War of 1812

[mike webb]

Heard an item on CBC radio this morning regarding the War of 1812 and it's effects here in New Brunswick, Canada. Although the U.S. invaded Upper Canada during the war, it seems like folks in New Brunswick and the state of Maine just really didn't want to get involved.
The towns of St. Stephen, N.B. and Calais, Me. lie side by side separated by the St. Croix River. Families maintained close ties across the border, as they still do, often inter-marrying. The British Crown sent a large supply of black powder to be used by the Canadian Militia in St. Stephen for operations against the U.S.. The Canadian Militia promptly lent it to the town of Calais, Me. for their 4th of July celebrations. Now that's a civilized way to fight a war!
The British also occupied the port of Eastport, Maine during the war, it was a bloodless occupation. They maintained close ties with their American "enemies" and in fact stayed until 1818. Four years after the war ended!! I guess there is something to be said for living in a backwater place. Things are a lot more peaceful.

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[old crow]

There is some interesting background to this in "Tories" by Simon Winchester who labels the American Revolutionary War as "America's first civil war". Good read!

[mike webb]

Yeah, my ancestors were "run out of town" in 1784. They supported the British Crown and were originally from Maryland. His name was Richardson Webb and received a land grant in New Brunswick along with thousands of others. From all accounts they were fairly prosperous people and lost everything after the war. Last night here in New Brunswick it was 20 below and I have been considering petitioning the Queen for a heating oil subsidy.

[old crow]

Mike: Fascinating history. I am an amateur historian and until I read Simon Winchester's work I'd always thought that "tories" were a very small minority of the "colonies" but Simon's reporting says much different. Huge amount of shuttling of "tories" from RI, MA and NY to NB and much is said of NB in the work. I recall that he said that something on the order of 20% of Canadians who live along the CA/US border areas have colonial loyalist ancestry. Mr. Winchester's work contains very little about the organized army activities of either the "American" or the British army/navy but, rather, contains much history of "loyalist" vs "rebel" interactions outside the organized "national" forces. ed

[TDH]

Local history in Erie and Ottawa counties in Ohio claims to have produced the first battle of 1812 on Point Pleasent. It is a long sand bar that juts into Sandusky Bay from the west side. The sandbar is also a good musket shot from Johnson's Island the home of the Civil War Prison for Confederate officers. On the east side of the bay directly opposite is Cedar Point. Home of the amuusement park today.
That first battle started when a handful of local militia were attacked by a band of indians that were under British employ. The Militia were saved when others rowed across the bay from Cedar Point. That's our local history anyways.
Oh and there was another battle fought in the same area a bit later. Some fella by the name of Perry had a little naval battle on Lake Erie about 5 miles from that sand bar as the crow flies.

[old crow]

Oliver Hazard Perry! I think that Americans forget that "the war" was not necessarily just a New England affair. Folks tend to think of Philadelphia as the center of the Revolutionary War but the war tore apart the colonies from the Maine territory to Florida and the now Ohio to the Atlantic coast. The Native Americans played a very large part in the war, both on the British/Loyalist and the Patriot/Rebel sides and paid for their loyalties "in spades".

[jon_norstog]

They recently found some of the ships sunk in the battle of lake Erie, sitting on the bottom and just about as good as new. It was a special in National Geographic magazine where I saw it.

jn

[TDH]

Lake Erie has more ship wrecks than the rest of the Great lakes put togeather due mostly to the shallowness of the Lake. The western half averages less than 42 feet. That's from the western shore in Michigan to aproximately the Huron River. From that point east past Cleveland is the Central Basin and it averages over 85 feet The Eastern basin goes to the Niagra River and parts reach to almost 300' deep.