For honour’s sake

At the start of the War of 1812, the U.S. officer corps lacked combat experience and many American officers were lawyers, merchants and clerks in commercial society. Winfield Scott described most of his fellow officers in 1812 as “imbeciles and ignoramuses.”

This crop of new officers came with an extreme sense of honour and many American officers would “devote every thing to the service of his country, except his honor.” This new officer corps readily insulted others and quickly felt slighted compared to their British counterparts who had a keen sense of duty and their place in class hierarchy.

For the Americans, the newspapers were another important battleground as they published accounts of battles as well as battle reports from commanders. These reports invariably cast the best possible light on the commanding officer, since they were the ones writing them, and on their favoured subordinates. Officer who felt slighted by these reports submitted letters to the newspapers, which often created rivalries and feuds.

Militia Officer, New York State

The winter season provided a great opportunity for officer to secure furloughs for leave to Washington in order to advance their own interests. In March 1814, one congressman wrote, “So great has been the resort of epaulettes here that many have inquired who were left with the Troops?” Leaving the troops behind squandered a great opportunity to train the troops, who resented the fact that they could not go home.

Courts-martial were far more abundant in the American army than in the British. Many officers pressed charges against one another, causing General George Izard to lament, “It is wonderful how much valuable time these Courts Martial engross.” Of course duelling was another way to settle disputes between officers.

Although duelling was prohibited in the U.S. Army, it did take place and some generals even encouraged this practice. With honour as a paramount concern, duellists shot at each other instead of the enemy. In the spring of 1813, two officers crossed the Niagara River to duel in order to leave New York’s legal jurisdiction, but were taken by surprise by the British and captured. At Fort George in 1813, Lieutenant Smith killed Dr. Shumate in a duel, depriving the camp of a much-needed surgeon during epidemics of malaria and dysentery.

Politics, war and honour proved a bloody mix for officers, since fighting each other was easier than fighting the British. Although the American officers retained their sense of honour as a paramount concern, their officer corps did improve during the war. By the time of the Niagara 1814 campaign, younger energetic officer took over and focused on training their men for the task at hand. A renewed sense of duty and training ensured that the Niagara 1814 campaign was the most successful for the American Army during the War of 1812.

This weekend you can head to Fort George for their annual timeline event with interpreters and animators representing the War of 1812, WWI, WWII and more. Click here for details.

Prisoners of war

Captured soldiers during the War of 1812 faced different forms of confinement. Some men could face severe forms of incarceration where others were released soon after being captured.

When militiamen were captured, both the British and Americans often paroled these men after they promised to not fight for the remainder of the war. If men broke this promise, they could be summarily executed if captured.

If American regulars were captured, they would often be sent to Quebec to remain in prison for the duration of the war. In order to get to their prison some soldiers had to face hardship along the way. The Americans captured after the Battle of Queenston Heights in 1812 were paraded through the streets of Montreal while the band played ‘The Rogue’s March’ and ‘Yankee Doodle.’ The hungry and half-naked prisoners, Winfield Scott being among them, were presented to Sir George Prevost where the prisoners were compelled to remove their hats during the playing of ‘God Save the King.’

 

Winfield Scott

Some American prisoners were not as ‘fortunate’ as those in Montreal. For captured British subjects who joined the American military, they were given a tough choice, join the British military or face trial and execution as traitors. This harsh treatment caused the Americans to threaten the execution of British soldiers in return, leading to a long negotiation between both countries.

Officers of both countries did not have to fear long incarceration. Some officers were permitted to return home until officially exchanged and those that remained prisoner often lived luxuriously compared to their non-officer comrades. The exchange of officers could prove unfortunate for the liberating country. After Winfield Scott’s return to the American Army, he was quickly promoted and proved quite a challenge for the British in the Niagara 1814 campaign.

For some paroled officers lives could get worse. After Lieutenant Porter Hanks surrendered Fort Mackinac in 1812 he was paroled back to the United States. Hanks was held at Fort Detroit while awaiting his court martial for the surrender of Fort Mackinac. While waiting for his trial the fort was attacked by Isaac Brock’s forces. During the bombardment of Fort Detroit, a cannonball ripped through the room where Hanks was standing, cutting him in half and killing the officer beside him.

If you want to learn more about this topic, make sure you head to the Niagara Historical Society on Thursday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. David Hemmings will be speaking about prisoners in the War of 1812. Click here for more details. Furthermore, this weekend you can head to Fort George for their School of the Soldier event. 

Why, these are regulars!

The Battle of Chippawa fought on July 5, 1814 was a significant victory for the U.S. Army. Chippawa was the first time in the war that an American force defeated a veteran British force of equal size on an open battlefield. This battle proved that the American Army could not be underestimated.

American Soldier

Why were the Americans so successful at Chippawa? In part, it had to do with Winfield Scott’s grey-coated regulars. The traditional uniform of an American regular during the War of 1812 consisted of a solid blue coat with red cuffs and collars adorned with white lacing. However, due to supply shortages American uniforms during the war became much simpler and often varied in colour. Some American units during the war had brown, green or even red as their military coats. By 1814, Winfield Scoot decided to dress his regulars in grey work coats so that all his soldiers looked uniform on the battlefield.

At the Battle of Chippawa, Scott’s highly trained grey-coated regulars took on the British left flank and managed to maintain its formation even during heavy artillery fire. These grey coats managed to inflict heavy damage on the British left flank, causing the British to withdraw from the battlefield.

American Grey Coat

In Scott’s memoirs he claimed that upon seeing the grey-coated American infantry maintain their position after heavy artillery fire, that the British commander, General Riall, exclaimed “why, these are regulars!” Despite this colourful story, it is unlikely that Scott would be able to hear Riall say these words from across the battlefield.

Another claim by Scott is that the cadets at West Point adopted the grey uniform because of the American victory at Chippawa. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The cadets at West Point had already adopted the grey uniform before the Battle of Chippawa due to the shortage of blue cloth; although, the victory at Chippawa did provide a convenient excuse to retain the cheaper grey uniforms after the War of 1812.

If you want to learn more about the Battle of Chippawa, make sure you join the Niagara Parks Commission and the Chippawa Branch 396 of the Royal Canadian Legion as they honour those who served on the Chippawa Battlefield. The commemoration takes place on July 5 at 7 p.m. Click here for the event program.