-Perry

The Battle of Fort Peter, Georgia-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

I found out that I hadn't done much writing about this battle that took place even after the Battle of New Orleans, which was after the Treaty of Ghent.  In a few months, we will be in Savannah for a wedding and we will go to Florida afterwards, so planning on spending some time along the St. Marys River along the Georgia/Florida border.

The attacks of Fort Peter and Fort St. Tammany took place in January 1815, after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the War of 1812, but before it was ratified by the United States which officially ended it.  Even then, the war could continue as long as the participants were not aware of its ratification as in the case of the USS Constitution and HMS Cyane and Levant.

This battle took place at the same time as the Siege of Fort St. Philip in Louisiana and the British occupation of St. Marys and Cumberland Island in Georgia.

Point Peter is the first landing spot on the Georgia side of the St. Marys River.

--Brock-Perry