The close of a hot and unnatural war

News of peace spread quickly to the Niagara, the region most devastated by the War of 1812. The war reshaped the region on both sides of the Niagara River.

After the war, a new patriotism emerged in Upper Canada. John Beverly Robinson noted that the Americans waged the war “for the purpose of subjugating the Canadas,” the war “had the effect of binding them, as well as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, much more strongly to the Crown.” The war helped to reshape Upper Canadians’ sense of themselves. A visitor remarked,

The last American war forms an important era in the history of Upper Canada, and as such, it is continually referred to by the people, who, when alluding to the time at which any circumstance occurred, say that it happened before or after the war.

On the American side of the Niagara, the economy quickly rebounded. The U.S. side was described as dynamic whereas Upper Canada appeared as a sleepy rural backwater. When looking across the Niagara River to the New York side, John Howison noted: “There, bustle, improvement, and animation fill every street; here dullness, decay, and apathy discourage enterprise and repress exertion.”

Signatories to the Treaty of Ghent

To embrace the success experienced on the American side, some residents on the Canadian side of the Niagara began to enter business deals with their American counterparts. The Niagara District magistrate even began to issue the oath of allegiance to newcomers from America in order to allow them to own land in Niagara. The differences that separated the people on the Niagara during the war quickly began to dissolve as economic benefits brought people closer together again. 

For the native population in Niagara, the end of the war meant it was time to repair the bonds between the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people on both sides of the Niagara. The Grand River and Buffalo Creek chiefs met at Fort George in August 1815 but they failed to resolve their differences as each side claimed to represent the true Haudenosaunee confederacy. After the war, the Haudenosaunee were pressured by Upper Canada and New York to surrender more land and convert to Christianity. 

In the end, the War of 1812 is estimated to have claimed 35,000 lives as a direct result of the war. Only 15 percent came from battlefield deaths whereas the majority died from disease, and for the natives in particular starvation was the biggest killer. The war devastated the Niagara but the emergence of peace laid the foundation for a lasting friendship between nations. Upon hearing of the peace treaty, John Le Couteur typified many peoples reaction by writing, “I am the bearer of the blessed News of Peace at the close of a hot and unnatural war between kindred people. Thank God!”

Acclamations of joy – Ratifying the Treaty of Ghent

When news of the Treaty of Ghent reached Great Britain, the population had mixed feelings. Parliament quickly ratified the treaty, which meant good news for manufactures and merchants who were now able to continue lucrative trade with the U.S. The British public thought that the terms of peace were too soft on the Americans but there was little desire to continue the war since taxes would need to remain high.

News of the treaty slowly made its way across the Atlantic and arrived in New York City on February 11, 1815. Two days later the treaty arrived in Washington where Madison sent it to the Senate with his endorsement. The Senate unanimously approved the treaty and the next day Madison signed the treaty officially ending the War of 1812 on February 17.

Reports of the treaty arrived in Upper Canada and northern New York in late February. In Kingston on February 25, Lieutenant John Le Couteur reported, “Several American officers came over from Sackets Harbour with the news. We received them very well, gave them a dinner, and made our Band play ‘Yankee Doodle’ on drinking the President’s heath, which gave them great pleasure.”

News of the Treaty of Ghent ratification

In Washington, President Madison portrayed the war as a success by praising the treaty as “an event which is highly honorable to the nation, and terminates, with peculiar felicity, a campaign signalized by the most brilliant successes.” Of course, the Federalists were quick to point out that the stated objectives of the war were not met and conveniently forgotten by Madison and the Republicans. News of the victory at New Orleans arrived in the north around the same time as the Treaty of Ghent. The great victory at New Orleans merged with the ratification of the treaty and henceforth shaped America’s memory of the war.

With the war officially over, the process of restoring peaceful relations began. Both sides started organizing prisoner transfers but the process proved difficult. Many British prisoners refused to continue their military service after receiving better treatment in the U.S. The commissary general for prisons, John Mason, instructed federal marshals that several guards would be necessary to ensure that prisoners did not cause an uprising aboard transport ships in order to run away with the vessel.

At Dartmoor, an American prisoner recalled the news of peace,

After a momentary stupor, acclamations of joy burst forth from every mouth. It flew like wild fire through the prison; and “Peace! Peace! Peace!” echoed throughout these dreary regions. … Some screamed. holloed, dances, sung, and capered, like so many Frenchmen.    

The British were faced with a logistical nightmare in having to find 24 ships to transport the nearly 6,000 American prisoners. Many ships were unavailable for charter because of the increased demand for ships to carry goods to the American market. After a riot by American prisoners and a harsh crackdown that left seven prisoners dead, the American consul decided to find vessels to transport the men home with the British agreeing to pay half the cost.

On February 17, join the Friend of Fort George and the Niagara 1812 Legacy Council for the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Ghent Ratification. The event takes place at St. Mark’s Anglican Church at 2 p.m. followed by a procession to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Court House. Click here for more information. 

The strongest man in the prison – King Dick

American prisoners of war were incarcerated in various prisons during the War of 1812. The British established prisons in Canada but a number of American prisoners were sent to Great Britain to await the end of the war.

American prisoners started arriving at the overcrowded Dartmoor Prison in April 1813. By many accounts, American prisoners were difficult to control and often taunted their British jailers. Taken from diverse regions in the U.S., the prisoners created a national identity by treating British guards as their common enemy. By defining the British as “a hard-hearted, cruel and barbarous race” of captors, the prisoners united as Americans.

The American prisoners insisted that the ultimate British cruelty was to treat them the same as black prisoners from the U.S. At Dartmoor Prison, British guards patrolled the outside of the prison while inmates were allowed to organize and operated the interior. This meant that the white majority imposed segregation by limiting the black 15 percent to one barrack known as Block Four.

Dartmoor Prison

Blacks were excluded from the committee government elected by whites, but Block Four relied on Richard Crafus, known as King Dick, to provide order. King Dick was born in Maryland and served on a privateer until captured in March 1814. Described as a stout man of 23 years, King Dick was six feet three inches tall and towered over everyone. One prisoner described, “He is by far the largest, and I suspect the strongest man in the prison.”

King Dick earned the allegiance of black prisoners and the respect of the whites. He wore a bearskin cap and wielded a large club patrolling the barracks to suppress disorder. King Dick imposed absolute authority in Block Four by monopolizing illicit beer sales, levied taxes on petty trade, and took a cut from all games of chance. He even sold tickets to plays complete with props and costumes for performances including Romeo and Juliet and Othello. On Sundays, he sponsored the preaching of a black Methodist. By many accounts, King Dick’s despotism ensured that Block Four ran smoothly.

February is Black History Month and there are a number of different events taking place in Niagara. At Old Fort Erie, you can watch the movies 12 Years a Slave (Feb. 20) and Amistad (Feb. 27) during the fort’s Friday Night Flicks event. Movies start at 7 p.m. and are $5 each. For more information, contact Old Fort Erie by clicking here.  

A national symbol – Uncle Sam

Since its foundation, the U.S. has been depicted by symbols but perhaps the most dominant symbol for the U.S. and its government has been Uncle Sam. It is believed that the symbol of Uncle Sam originated from the War of 1812 in Troy, New York.

During the War of 1812, Troy was an important market town and transit point for food and munitions for the U.S. Army. Troy supplied the large army camp located 15 miles south of Greenbush, New York, and the town’s location meant that it was a critical supply route for U.S. operations on Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and northern New York.

The term Uncle Sam appears to have first been mentioned in the spring of 1813 in the printing of a broadside. Six months later, on September 7, 1813, the Troy Post carried an antiwar Federalist article that spoke of the “ill-luck” of the war that “lights upon UNCLE SAM’S shoulders.” The article goes on to explain, “This cant name for our government has got almost as current as ‘John Bull’ (for the British). The letters U.S. on the government wagons, etc. are supposed to have given rise to it.”

Uncle Sam Wilson

Who was Uncle Sam? In 1830, the New York Gazette published an article that linked Uncle Sam to a Troy beef packer name Samuel Wilson who was described as a warm-hearted person. Wilson was known locally as Uncle Sam, apparently because he employed many of his relatives.

One story goes that an individual employed by Wilson asked what the initials U.S. on beef boxes stood for, while another replied jokingly that it meant Uncle Sam, meaning Samuel Wilson. Many of Wilson’s workers enlisted in the U.S. Army, allowing this story to spread. This story has been widely credited as the origin of Uncle Sam and even the U.S. Congress endorsed it on September 15, 1961, when a joint resolution was adopted stating: “Uncle Sam’ Wilson, of Troy, New York, as the progenitor of America’s national symbol of ‘Uncle Sam.’”   

After its first appearance, Uncle Sam showed up in numerous newspapers during the War of 1812. The Federalists often used the term derisively when referring to the government as one newspaper referred to a group of half-starved and neglected war wounded as “Uncle Sam’s hard bargains.” Later on the Boston Gazette referred to army musicians as “a band of Uncle Sam’s Music.”

After the war, the term lost its negative connotation and eventually replaced Yankee Doodle and Brother Jonathan in public prints. Uncle Sam was first depicted in a cartoon in 1832, but it was not until the 1870s that Harper’s Weekly cartoonist Thomas Nast formalized Uncle Sam’s iconic image. By 1917, the image became even more popular when James Flagg added “I Want You” to the image in a recruiting poster. Today Uncle Sam is synonymous with the U.S. government and is recognized around the world. 

USS President

When the War of 1812 was declared, the U.S. had a very small naval force compared to the British. The USS President played a crucial role during the war and was even involved in raising tensions between the U.S. and the British before the War of 1812.

The Naval Act of 1794 authorized the construction of six U.S. frigates in which the USS President was the last one built in 1800. In May 1811, President was at the centre of the Little Belt Affair where the HMS Little Belt was fired on after being mistaken for the HMS Guerriere, which had impressed American sailors. This incident contributed to increased tensions between the U.S. and Great Britain that eventually led to the War of 1812. 

USS President 

During the war, President made a number of extended cruises, patrolling as far away as the English Channel and Norway. During her service, she captured an armed schooner and several merchant ships. However, by February 1814, the British forced President into New York Harbor where she remained until January 1815 under a close blockade. In December 1814, Stephen Decatur assumed command of President and began planning the ship’s escape.

On January 14, 1815, the British were forced to loosen their blockade during a snowstorm, allowing President to slip out of the harbour. Unfortunately, the ship ran aground causing damage but due to strong winds, President was unable to head back to the harbour and was forced out to sea. President attempted to escape the British fleet but was damaged by the HMS Endymion as two more British ships joined the fight. Seeing that his ship was outgunned, Decatur surrendered on January 15, 1815.

After the War of 1812, the British decided to keep President and rename it HMS President. The ship was broken up in 1818 but the British launched a replica in 1829 and kept the name HMS President as a political statement. The new President continued to serve in the Royal Navy until 1903 before being decommissioned.

If you want to know more detail about this ship and others from the War of 1812, you can read The Naval War of 1812 by Theodore Roosevelt. This book has many detailed accounts of naval battles from the war.

My thoughts are forever on thee – Rachel Jackson

In late December 1814 to early January 1815, the British unleashed a major offensive on New Orleans and the surrounding area. Ultimately the Americans under Major-General Andrew Jackson managed to defeat the larger British force and inflicted major casualties on the British. Throughout the New Orleans campaign, Jackson looked to his wife Rachel for comfort and guidance.

The daughter of the co-founder of Nashville, Tennessee, Rachel Robards married Andrew Jackson in 1794 after supposedly obtaining a divorce from her first husband. Rachel and Andrew later discovered that the divorce was not finalized, causing them to remarry. Since Andrew was often away from home perusing professional and military duties, Rachel was left in charge to raise their adopted son and run their Tennessee plantation.

Andrew Jackson regarded his wife as his mainstay and Rachel felt similar by writing:

My thoughts are forever on thee. Wherever I go, wherever I turn my thoughts, my fears and my doubts distress me. Then a little hope revives again and that keeps me alive. Were it not for that, I should sink.

During the New Orleans campaign, Andrew Jackson was near physical collapse and asked Rachel to come to him. Andrew wrote, “I was taken verry ill, the Doctor gave me a does of Jallap & calemel, which salavated me, and there was Eight days on the march that I never broke bread.” Knowing that Rachel was on her way helped to lift Andrew’s spirits but by the time Rachel arrived, the Americans had already won a resounding victory. Despite the new fame thrust upon the Jacksons, Rachel continued to be a capable and devoted wife who maintained her strong relationship with her husband and her devotion to her faith.

The Jacksons were now occupied with fancy balls and celebrations for Andrew’s successful defence of New Orleans. At a grand dinner and ball held in February 1815, one guest described Andrew Jackson as “a long, haggard man, with limbs like a skeleton, and Madame La Generale, a short, fat dumpling, bobbing opposite each other like half-drunken Indians.” Not the most flattering of descriptions, but another contemporary described Rachel as having “lustrous black eyes, dark glossy hair, full red lips, brunette complexion, though of brilliant coloring, [and] a sweet oval face rippling with smiles and dimples.”

In 1828, Rachel was by Andrew’s side during his presidential campaign. During the campaign, newspaper articles persistently referred to the circumstances of Rachel’s divorce from her first husband, causing much distress. As a result, Rachel’s health suffered and she died from a heart attack on December 23, 1828, two weeks after Andrew Jackson won the election. Rachel was buried in the garden of The Hermitage, the Tennessee plantation where she lived for many years. Andrew Jackson was heart broken and suffered from depression in the years that followed.    

Peace, Friendship, and good Understanding – The Treaty of Ghent

By late 1813, President Madison accepted a British offer to begin peace negotiations. The Americans decided on a delegation of five men, mostly prominent politicians representing key regions in the U.S. The American peace delegation consisted of some of the best while the British delegation was less talented. For the British, three commissioners were sent, with the best diplomats being sent to Vienna to negotiate an end to the Napoleonic War.

Both countries began the peace conference in early August 1814 in Ghent, Belgium with hard-line proposals. For the U.S., the Madison administration instructed their delegates to end British impressment, a proposal that was denied outright by the British. Monroe said that the act of impressment was a “degrading practice [that] must cease; our flag must protect the crew; or the United States, cannot consider themselves an independent Nation.” The American delegation was also instructed to get the British to surrender Canada, a difficult proposal since the British possessed more American territory that the U.S. possessed of Canada.

With the defeat of Napoleon in the spring of 1814, the British sent thousands of troops to Canada and the U.S., satisfying public opinion in Britain as many wanted to punish and humble the Americans as aggressors who indirectly supported Napoleon. With news of British reinforcements, Madison instructed the peace delegation to abandon the acquisition of Canada and a stop to impressment; the delegation was instructed to end the war and restore the prewar boundaries.

As the Americans reduced their demands, the British increased theirs. The British sought border adjustments to improve Canada’s defence and they sought the creation of a native buffer zone to include most of the American land between the Ohio River and the Great Lakes. British commanders pushed hard for a native buffer zone since they pledged its creation to gain native allies. 

Negotiations got off to a rough start with both sides refusing to agree to each other’s hard-line proposals. The creation of a native buffer zone proved to be very difficult as the Americans refused outright to its creation. The Americans insisted that there could be no peace until the British abandoned this proposal. One American delegate said that no treaty could restrain the swelling tide of American settlement: “It was opposing a feather to a torrent.”

During the negotiations both sides were overjoyed or saddened when receiving the latest news from North America. Upon reading that Washington was captured by the British, American delegate Henry Clay reported “I tremble, indeed, whenever I take up a late News paper. Hope alone sustains me.” Thankfully for Clay news soon reached him that Baltimore repulsed a British attack and Prevost retreated from Plattsburgh.

Eventually the British dropped their harsh demands in the treaty as negotiations broke down in Vienna. With a potential dangerous situation about to erupt in Europe, the British sought to end the war in North American as quickly as possible. The British abandoned the proposed native buffer zone for vague language that was to protect native rights. The British also abandoned their proposal for American territory and instead settled on status quo ante bellum, which restored prewar boundaries.

On December 24, 1814, the British and American delegations signed the Treaty of Ghent. Both delegations quickly sent the treaty to their respective governments for ratification. Fighting continued into the early months of 1815 and although the treaty did not solve all of the issues that started the War of 1812, it did bring about the beginning of 200 years of peace between nations.

The treaty’s first article states that both countries desire a termination to the war and wish to restore the “principles of perfect reciprocity, Peace, Friendship, and good Understanding;” a principle that continues to this day.

If you want to find out more about the Treaty of Ghent, you can read the full text of the treaty by clicking here. 

Children of Peace – Quakers in York

Before the War of 1812, many people emigrated from the newly formed U.S. due to persecution based on their beliefs. A large number of Quakers, Mennonites and Dunkers moved to Upper Canada due to persecution. During the American Revolution, people from these groups incurred arrests and heavy fines from Patriots who believed they were Loyalists due to their pacifist beliefs.

In Upper Canada, pacifist groups were permitted to practice their faith and were exempt from militia service for an annual fee of five pounds per man and these groups had to provide draft animals, wagons, carts and sleighs on military demand. The Mennonites and Dunkers largely accepted these terms, but the Quakers did not want to contribute to anything that promoted bloodshed. If a man refused to pay the fee or provide draft animals, the government jailed him for a month and seized sufficient property to cover the fine and costs of the sheriff.

David Willson, ca 1866

Many Quakers lived north of York along Yonge Street, a major transportation lane for the movement of military supplies. This meant that the Quakers suffered from a heavy demand for their animals and were in frequent conflict with militia officers. In high demand, many Quakers consented to the military’s demands but some purists formed a group known as the Children of Peace led by David Willson. By the end of the war, at least a quarter of Yonge Street’s Quakers joined the group in search of a spiritual community that resisted demands by the outside world of politics and strife.

After the War of 1812, David Willson’s Children of Peace participated in the turbulent political atmosphere that emerged after the war. Some group members even participated on the side of Mackenzie during the Upper Canada Rebellion. After the failure of the rebellion, the group continued to push for responsible government. After Willson’s death in 1866, the sect continued until the end of the 1880s.  

If you want to know more about religious groups and minorities during the War of 1812, check out Alan Taylor’s book The Civil War of 1812 for more information. 

The gibes of his comrades – The theft of a beehive

Supplying soldiers in the field during a major offensive into enemy territory was difficult in the best of circumstances during the War of 1812. Both armies relied on finding supplies in enemy territory to help sustain their advance, but sometimes outright theft by soldiers proved to be problematic.

During the American advance on the St. Lawrence in November 1813, there were a few incidences of locals, from both the American and Canadian side, complaining to American officers of theft. One incident told by Lieutenant William Worth describes the theft of a beehive by an American soldier. Before the Americans boarded their boats, a local Canadian woman “declared that one of her bee-hives had absconded, and was no doubt then harbored by some of our soldiers,” writes Worth.

A form of punishment in both armies

The colonel of the regiment ordered all the boats searched and upon finding the culprit, he ordered the offending soldier to return the beehive, with this action also serving as his punishment. Worth writes that the colonel “commanded the culprit to take off the blanket, raise the hive on his shoulders, and thus transport it to the place whence it came, some thirty or forty yards off. A few bayonets were at hand to superintend the exact fulfilment of the sentence.”

The culprit carefully unfolded the blanket and raised the hive to his shoulders before running to his destination. Unfortunately, the bees were not happy and “the moment the fold of the blanket were loosened, [the bees] attacked the first flesh and blood to be met with, which was that of the robber’s face and hands.” Upon completing his task, the culprit “returned to the boats almost blind, a good subject for the doctor’s ointment, and the gibes of his comrades.”

With Christmas fast approaching, remember to be weary of greed. This weekend there are more Christmas events taking place in Niagara with McFarland House having a Holiday Tea event and Fort George having their annual Garrison Christmas. Click here for more information.

Pray for me – A soldier’s letters

Keeping in contact with loved ones during the war was very important to soldiers serving in the army. Letters enhanced a soldier’s moral but the lack of letters could also dampen moral, as was evident from Private John Patterson of the 22 U.S. Infantry in the autumn of 1812.

John’s unit was stationed at Lewiston when he wrote to his wife Levina in northern Pennsylvania. In August 1812, John wrote, with erratic spelling, that he was well and that “in about 6 weakes i shall have 16 dollers comeing to me – then i shall be able to cend some home.” When not on duty, Patterson told his wife that he preached the gospel to his comrades and hoped that “you will pray for me – and i hope that the friends will not dispise you or me because i am a souldier.” Reference to “the friends” may indicate that he was a Quaker.

Early war U.S. soldier

Patterson did not receive a letter after a month but did receive a message from his wife via another soldier who was granted leave and visited John’s wife. Levina was not happy that John did not visit, but in a further letter, John explained that he had little money and only some men were allowed furlough.

In October 1812, John wrote another letter saying that he would attempt to get a furlough, but to no avail. By February 1813, John was concerned with his wife’s silence by writing “I have heard nothing from you, this is the forth letter sence i have been at niagary and i want to hear from home and how you are.” Two months later, John still heard no word from Levina. He wrote complaining that he had not received a letter and that his comrades receive letters once a week from a much greater distance away.

Unfortunately, a few weeks later Private John Patterson died from illness. It is not know if his family received his last letter, but in it, he included a description of himself “standing guard five miles out of the fort in sight of the british farmes and their buildings.” If Levina Patterson received the letter, she would be left with an image of her husband on duty within view of the enemy, alone.

This weekend you can head to McFarland House in Niagara-on-the-Lake for their annual Christmas event. The house will have period decorations in partnership with the Garden Club of Niagara and the Rotary Club of Niagara-on-the-Lake. In addition, you can head out to Fort Erie for the showing of “A Canadian Christmas Carole.” Click here for more details.

Calm, practical, orderly and considerate – Jacob Brown

Jacob Brown was born in Bucks County, Pa. in 1775. His early career was as a schoolmaster and surveyor. In 1799, he purchased a patch of land with his father in Black River County, Northern N.Y., and spent 39 years developing the town of Brownville. His prominence in the community led to a commission in the state militia as a brigadier-general. Brown was described as calm, practical, orderly and considerate. He was further described as being above average height, not always able to control his quick temper, and sometimes his determination would turn to withdrawing even in good circumstances.

When the War of 1812 started, Brown was a militia commander in northern N.Y. State. Brown managed to get more out of citizen soldiers than other militia commanders. He impressed many people with his defence of Ogdensburg, N.Y. in October 1812. He also impressed his superiors with his actions in the defence of Sackets Harbor in May 1813. His actions at Sackets Harbor led to a commission in the regular army where he was soon promoted to major-general.

In 1814, Brown was given command of the American forces along the Niagara River, known as the Left Division. On July 3, 1814, Brown and his army crossed the Niagara, captured Fort Erie, and fought the battles of Chippawa and Lundy’s Lane. At Lundy’s Lane Brown was wounded by a musket ball that passed through his right inner thigh ‘very high up.’ Shortly thereafter Brown was wounded again when he was struck on the left side. He was forced to turn command over to Brigadier-General Eleazer Ripley.

Brown spent his convalescence with friends near Buffalo, and was attended by a personal surgeon and his wife. Two weeks after being wounded he was able to walk and spent most of his time trying to gain reinforcements for the troops under siege at Fort Erie. Brown retook command of the Left Division in early September when Brigadier-General Edmund Gaines was wounded at Fort Erie.

After the war, Brown and Ripley continued their feud that emerged during the Niagara 1814 campaign. Later in life, Brown was marred by financial and physical problems. His business ventures went sour and he eventually died in 1828 at the age of 53 from a stroke.

If you want to find out more about Jacob Brown and the Niagara 1814 Campaign, there are a number of good books available. Don Graves newest book And All Their Glory Past, along with Richard Barbuto’s Niagara 1814: America Invades Canada, give a good overview of Brown and the Niagara 1814 Campaign from a British/Canadian and American perspective.

Good, honest, industrious women – Army laundresses

Women attached to both the American and British armies received daily rations but were expected to contribute to their regiment. These army wives often performed nursing duties but there were a number of different jobs available. One lucrative position for these women included acting as laundresses since this service was in constant demand.

In the U.S. Army, women were paid local rates and were responsible for ensuring that the washhouse was kept clean. Laundresses were often the wives of senior enlisted men and frequently had a considerable amount of work to perform since American regulations stated that soldiers “will not wear their Fatigue Frock & Trowsers more than three Days without washing.”

Company commanders ensured that every woman had a fair proportion of washing so that the needs of the garrison were not neglected and to avoid complaints from some woman that others received more work and pay. Army regulations were firmly enforced and any transgressors were turned out of the garrison and “not suffered to enter it again.” It appears that some laundresses were dishonest and of a questionable moral character but the majority were, as one American general wrote, “good, honest, industrious” women “ever-ready for a fight, yet kind of heart in a rough manner, always ready to assist in times of distress.”

As for British laundresses, a popular military treatise published before the War of 1812 set out important guidelines. It stated methods for women to do their work properly and that these women be punctually paid so that they could perform their job correctly. Senior officers were permitted to set the price for laundry work and in one location, the going rate was two pence halfpenny (about four cents) for each shirt washed. Considering that private soldiers made about 20 cents per day, army wives could potentially earn more money than their husbands could. However, the fixed price could not be changed, and any woman “refusing to wash for the above sum will be struck off the rations.”

No matter what job army women performed during the war, their task was difficult and challenging. If you want to learn more about women in the 19th century, head to the Battlefield House Museum in Stoney Creek this Saturday for their Jane Austen event. Click here for more information. 

Distressed for many days – the last duel fought in Canada

During the war, John Norton and his warriors played a pivotal role in defending Niagara and Upper Canada. When the War of 1812 ended, John Norton and his wife Catherine sailed for Britain in the summer of 1815. The couple first went to Scotland where Catharine took English lessons and by many accounts she was a “very keen student” who could “hardly be prevailed on to quit her Spelling book and writing for anything else.”

In 1816, the Nortons returned to Upper Canada and settled on the Grand River where John Norton received his land grant for retired officers. John and Catharine’s life together appeared to be going well until 1823 when their life together ended. John Norton writes that a young man, who he fostered from childhood and who fought with him during the war, had “offered her [Catharine] the grossest insult a woman can receive.” Apparently, Catharine had succumbed to the young man’s charms, causing John to force both Catharine and her lover to leave the property.

John Norton

The young man returned to John’s home and challenged him to a duel. Pistols were chosen as the weapon for the duel, John Norton writes, “I told him that when he took aim at me and I saw him ready to fire I would treat him as I did my enemies.” John Norton shot and killed the man. “When I saw the poor young man stretched on the ground and the recollections of past times crowded into my mind,” John Norton writes, “pity succeeded to every other feeling and to a much higher degree; I was so much distressed for many days.”

After the “last duel fought in Canada,” as it became known, ended John Norton decided to turn himself in, was found guilty of manslaughter and fined £25 and discharged. Norton refused to see Catharine again but left her a share of his pension. Catharine wrote Norton begging his forgiveness, but Norton refused to see her. Norton decided to head for American territory where he is believed to have died in the 1830s.

As for Catharine, she made her way to Fairfield on the Thames River where missionaries reported that she died in 1827. The woman described by John Norton to be beautiful and the apple of her husband’s eye had become by one account a “dirty old squaw.”

If you want to find out more about John Norton, you can read his journal online. Click here for the website.

The Niagara 1814 campaign ends

In late October, the commander at Fort Erie, General Izard, had a decision to make: retain Fort Erie or abandon the position. After the Battle ofCook’s Mills, Izard ordered his men to form on the Chippawa plain across from Drummond’s position on October 21, 1814. Izard’s plan was to coax Drummond out from behind his defences so that the British force on the Niagara could be destroyed, but Drummond refused to battle.

Both the British and Americans knew that fighting in Niagara was over for 1814 and both sides prepared for the long winter. Izard ordered a number of units across the Niagara to enter winter quarters. Eventually, Izard decided that holding Fort Erie would not be practical since crossing the Niagara River in the winter was difficult. Izard wrote to Secretary of War Monroe that the problems at Fort Erie,

Induced me to examine maturely the advantages, and inconveniences of retaining Fort Erie under the American flag. I can find not one of the former, (except it being a trophy) which in any point of view would justify my exposing in a weak, ill-planned, and hastily repaired redoubt (it scarcely deserves even that humble designation) some hundreds of valuable officers and men, with the cannon, and various stores, which if it were taken would necessarily fall with it into the hands of the enemy.   

 

Fort Erie in ruins, 1930s

Izard also pointed out that the battalion designated to defend Fort Erie was experiencing “daily and numerous” desertions. After consulting three of his trusted officers, Izard made the final decision that Fort Erie would be “dismantled, evacuated, and destroyed.” The garrison was tasked with digging huts into the side of the defences to be filled with gunpowder to destroy the fort. It rained incessantly during the last week of October and early November that Major Totten of the engineers, responsible for the demolition, found it difficult to dig shafts for the gunpowder anywhere in the fort “without meeting water in almost every instance of our attempts.” Finally, on November 5, the fuses were lit and the defence works were destroyed in clouds of mud, dirt, wood and stone. U.S. Lieutenant Norton wrote, “The explosion was tremendous and worth seeing.”

With Fort Erie evacuated and both sides moving to winter quarters, the Niagara 1814 campaign finally ended after 125 days of hard fighting during the longest and bloodiest fighting of the War of 1812.

A modern philosophe – Betsy Bonaparte

In 1803, a woman by the name of Elizabeth, or Betsy as she was known, was the daughter of a wealthy Baltimore shipping magnate. At the age of 18, Betsy met Jérôme Bonaparte, the younger brother of the French emperor, and married him when he was visiting the U.S.

Betsy Bonaparte

Shortly after the marriage, Betsy Patterson Bonaparte travelled with her husband to France where most of the Bonaparte family accepted her, except Napoleon. Napoleon refused to accept the marriage and had it annulled. Jérôme decided to abandon his wife and she was forced to take refuge in Britain where she gave birth to a son. Upon returning to Baltimore, one resident described Betsy as “the most extraordinary girl, given to reading … the rights of women, etc. in short, a modern philosophe.”

Betsy craved a sophisticated life and she found some small consolation in Washington where women prided themselves on being fashionable. After being married to a Bonaparte, Betsy believed that it was impossible to, “ever bend my spirit to marry any one who had been my equal before my marriage,” or “to be contented in a country where there exists no nobility.” Betsy shocked Washington society with her daring outfits as one woman described her outfit as:

the thinnest sarcenet and white crepe without the least stiffening in it … there was scarcely any waist to it and no sleeves; her back, her bosom, part of her waist and her arms were uncovered and the rest of her form visible.

Many were shocked by the “almost naked woman,” that she was warned to change her cloths or she would not be accepted in society. Undaunted, Betsy did not change her style of daring clothing and magnificent jewellery, causing her to set the fashion for many in Washington.  

After the War of 1812, Betsy successfully had her marriage officially annulled in Maryland. Betsy continued to live in Baltimore where she died in 1879 at the age of 94.

On Saturday, November 1st, head to McFarland House to experience their Game of CLUE Murder Mystery night. Interrogate the suspects and help solve the murder. Click here for more information.

I haven't got your tailypo

A creature of North American legend, Tailypo is described as the size of a dog with red eyes and a long tail. The legend of Tailypo is popular in the Appalachia region of the United States. One version of the story is as follows.

One night a man is hunting with his three dogs in search of something to eat. During the search, the man sees a small creature with bright eyes and a long tail. The man quickly cuts-off the creature’s tail, causing the creature to scream and flee into the darkness. The man returns to his home and makes a stew out of the tail.

Tailypo

As the man is about to fall asleep, a rustling and clawing sound awakens him. At the end of his bed, the man sees the eyes of Tailypo starring at him. In a demonic voice, the creature demands the return of its tailypo. The terrified man calls for his dogs, which chase the creature away, but only two of the dogs return.

The man tries to sleep again, but soon awakes to see the creature more forcefully demanding its tailypo. The man sends his dogs after the creature, once again forcing it into the night but leaving only one dog to return. This time the man decided to grab his gun and wait at the end of the bed with his one remaining dog. When the creature returns, the man sends his last dog to send the creature away but the dog does not return.

The man is now left cowering in the corner praying for dawn. Hours before daybreak he hears the familiar rustling sound, hoping it is one of his dogs returning. Tailypo leaps into the room and disarms the man as the creature looks into the man’s eyes demanding the return of its tailypo.

The terrified man finds the courage to reply, "I haven't got your tailypo!” hoping the creature will leave. The creature is enraged by the man’s response and yells back "Yes, you have! Yes, you have!" and jumps back on the bed, mutilating the man and destroying the cabin.

Stories like this were often told by soldiers and civilians alike during the War of 1812 as a way to deal with fears in the form of entertainment. This tradition continues today with Halloween tours taking place at Old Fort Erie, Fort George, and Drummond Hill Cemetery. Click here to find out more about these events.

The prettiest little affair – Battle of Cook’s Mills

On October 18, 1814, the Americans sent a force to Cook’s Mills having learned that “a considerable quantity of grain collected for the British troops” was being stored. Brigadier-General Daniel Bissell’s American force of about 1,000 men occupied Cook’s Mills late in the afternoon.

Among the forces sent to evict the Americans from their position were elements of the 104th Regiment. Lieutenant John Le Couteur was resting when one of his comrades woke him and said they were going to surprise an American force. Le Couteur’s journey to Cook’s Mills was unpleasant, writing “it is hardly worth repeating that we were marching knee deep in mud in a pitch dark night – over rough and smooth – an exquisite enjoyment for those who have never tried it.”

Le Couteur arrived at the battlefield around 8 a.m. when the Glengarry Light Infantry were engaged with the enemy. Soon after the 82nd and the 100th formed line as British field guns and rockets deployed. Le Couteur and his men moved forward in open order to help relieve the Glengarries and to turn the American right flank. Le Couteur wrote “Our men dashed into the ravine in good style and engaged the Yankees in our front, who soon gave way, for a short distance.” Their success was short lived as Le Couteur and his men were forced to withdraw as 400 American troops advanced.

The battle continued and Le Couteur wrote “Our Gun was very ill-place behind a little wood and only barked without biting.” Le Couteur goes on to note that the Americans advanced and the British withdrew in good order, noting that the engagement was “altogether the prettiest little affair any of us had ever seen.” Le Couteur spent a cold night with no blankets, frost on the ground and no fire before receiving orders to march to Fort George.

On October 21, Le Couteur celebrated his birthday by writing, “I completed my twentieth year this day and am thankful to God for having preserved me in safety through many dangers.”

On October 18 and 19, head out to Cook’s Mills in Welland for the Battle of Cook’s Mills re-enactment. This Niagara Signature Event features not only battle re-enactments, but also will have musket and artillery demonstrations along with 1812 period displays, just to name a few activities. Click here for more information.

Army Nurses

Both American and British soldiers were permitted to have wives and children attached to the regiment but the commanding officer limited the number of dependents. Women attached to the army were expected to contribute by working or she could be turned out of the regiment. Jobs such as sewing, cooking, cleaning, and acting as laundresses were popular, but one vital job performed by women was acting as nurses.

1812 wound (photo from PBS)

Under American regulations, every hospital and infirmary was to have one or more female attendants under the discretion of the senior surgeon. Nurses were not only expected to attend to patients, but were also expected to “scour and cleanse the bunks and floors, to wash the blankets, bed sacks, and cloths of the patients, to cook the victuals of the sick, and to keep clean and in good order the cooking utensils.” For this work, American nurses were paid six dollars a month and one ration a day.

British army regulations concerning hospitals stipulated that:

           

there is to be one decent, sober woman nurse, who shall receive at the rate of one shilling [about 20 cents] per diem, whose duty will be to prepare the slops and comforts for the sick, and occasionally to assist in administering medicines, cooking the victuals, washing, &c. and for every ten men confined to bed by fever, an additional Nurse and Orderlyman should be allowed.

British regulations also showed that nurses were to ensure that patients were extremely clean and that cloths brought into the hospital “should be purified.” Patients were to be given a clean shirt and pair of stockings twice a week and were to be shaved two or three times a week. Some additional duties included combing the patients’ hair, washing their hands and face each morning, and preparing food for the patients.

One good thing about the job was that nurses would not have to face disorderly conduct as British regulations specified, “every species of gaming is strictly forbidden” and patients who were “convicted of swearing, disorderly behaviour, insolent and provoking conduct towards the attendants, or of any deviation from the hospital regulations, must be severely punished.” The role of army nurses was gruelling and challenging, having to deal with horrible combat wounds and patients suffering from terrible diseases. Due to their important work, men recovered from their aliments and those who did not recover were no doubt eased in there suffering. 

To learn more about women in the War of 1812, head out to the historic forts in the Niagara Region while they are still open seven days a week.

Captain Swayze and the Angel Inn

In May 1813, the Americans took Fort George and the adjacent town of Newark. During the American invasion, one officer decided to remain behind in order to find his true love.

Legend has it that Captain Colin Swayze delayed joining the British retreat from Fort George in order to find his true love. As the captain was searching, an American patrol was sent to search the Angel Inn, where Swayze decided to hide from American patrols. Swayze was hiding in an empty barrel to avoid detection when American soldiers started to bayonet the barrels to find the captain. In the process, the Americans found Captain Swayze when they bayoneted the barrel where he was hiding, causing a fatal wound.

Some believe that Captain Swayze is still on his mission to find his true love as some claim to have seen his ghost walking to the Angel Inn. There are also reports of noises from the Angel Inn dining room and the rearranging of place settings. Legend has it that the ghost of Captain Swayze will remain harmless as long as a British flag flies over the inn. Today, the Angel Inn continues to fly a British flag.

If you want to hear some more ghost stories, head to Fort George and Old Fort Erie for their annual Halloween tours. In addition, make sure to check out the Olde Angel Inn and other locations in Niagara for their 1812 related ghost stories.

The Devil for us all – Dr. Cyrenius Chapin

After the capture of Fort George in 1813 by the Americans, the British set up a loose blockade. Both sides suffered from shortages of supplies and sickness. The Americans took to looting farms and mills in order to sustain their position. One of the most prolific plunderers was Major Cyrenius Chapin.

A doctor by trade, Chapin was the 44-year-old commander of the mounted volunteers recruited at Buffalo. Chapin as a rare Federalist who broke with his party and supported the war. He was fond of profanity and alcohol, and after ten years of practicing medicine, he decided to seek thrills and profits by conducting cross-border raids. Chapin insisted that his men only stole from public property, but that was not always the case. His group quickly earned the name “the Forty Thieves” for their rampant looting.

Chapin and 28 of his men were taken prisoner during the Battle of Beaver Dams. When being transported to Kingston, Chapin and his men overpowered their 16 guards when they stopped to drink grog. The boats were redirected to Fort George where a crowd of Americans watched Chapin come in with his new prisoners. One officer said that Chapin was bearing a “sort of triumph in his look.”

In December 1813, Chapin was in Buffalo ready to defend the area from advancing British troops. The men in Buffalo preferred Chapin’s command over General McClure’s since McClure was blamed for letting Joseph Willcocks burn the town of Newark. McClure had Chapin arrested on charges of mutiny and treason, writing, “there is not a greater rascal [who] exists than Chapin, and he is supported by a pack of tories and enemies to our Government.” Local volunteers soon rescued Chapin and sent McClure running for his life.

When the British arrived on December 30, 1813, the American defenders did not last long before fleeing for safety. Chapin yelled, “Every Man for himself & the Devil for us all.” The British and Native allies burned the town, leaving the American side of the Niagara devoid of 12,000 inhabitants whose flight depopulated 160 square miles.

Chapin became synonymous with destruction. In 1814, Brown commented on his new army mustering around Buffalo that “All private property, ever has been, and ever will be, by me, respected. No such man as Dr. Chapin, will I hope accompany an army that I have the honor to command.”  

If you want to find out more about Cyrenius Chapin, head to Old Fort Erie on Friday, September 26, to hear Doug Kohler speak about Chapin. In addition, on Saturday, September 27, the Heritage Arts Legacy of Fort Erie will be holding a Bi-national Peace Celebration at Old Fort Erie. Click here to find out more.