War of 1812

10 months on  
[ a pound light or a day or 2 late]

Walking with Joseph
 Napoleon's Army preparing for the season, as is Joseph.
First battle will be on 2nd of May

Walking with Andrew
March of the 104th Regiment
6 April  Quebec hands over to Ontario for re-enactment on the 104th march
12 April Re-enactment of 104th march concludes in Kingston.
22 April  Provincial Marine, which was established in 1778, is disbanded [name only]
23 April  First anniversary of this Blog
27 April Americans capture York [present day Toronto]
     Remnants of the Light Co of the 8th[Kings] Regiment arrive at Kingston, having retreated 
     from York. They joined other troops being assembled to defend Kingston. Included are the
     Grenadiers of the 100th Regiment (Roberts, pg 70)

War of 1812

Nine months on

Walking with Joseph
16 March 2013  Prussia declares war on France
        Joseph is still in winter quarters planning his next move. Will he go to Ireland as stated in our                   family history or ??

Walking with Andrew
 1813  100th Regiment receives advance notice that it is to move to Halifax later this year.
10 March 2013  New Brunswich hands over re-enactment to Quebec [ It appears that as the regiment moved along on its original march in 1813.the town/village it was at, in 2013, then did some
re-enacting]
15 March 1813  104th Regiment arrives at Quebec City  [24 days from Fredericton]
17 and 18 March 1813  Artillery duel between Blackrock, NY and Ft. Erie, UC.
19 March 1813  Capt James Yeo appointed commander of British Naval Forces on the Great Lakes
17 March 1813  Perry arrives at Erie, PA to construct US Fleet on Lake Erie
27 March 1813  104th leaves Quebec City for Kingston.

War of 1812

Eight months on

Walking with Joseph
4 March 1813  Russians enter Berlin
Napoleon planning his 1813 campaigns and raising his Army
Joseph still in winter quarters

Walking with Andrew
6 Feb 1813  Forsyth raids Elizabethtown [Brockville]
16 Feb 1813 104th Regiment starts its march to Kingston via Quebec City
Web sites  www.stjohnriver.org   and   www.warof1812nb.ca/   for re-enactments etc
22 Feb 1813  Macdonell retaliates and drives the American defenders from Ogdensburg
 for the remainder of the war

Americans also duplicate the march of the 104th with with Col Z. M. Pike leading 600 men
to Sackets Harbour from Plattsburg area.

Ref;  Pierre Burton's "Flames Across the Border, 1813-1814"  pages 15-33 [includes a map]
 for a preview  of the situation prior to the start of engagements in 1813

WAR of 1812

Seven months on

Walking with Joseph
In my last post I mentioned that Napoleon abandoned his Army on 5 Dec 1812 and the last
French elements left Russia on 14 Dec 1812
18 Dec 1812  Napoleon entered Paris just before midnight
30 Dec 1812  Yorck neutralized his Corps
Joseph was in Winter quarters

Walking with Andrew
9 Jan 1813  Britain declares War against  the Americans
18 Jan 1813  1st battle of River Raisin  [Battle of  Frenchtown, 25 miles south of Detroit]
22 Jan 1813  2nd Battle of River Raisin
1 Feb 1813  Construction starts at Fort Meigs  [at present day Perrysburg, Ohio.]

According to my calculations the 100th Regiment is scheduled to move in 1813
probably to Upper Canada
I believe Andrew is a member of the 100th Reg't Grenadier Company

For a listing of events during 1813 refer to The Ottawa Genealogist, Jan-Mar 1813 issue  page 47.

War of 1812

There are two books, among others, that I am using to post info/data re Joseph and Andrew. First. 'The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier' by Jakob Walter, 1788-1864 ISBN 0 14 01.6559 2, Paperback A fascinating and important historical document - The only known memoir of a common soldier in Napoleon's Army. "Eighteen year old German stonemason Jakob Walter served in the Grand Army of Napoleon between 1806 and 1813. His diary intimately records his trials: the long grueling marches in Prussia and Poland, the disastrous Russian compaign and the demoralizing defeat in a war few supported or understood" The family story of Joseph parallels the details of this diary but I have not been able to prove any facts. Joseph was a member of the 60th Regiment when he came to Canada in 1818 Second. 'For King and Canada' by A. Barry Roberts ISBN 1-55036-683-1 The story of the 100th Regiment of Foot during the War of 1812 NOTE: The 100th was renumbered the 99th Reg't. in Feb 1816. "Described by a Montreal poster of 1813 as 'The Prince Regent's Own Irish Heroes' for their exploits against the American invaders in the War of 1812. In this first detailed account of the Regiments history we follow the progress of young Irishmen volunteering for service in Canada until many of them elected to become Redcoat soldier-settlers in Goulbourn Twp, now part of the City of Ottawa" Andrew was a member of the 100th/99th Regiment. Both Joseph and Andrew would eventually settle in Goulbourn Township

War of 1812

Following on from my post of 2 Aug 2012 re military activities in the Canada's

Ref; Jon Latimer's 1812  - War with America on page 122
Being sent
A detachment of the Royal Artillery Corp
A detachment of Royal Artillery Drivers
A detachment of Royal Sappers and Miners [Some of the above would settle in Goulbourn Twp.
13th Regiment of Foot [1st Summersetshire??]
41st/ 2nd Batt'n  [445 Men in Bermuda]
70th Reg't [Glasgow Lowland]
98th Regiment
Swiss mercenaries DeMeuron and DeWatteville [1300 men in Spain]

104th Regiment would march to UC  from Fredericton, NB. in Feb/Mar 1813 More later

War of 1812

Four months on

Walking with Joseph
19 October 1812  Napoleon evacuates Moscow
   The Army now consisted of 87,500 infantry, 14,750 cavalry, 533 guns with a train of some 40,000
    carriages and waggons. Ref;  Nigel Nicolson's 'Napoleon 1812'

Walking with Andrew
21 September 1812  Forsythe raids Gananoque, seizes stores and burns Gov't. Depot.
  4 October 1812.  British troops drive off American Garrison at Ogdensburg.
  9 October 1812. HMS Caledonia and Detroit captured off Ft. Erie.
13 October 1812. Battle of Queenston Heights. Brock KIA.
                             Sheaffe counter attacks and wins the day. Many American Soldiers captured
14 October 1812. Sheaffe concludes an immediate Armistice  as a result of Brocks death.
16 October 1812  Funeral procession from Government House to Ft. George for Isaac Brock and
                              Lt. Col John Macdonnell. Over 5,000 persons attended.
20 October 1812  Sheaffe replaces Brock as Administrator and Commander of Upper Canada.

War of 1812

This post will look like a like book review but it is not. Deals with the first major engagement of the war.
Ref; 'A Very Brilliant Affair'  by Robert Malcomson. The Battle of Queenston Heights,
 October 1812

Part One.   War is declared, 1812
                   Preparations for War in Washington and Quebec
Part Two. The Summer Campaign  June to  October 1812
                   Activities leading up to and the Battle itself, 13 October 1812
        Epilogue; "May its effects not be lost upon the rising generation"
        Glossary of Terms. A good source of the meaning of terms and phrases used in 1812 Military.

       Appendix A. The last words of Isaac Brock
       Appendix B. Brock's Monument and Queenston Heights to-day.
       Appendix C. thru F. American data  [similar to Appendix G-J below]
       Appendix G. British Army Personnel involved at Queenston Heights
       Appendix H. Upper Canada Militia Personnel involved at Queenston heights
       Appendix I. Brock's Army on the Niagara Frontier, October 1812
       Appendix J. British Order of Battle, 13 October 1812
                        Above 4 Appendix G-J contains lists of soldiers by Regiment and Militia Units   
                        and  contained in 13 pages. A good source of genealogical info if one has possible
                        ancestors in this area. British Regiments mentioned are the 41st, 49th and Artillery

Tomorrow 13 Oct 2012 there will be a re-enactment of the battle of Queenston Heights and Sunday 14 Oct there will be a re-enactment of Brock's Funeral and Burial

War of 1812

Three months on

Walking with Joseph in Europe

7 Sept.  Napoleon defeats Kutuzov at Borodino
9-18 Sept. Wellington's siege of Burgos fails.
14 Sept.  Napoleon arrives at Moscow

Walking with Andrew in Upper and Lower Canada

3-8 Sept. Native Americans attack several settlements/forts in US territories
8 Sept. Truce arranged between Prevost and Dearborn officially ends
16 Sept. Lt. James FitzGibbon prevents an ambush, east of Prescott, of a number of Batteaux
   carrying British soldiers' families by an American raiding party from Ogdensburg, NY.

Lt. FitzGibbon played a very important role in defending Upper Canada. He came to UC with Brock's Regiment and was active up to the 1837 Rebellion. It was he who Laura Secord told about an American attack at Beaver Dams. Refer to 'A Veteran of 1812' for an account of his life in Canada,
written by his granddaughter. A  copy is in our branch library

War of 1812

Two months on

Walking with Joseph  - in Europe

11 Aug 1812  Napoleon and the Grand Army leave Vitebsk where it has been since 29 July 1812
12 Aug 1812  Wellington enters Madrid
17 Aug 1812  Napoleon involved in Battle of Smolensk, Russia
25 Aug 1812  Grand Army leaves Smolensk going east towards Moscow

Walking with Andrew  - in Upper and Lower Canada

I recently accessed the Pay and Muster lists for the 100th Regiment, 25 Sept - 24 Dec 1812 at the Goulbourn Museum. The regiment is still headquartered at Chambly, LC. This list identified soldiers, some of whom drowned, died and deserted etc. [The paymaster would need to know this about each soldier] The list contains 557 privates.

14 Aug 1812  Brock and Tecumseh meet at Fort Amherstburg
15 Aug 1812  Unpleasant actions at Fort Dearborn [Chicago]
16 Aug 1812 Brock crosses over to Detroit and after a short engagement General Hall surrenders Fort Detroit [ One of the soldiers killed in this engagement was Lt. Porter Hanks,who a short time ago, surrendered Fort Mackinac to the British.

8 Aug 1812  Prevost - Dearborn agreed to an Armistice which would end on 4 Sept 1812. They had learned that the Orders-in Council which restricted ocean shipping had been repealed by a new British Government

A point of interest. Three of the principles about whom I am writting were all born in the same year.
1769 -Napoleon; Duke of Wellington, Sir Arthur Wellseley and Major General Sir Isaac Brock.

War of 1812

2 Aug 2012
A mid month catch up.

Since the capture of Ft. Mackinac
19 July 1812
Provincial Marine attacked Sackets Harbour but were driven off
22 July 1812
On the European front the battle of Salamanca occured in Spain

Update on the Regiments etc in Upper Canada [Regt's usually rotated every 2 years]
Royal Regiment of Artillery 375 Officers and men
Royal Artillery Drivers 31 Men
Royal Engineers 3 men
10th Royal Veterans Batt'n
8th Reg't of Ft  1st Batt'n
49th; 100th; 103rd; 104th Reg'ts of Ft.   41st was in Lower Canada
Royal Newfoundland Reg't
Canadian Fencibles   
Glengarry Light Infantry
Canadian Voltigeurs

5 Aug 1812
Skirmish at Brownstown
8 Aug 1812
Brock embarks from Port Dover for relief of Amherstburg
12 Aug 1812
Wellington enters Madrid [ Vuelta d'Espana ends here 8 Sept 2012 after a 3 week tour of northern Spain, which starts 18 Aug 2012]








8

War of 1812

One month on

17 July 1812
To-day is the bi-centennial of the British capture of Fort Mackinac. Captain Charles Roberts [he was advised that the war had been declared on 8th of July] the 10th Royal Veterans Battalion sailed from Ft St Joseph, overnight on the Caledonia, and Lt Porter Hanks [when he was confronted by the British said 'What war??'] had no option but to surrender. The British occupied the Fort until the end of the war.
Burton has a very good account of the event in his book, 'The Invasion of Canada 1812-1812' pages 13-15.

At the start of the war Upper Canada was garrisoned by British 41st Reg and 10th Royal Veterans Batt'n as well as about 100 Royal Artillerymen. Also alternating between Upper and Lower Canada were the 49th and 100th Regiments. As the war progressed other Reg'ts would be added and it will be noted when this happens.

19 July 1812
Provincial Marine attacks Sackets Harbour,1st time. It was a short but unequal engagement and the British sailed away. [Every major war vessel that sailed the lake was built here] The Royal George was involved and we will hear from her again later

War of 1812

18 June 2012

And now it begins and will continue to 24 Dec. 1814 and beyond

President Madison issued a proclimation declaring war on Great Britain

I recently visited the new Exibition at the War Museum entitled 'The Four Wars of 1812'
I intend to use this format in future posts;
1. Canada. Walking with Andrew [Spearman a member of 100th Regiment]
2. Europe. Walking with Joseph [Stanzel a member of Napoleon's Army]
3. Bytown. Walking 200 years ago in present day City of Ottawa
4. Ottawa. Walking 100 years ago to the present.
Not all posts will contain info on all of the above, starting with this post, and continuing on an irregular basis

Walking with Joseph
On 24 June 1812 Napoleon with his army of 500K+ soldiers crossed the Niemen River into Russia on his way to Moscow

Walking with Andrew
 He is no doubt preparing for war. His exact location at this time is not known but is probably somewhere along the Canadian/American border.

Bytown
There was no involvement locally in the War of 1812 but settlers were moving into the area, Honeywell in 1810/11 and Billings in 1812/13

Ottawa
2012 is the 100th anniv of the opening of th Chateau Laurier and the Railway Station across the street. For War of 1812 activites in the area, mainly along the St Lawrence River, check out website
 www.celebrate1812.ca

Walking with Andrew

1 Month to go

Everyone knew that the war was imminent. Andrew may be at one of a number of places even at Fort St. Joseph up near present day Soo Ste. Marie. We will hear more abour Andrew later. As I look back on events of 200 yrs ago, relative to to-day, it is hard to imagine how long it took to do anything. About two months to sail across the ocean from England. Imagine transporting equipment, food personnel etc from Montreal to the Niagara area. What about sending messages around. There must have been soldiers/militia detailed to do this. Brock sent a letter to an acquaintance re obtaining assistance from the Natives in the comming war and it took 5 months to get a reply.

Ships were involved in the war also. In fact one of the main reasons that started the war was impressment of sailors from American Ships by the British. There were many battles between ships during the war, not only on the great lakes but also on the high seas.The Royal Navy catagorized their ships into three types and six'rates'. A ship-of-the-line had two or more covered gun decks. A frigate had only one covered gun decks. The third type comprised all other ships
The first rate carried 100 guns or more. The second rate, 90-100 guns. third rate, 60-90 guns and so on. The ships on the great lakes had to be built on that lake [ no Welland Canal]and were of the smaller type and rating

Walking with Joseph

2 Months to go

Events in Europe in 1810 and 1811
9 July 1810 Massena takes Ciudad Rodrigo in Portugal
9 July 1810 Napoleon annexes Holland
27 Sept 1810 Battle of Bussaco
10 Oct 1810 Massena's advance stalled by lines of Torres Vedras

5 Mar 1811 Masena begins withdrawal
3-5 May 1811 Battle of Fuentes Onoro
23 Dec 1811 Napoleon begins preparations to invade Russia. [Family story is that Joseph was part of this invasion?? Get another pair of boots!]

Closer to home.
To kick off the American commemoration of the War of 1812 an Armada of modern United States Navy ships and 1812 vintage tall ships from around the world will converge in New Orleans, Louisana from 17 - 23 April 2012. www.nolanavyweek.com

From Legion Magazine www.legionmagazine.com They are running a series of 'Battlefields Then and Now' in each issue. In the Mar/Apr 2012 issue pgs 2-3 and 26-31 featured is the
Battle of Chateauguay, 26 October 1813 which occured south of Montreal

Walking with Andrew

3 Months to go

Continuing with Barry Robert's 'For King and Canada'

Chapter 5 -Prelude to War. Regiment was stationed in Niagara River area 1809-1811.
A scheduled move to Bermuda was rescinded. Recruiting was restarted in Ireland and
George Ferguson was one of the new recruits. On 2 May 1812 the Regiment was renamed
'The Prince Regent's County of Dublin Regiment'

So what is a Regiment?
From Jon Latimers' '1812 War with America' pages 8-10
The Regiment was an administrative organization -- The Battalion was the Tactical Unit
A Regiment consisted of one or more Battalions which consisting of 10 Companies
Each company consisted of up to 100 men. There were two elite of Flank Companies.
Grenadiers were robust veterans and formed on the right side of the Companies when in line.
Light Company were skirmishers and proficient with the rifle, lined up on left side.

For another description of the Army units refer to Donald Graves 'Red Coats and
Grey Jackets' pages 47-54. This book is about the Battle of Chippawa at which the 100th Regiment 'had a bad day'. Also included are pictures of weapons and soldiers, etc.

Next Walking with Joseph 18 April 2012

Walking with Joseph

4 Months to Go

Joseph has his new boots and continuing from his post of 18 Dec 2011

Events of interest in Europe 1808 and 1809
6 June 1808 Napoleon's Brother proclaimed King of Spain
1 Aug 1808 Wellesley [Duke of Wellington] lands in Portugal
5 Nov 1808 Napoleon assumes command in Spain
4 Dec 1808 Napoleon enters Madrid

16 Jan 1809 Napoleon forces Moore to evacuate at Corunna
26 Apr 1809 Wellesley returns to Portugal
13 May 1809 Napoleon enters Vienna
20 Oct 1809 Starts construction Lines of Torres Vedras

Next walking with Andrew 18 Mar 2012

Walking with Andrew

Five months and counting [First of three posts before 18 Jun 2012]
Andrew Spearman was born in Sligo, Co. Sligo Ire. about 1785
Ref; Attestation papers, File H-166 Goulbourn Museum. Joined in Dublin, 21 Sept 1804, age 19, for an unlimited period of service, attested by Maj. Hamilton.
After a period of initial training in Ireland the Reg't moved to The Isle of Wight and left Portsmouth 29 Aug 1805, for North America, with a large fleet of ships.They ran into severe weather, probably a hurricane, and one ship was wrecked [Nias] and most drowned; two went aground near Cape Breton and spent the winter on east coast [Two Friends and Three Brothers];
The Eagle and Osborne both arrived at Quebec 14 Nov 1805, not in good repair.
The regiment went into Garrison at Quebec City and spent time training and rebuilding to replace the 3 Company of soldiers lost on the Nias

An excellent account of the Regiment's activities is detailed in A. Barry Roberts' ' For King and Canada' ISBN 1-55036-683-1 available from Goulbourn Museum

Chapter 1 -Call to Arms Deals with raising the Regiment
Chapter 2 -Shaping the Regiment. Training, Training and more Training.
Reg't consists on 10 Companies of up to 100 Soldiers each
Chapter 3 -Farewell to Ireland. details events with shipwrecks and even correspondence
Chaprte 4 -Peace in time of War. In fall of 1807 Reg't ready for field Service.
As was the policy of moving Reg'ts every 2 yrs, Reg't HQ was moved to Fort Chambly

Next 18 Feb. Walking with Joseph part 2, events in Europe

Walking with Joseph

Six Months and Counting 18 Dec 2011 [First of three posts prior to 18 June 1812]
Joseph Stanzel is my gr.gr.grandfather. He was born [tbd] somewhere near Strasbourg, France? about 1788. I estimate he was conscripted into Napoleon's Army in 1806. From a family document the method of recruitment in those days was rather simple. It was carried out by a recruitment officer who came to each home. "If you had sons eighteen yrs of age or older, they were obliged to reach into a leather pouch which contained white and black balls. If you drew a white ball, you stayed at home, if a black ball, you were in the army. [I wonder if this is the origin of the expression 'blacked balled'] If the army was in need of more recruits, the officer removed some of the white balls. There was no medical checkup in those days and the young man was sent off for training usually in the infantry"
A few events in Europe; French Revolution 1789-1795; Napoleon in Egypt 1798 and he returned to France 23 Aug 1799; Brittain attacked Copenhagen, 2 Apr 1801; Peace of Amiens, 24 Mar 1802; Brittain declares war on France, 16 May 1803; Napoleon, b. 15 Aug 1769 in Corsica, crowns himself Emperor, 2 Dec 1804; Nelson dies at Battle of Trafalgar, 21 Oct 1805; Confederation of the Rhine, 12 July 1806; British Bombard Copenhagen and sieze Danish Fleet, 2-7 Sep 1807.
Most of above events taken from 'The Napoleonic Wars' by Gunther Rothenberg, 1999.
Walking with Joseph will deal with events in Europe. On 18 Jan 2012 we start 'Walking with Andrew' which will deal with events in North America. Andrew Spearman was a Sgt in 100th Reg't. We will hear more about him later. Both Joseph and Andrew settled in Goulbourn Twp as part of the Richmond Military Settlement, 1818