First Edition Published May 28, 2016
Second Edition Published November
28, 2017
Third Edition Published November
4, 2020
Copyright by Fred Blair
Changes and additions in blue text.
November 1, 1814
In York
About this time, Joseph Cawthra, a
merchant of York, and his son Jonathan had travelled to Barber’s Creek to
unload Joseph’s goods from a boat which had been stove in. The night after they had brought the goods to
shore, a barrel containing almost 40 gallons of Jamaica rum was stolen. Jonathan certified that he had heard one of
the soldiers confess to Captain Peach that the rum had been taken by the men of
the captain’s brigade and that the rum had been distributed among the different
troops stationed there. Reuben J. Kennedy
certified that the troops had been intoxicated.
After the rum had been disposed of the barrel had been burnt. In 1815, Joseph claimed over 42 pounds for this
loss.[1]
Barber’s Creek now flows into Lake Ontario south of
Bowmanville. The boat would have been
traveling west to make its delivery at York.
Jonathan Cawthra and his brother served in the 3rd York Militia
and had helped get the guns across the river prior to the capture of Fort
Detroit in 1812. Jonathan had also taken
part in General Sheaffe’s advance on the Americans at Queenston Heights in the
same year. Joseph’s store on King Street
had been looted by the Americans in April, 1813.[2]
In Charlotteville
Early in the month the eleven-room
house of Silas Montross of Charlotteville was occupied by the officers of a
large detachment of the 37th British Regiment. Subsequently the house on Turkey Point was
converted into a barracks and Silas and his family of 8 children were denied
the use of all but 2 rooms. He was also
denied the use of the bar room and other rooms which were his source of
income. The regiment occupying the
building had refused to pay him rent. On
July 1, 1815, he petitioned the War Loss Commission for the rent of his
premises which was still occupied.[3]
On the Niagara Frontier
Private John Campbell of the 5th Lincoln Militia had
an accident and received a pension after the war for his disability. Other sources recorded that he was stabbed by
an Indigenous warrior in Ancaster but did not record a date.[4]
November 2, 1814
John Baxter and Charles Hill of Bertie Township arrived at Fort
Erie and found the fort evacuated and a number of buildings on fire, including
Henry Warren’s large painted fourteen-room house, merchant store, forwarding
store, cooper shop, and 2 stables with attached sheds.[5]
November 4, 1814
In Oxford
The American Brigadier General
Duncan McArthur and his mounted riflemen arrived at Oxford, now Ingersoll, and
plundered the homesteads.
Captain William Caldwell lead a mounted force west to Oxford but
McArthur had turned back at the Grand River.
The captain captured a local man named Blazely who had assisted the
Americans. Captain Caldwell estimated
that the Americans had carried off 250 horses, 200 sheep, 100 oxen, and 100
hogs. Jacob Wood and George Nichol had travelled
from Oxford to Burford to report the American attack. Jacob’s house, furniture, barn, hay, grain,
joiner’s shop and tools were all destroyed.[6]
Lieutenant Ephraim Land of the 5th
Lincoln Militia took a detachment of 13 men to the Grand River to prevent
McArthur from crossing.[7]
November 5, 1814
The American Evacuation of the
Niagara Peninsula
In Oxford
Andrew Westbrook had purchased a mill built
on George Nichols’ land in 1810. After
war was declared Andrew declared himself on the side of the Americans. The British confiscated the mill while Andrew
had fled and joined a band of American marauders who would later return to burn
his former neighbour’s homes, destroy their crops, and drive off their
cattle. By 1813, George Nichols had
acquired the mill which became known as Nichol’s Mill.
After the Battle of the
Thames, George heard the Americans advancing up the Stage Road towards his mill
and he and Jacob Wood quickly traveled to Burford to warn the Oxford
Militia. When he returned home, he found
25 American troopers encamped beside his house.
His 2 children were locked in the pigpen and his wife, Betsy, was locked
in their cabin. When the Americans left 3
days later, they burned George’s mill, house, and barn. After the war George unsuccessfully
petitioned for a land grant on the basis of his scouting service.[8]
On September 9, 1815, George made a
war loss claim as a resident of Oxford Township. It was certified that he had travelled a
distance of 30 miles in order to deliver the first warning of the American
approach. The men serving under
Brigadier General McArthur had burnt his log barn, his house, and their
contents. Among the 54 items in his list
of losses were his harvested crops, farm tools, 2 saddles, a sleigh and
harness, a fish net, 4 muskets and a rifle, his furniture, and hides, leather,
and shoemaking tools.[9]
The American Brigadier General
Duncan McArthur and his mounted riflemen arrived at Burford where they
plundered provisions and burnt the school.
They then moved on to Brant’s Ford where they exchanged shots with a
British force, on the east side of the swollen Grand River. Travelling south they reached Mount Pleasant
where they burnt Perrin’s grist mill and looted more supplies.
Private Chancy Smith of the Oxford Militia was killed. After the war his orphaned children were
taken in by Myranne Lymburner, who was his widow.[10]
[11]
November 6, 1814
The Battle of Malcolm’s Mills
The American Brigadier General
Duncan McArthur and his mounted riflemen arrived at Malcolm’s Mills where they
defeated a smaller force of Upper Canadian Militia. They burned Malcolm’s grist and saw
mills. At Lower Oakland they burnt
Gate’s Mill, at Waterford, Sovereign’s Mill, and two more on the road before
nightfall. The Americans retreated back
to Detroit travelling north of Lake Erie and arrived there on the 17th.
Upper Canadians Wounded
Private Co…wain, 2nd
Norfolk
Swain Corlis[12]
Private Caleb Powell, 1st
Norfolk[13]
Were there others?
Near Hamilton, New York
On October 17th, Robert
Grant was sent down river to Lachine, Quebec to pick up and return with nine
barrels containing just over 584 gallons of Jamaica spirits and one hogshead
containing sixty-three gallons of Teneriffe wine for John Patterson and Company
of Kingston. On November 6th,
the vessel was captured by a party of Americans from the Village of Hamilton,
New York and the wine and spirits were taken.
On the 15th, James Swyers of Kingston Township requested
permission from the Commandant of Kingston, Major General Robinson, for
permission to cross over to the American shore under a flag of truce in order
to attempt to recover the stolen shipment.
The crossing was prohibited.
After the war the merchants made a war loss claim.[14]
November 7, 1814
North of Lake Erie
Private George Winegarden, of the 4th
Lincoln Militia, was scouting the approach of McArthur’s army when he lost a
horse with saddle and bridle, a blanket, and a great coat.[15]
There was no record of his being taken prisoner. How did he lose his horse and gear?
November 8, 1814
In Durham County
The York Road was in constant use during the war. James H. Wilson of Darlington Twp. must have
been living near the road because he suffered losses twice in the fall of
1814. On September 7th, the 97th
Regiment and other British troops stopped at his farm on their way to
York. Farmer’s fields were ideal open
fields on which to set-up camps. They
destroyed a ton and a half of hay, ten bushels of potatoes, 400 cabbages, as
well as beets, carrots, and tobacco and burnt a house. James did not claim for the contents of the
house, which suggests that he was not living in it himself.
On November 8th, a detachment with boats destroyed 2500 rails, 6
tons of hay, and 50 bushels of potatoes.
Rails provided dry wood for camp fires and were a common loss during the
war. James was late in getting his
potatoes out of the field.
The same day a group of prisoners under escort to Kingston
stayed over and destroyed 500 more rails, 10 bushels of rye, and 500 feet of
boards.[16]
November 9, 1814
At Burlington Heights
Captain Robert Francis of the
British 103rd Regiment impressed William Morgan’s large boat to
transport soldiers from Burlington Beach to a schooner anchored off shore. When the soldiers arrived at the schooner it
was discovered that it was not possible to use it to convey them to
Kingston. The officer in charge of the
soldiers decided to use William’s boat to continue on to Kingston. About 30 miles below the Town of York the
boat was stove in and lost. It took
William, who remained at Burlington Heights, some time to learn what had
happened to his boat and to claim for its loss.[17]
November 12, 1814
British sailors had raided the home
of Reverend John D. Broeffel, the Presbyterian Minister at Williamsburg. They stole some produce, clothing, furniture,
and books. The sailors came back ashore
and offered to sell the books to his close neighbour, Adjutant Daniel
Myers. He had not bought the books because
they were in Latin, and no use to him.[18]
November 13, 1814
At Kingston
Thomas Goldsmith was born in County
Cork, Ireland and arrived in America at age 6 with his parents. On July 2, 1813, he was taken prisoner when
the American ship Julia was captured by the British. Since then he had served on the British ship
Royal George, later named the Niagara.
On this date, Thomas deserted with another seaman, was captured on an
American Island, and was brought back to Kingston as a prisoner. He was eligible for a pardon as a British
subject who had been in the American service but returned to the British. Thomas declined to take advantage of the
pardon and was liable to be tried for desertion.[19]
November 14, 1814
John Strange and Company of Kingston
were plundered by the Americans of six boxes of raisins, 2 casks of raisins,
over 73 gallons of port wine, 74 gallons of Spanish wine, 5 barrels of rum, a
cask of coffee, and a box of mustard.[20]
On the Niagara Frontier
Peter Springstead and James Biggar
witnessed the theft of a mare from Robert Biggar in Stoney Creek by an Indian
named John Barefoot. James wrote that he
was riding on of Robert’s horses to Dundas with him when John Barefoot threw
him off his horse and rode away with it.[21]
Theft by Indians was common on the
Niagara Frontier but rarely was the thief named.
November 30, 1814
On the 2nd, the
Light Horse arrived on Benjamin Smith’s farm in Ancaster Township and stayed
there until the 6th.[22]
Upper Canadian Service Deaths
Lieutenant George Hainer, 1st Lincoln, illness,
November 22, 1814
Widow Catharine Hainer
Private Michael Warner, 1st Lincoln, illness,
November 1, 1814
Widow Phoebe Warner
Private Francis Weaver, 1st Lincoln, disease, November 13 or 15,
1814,
Widow Elizabeth Weaver, Orphaned children [23] [24]
Sources:
[1] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1135, pages 873-878.
[2] Anthony Adamson, Wasps
in the Attic, 1987, pages 77-78, courtesy of David Cawthra, d.cawthra@btinternet.com, February
13, 2014.
[3] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1126, pages 758-760.
[4] Pension Poster
– Casualties, January 1, 1817, Nelles Family Fonds, Ref. Code F 542,
box MU 2192, Ontario Archives, Toronto.
[5] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1129, pages 507-527.
[6] Forces of Lord
Selkirk, facebook group, Nov. 4, 2020.
Cruikshank, Captain E.A., Documentary History of the Campaign on the
Niagara Frontier in 1814. Part II. Niagara Falls, Lundy’s Lane Historical
Society, p. 312 and at a meeting
of the Directors of the Loyal and Patriotic Society, held at the Chambers of
the Chief Justice on the 21st day of January, 1815
[7] Collections Canada,
War of 1812: Upper Canada Returns,
Norminal Rolls and Paylists, RG9, Militia and Defence, Series 1-B-7, Microfilm
t-10386, page 1070.
[8] Ruth Ellis, More Than
a Mere Matter of Marching, Ontario Genealogical Society, Niagara Peninsula
Branch, 2013, pages 174-176.
[9] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1127, pages 1338-1344.
[10] List of Orphan
Children whose Fathers have been killed in Action, or have died from Wounds
received or Disease contracted on Service, poster at the Ontario Archives.
[11] Militia Pensions
Agents Office, York, 1st October, 1817, List of Widows, poster at
the Ontario Archives, Toronto.
[12] The Report of the
Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada, with an appendix and a list of
subscribers and benefactors, William Gray, Montreal, 1817, page 266-267,
accessed on Dec. 14, 2018 at https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/4754
[13] Pension Poster – Casualties, January 1,
1817, Nelles Family Fonds, Ref. Code F 542,
box MU 2192,
Ontario Archives, Toronto.
[14] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1126, pages 793-799.
[15] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1135, pages 373-377.
[16] Upper Canada War Loss
Claims, www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-119.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=nf5gb8qjdi09u45qfhi78sl726&sqn=1104&q2=33&q3=2799&tt=1394,
pages 1104-1106, accessed Mar. 28, 2020.
[17] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1140, pages 185-189.
[18] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1143, page 750.
[19] Collections Canada,
RG8, Microfilm C-3233, pages 1120-1121.
[20] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1137, page 853.
[21] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1127, page 933.
[22] Benjamin Smith’s
Diary, Benjamin Smith Fonds F582, Ontario Archives, Toronto, Ontario.
[23] List of Orphan Children whose Fathers
have been killed in Action, or have died from Wounds received or Disease
contracted on Service, poster at the Ontario Archives.
[24] Militia Pensions Agents Office, York, 1st
October, 1817, List of Widows, poster at the Ontario Archives, Toronto.
End
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