First Edition Published May 14,
2016
Second Edition Published August
1, 2017
Third Edition Published August
29, 2020
Copyright by Fred Blair
Additions are in blue text.
September 1, 1814
Near Oxford
Andrew Westbrook’s American raiders
were ambuscaded by Middlesex militia under the command of Lieutenant Daniel Rapelje. Several of the marauders were killed
including one of the leaders. Westbrook
and the remainder escaped into the woods but had to abandon the horses and
cattle that they had captured. They
would attack again 4 days later.[1]
September 3, 1814
On Lake Huron
The British captured the American
schooner Tigress off Drummond Island.
The Tigress and Scorpion had helped destroy the British ship Nancy in
August. Four boatloads of British and
Indians stealthily approached the Tigress during the night. The British used the Tigress to capture the
Scorpion.
Chief Jean Baptiste Assiginack and
his warriors had taken part in the capture of both American vessels. The warriors had quietly snuck on board the
Tigress before the Americans were aware that they were under attack.[2]
In Kingston
Daniel Davern received title to two
lots of land on Missassauga Point in the Town of Kingston. When the property was later surveyed, it was
discovered that the Missassauga Battery had previously been constructed on part
of his waterfront lots. Mr. Davern
requested another parcel of land of equal value.[3]
At Fort Erie
Colonel Joseph Willcock’s, the
traitor and commander of the American Canadian Volunteers, was killed while
placing men on guard at Fort Erie, while it was occupied by the Americans.[4]
September 5, 1814
At Port Talbot
Andrew
Westbrook and the American raiders burned mills and a number of houses in the
port and for 15 miles down the Talbot Road.
Prominent members of the
Western District petitioned Brigadier General McArthur who commanded the
American troops at Detroit and Amherstburg to stop the American raids in their
area. They reminded him of the
September, 1813 proclamation by General Harrison and Commodore Perry promising
to protect the lives and property of Upper Canadians.[5]
On the Niagara Frontier
Although prices were inflated, it
was announced that the commissariat would pay only $14.00 per barrel of flour
and $10.00 per barrel of beef. Residents
who were deemed to have a surplus would have their flour and beef requisitioned
at these fixed prices. Upper Canadians
holding back this surplus would be punished.
An examination of the “back
townships” revealed that there was no expected surplus in that area.[6]
How many residents received prompt
payment for their “surplus?”
In the Newcastle District
A Court of Oyer and Terminer and
General Gaol Delivery was held in Hamilton Township by Justice William Dummer
Powell. Duncan Campbell was found guilty
of forgery. On the 7th, he
was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead on the 19th.
In October, 1813, Duncan had entered
the shop of Henry Jones and paid his account with a $25.00 bill and exchanged a
second bill. After Duncan, left Henry
observed that the two bills Duncan had given him did not match others he had on
hand. Henry pursued Duncan and found him
in another shop where he was paying for a purchase with another $25.00
bill. Henry spoke to the shopkeeper and
they discovered that that bill was counterfeit as well. Duncan was arrested but claimed that he had
received the bills from someone else and that he himself was not aware that
they were forgeries. Duncan petitioned
for clemency and 800 residents from the Johnstown District signed petitions for
him. Before he could be paroled, Duncan escaped
from the Brockville jail.[7]
September 6, 1814
On Lake Ontario
Henry Beasley, the son of Richard
Beasley of Barton Township, was travelling with a ship load of goods for his
father when the ship was captured by the Americans at Presqu’ile Point near
Trenton. Among the many trunks, bundles,
cases, boxes, crates, casks, and kegs were soap, sugar, pepper, tea, mustard,
snuff, putty, iron, wines, gun powder, shot, cavalry steel, window glass,
nails, and numerous other articles.[8]
Richard was the lieutenant colonel
of the 2nd York Militia where Henry served as an ensign.
September 7, 1814
At
Brockville
A Court of
Oyer and Terminer and General Gaol Delivery was held at Brockville in the
Johnstown District by Justice William Dummer Powell. John Brunner was found guilty of assault with
the intent to commit a rape and was sentenced the following day to be confined
for 6 months, to pay a fine of 10 pounds, and to find security for his good
behaviour for one year.
Jacob
Morse was found guilty of riot and assault and was sentenced to a fine of 10
pounds, to be confined until the fine was paid, and to find security to keep
the peace for 6 months.[9]
September 9, 1814
On Lake Erie
The American, Captain McCormick, was
raiding in the Port Talbot area. One of
Elizabeth Rapelje’s children warned her that a group of Americans was
approaching the family farm. Elizabeth
knew that Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Talbot of the 1st Middlesex
Militia had left important papers in her husband’s care. She quickly grabbed the documents and hid
them near the family’s bee hives in the hope that the Americans would be afraid
to disturb the bees by searching too close to the hives.
Elizabeth’s three daughters, Elsie,
Aletta, and Catherine, were present during the raid. Their ages ranged from about thirteen to
seventeen years old. One of the warriors
travelling with Captain McCormick’s party tried to take one of the girl’s
dresses from the house. She grabbed hold
of it and fought to take in away from the warrior. One of the soldiers stepped in and saved the
girl from being harmed.[10]
Elizabeth’s husband, Captain Daniel
Rapelje served under Thomas Talbot and was probably away at the time of the
raid. He later reported that the
Americans had taken clothing, books, household furniture, and other
articles. The raiding party did not
appear to have plundered the barn and other buildings on the property. The hidden papers remained safe.
The family was raided again in November by General McArthur’s
army. During this second raid crops and
livestock were taken or destroyed.
Daniel reported the loss of two of his bee hives on that occasion.[11]
September 10, 1814
On the Niagara Frontier
James D. Secord of St. David’s had a
number of his books taken by the Americans:
a large Bible, two volumes of Murry’s Geography, two volumes of the Life
of Boneparte, two volumes of Gurthey’s Travels, two volumes of The History of
England, and Thoughts on Law. He lost
articles in 1813, as well, which included clothing, two English watches, and
two French watches.[12]
September 15, 1814
In Leeds Township
Christopher Trickey’s mare was found
“mortally wounded”, having been stabbed a number of times with a bayonet or
other pointed weapon. The residents of
Lansdowne had been under the threat of a gang of horse thieves from across the
St. Lawrence River. Daniel McNeil and John
Trickey were sure that the gang were responsible for killing the horse.[13]
September 19, 1814
At Niagara Falls
Lieut. John Le Couteur, of the 104th
Foot, and other British officers invited 13 American officers for dinner. Afterwards he escorted 6 of them to Mrs.
Willson’s tavern at the Falls where they were staying while under parole as
prisoners.[14]
September 20, 1814
At Port Talbot
Colonel Thomas Talbot reported that the Americans had returned
to Port Talbot and burned his mills and buildings. All his flour was burnt and sheep were
killed. The loss of the mills would hurt
the farmers in the area as the closest mill was 120 miles away.
The house and barns of Lieutenant
Colonel Mahlon Burwell and others had been burned too. The Americans proceeded 16 miles down the
Talbot Road and took all the horses they could find, pillaged houses of
clothing, and destroyed furniture that could not be carried off. Both officers served in the 1st
Middlesex Militia.
Colonel Talbot presented the Loyal
and Patriotic Society with a list of 27 families that needed assistance because
of the American raids that summer.[15]
September 24, 1814
On the Niagara Frontier
Obadiah Dennis of Point Abino in
Bertie Township had his barn burnt by the British on May 28, 1813 in order to
destroy their provisions stored there.
On this day his life was threatened by a party of men who declared that
they were Americans. They plundered his
house of bedding, clothing, a saddle, 3 bridles, and other articles. The following day a party of American
Rifleman and others plundered his home again.
The second group of raiders were more interested in provisions but also
took several geography books, 2 brass candle sticks, a brass kettle, and a
dresser.[16]
September 25, 1814
William Bitner, of Willoughby
Township, had his smithy tools impressed by the British 19th Light
Dragoons and some of his coal impressed by the Royal Artillery. They took 2 hammers, 3 pair of tongs,
chisels, punches, 40 pounds of iron, and 200 bushels of coal.[17]
At York
Captain Stephen Heward of the 3rd York Militia
commanded a large detachment of men who were employed in the Engineer
Department at York until October 24, 1814.
The men were mustered from the 1st and 3rd York
Militias.[18]
September 30, 1814
On Lake Ontario
Sometime during the month, Andrew Heron of Niagara was shipping
merchandise from Presqu’ile to York when his boat was attacked by the
Americans. Mr. Franceoux who was aboard
was wounded and died within a few hours.[19]
In Ancaster Township
Most of Benjamin Smith’s diary
entries for this month were too faint to read.
On the farm in Ancaster Township they appeared to have “picked” brush,
plowed, delivered flax to Burlington, hauled wood, and thrashed wheat.[20]
Upper Canadian Service Deaths
Sergeant George Marlat, 2nd York, disease, Sept. 1,
1814,
orphaned child to Rebecca Kenny
Private John McGrath, Incorporated Militia, at Fort Erie, Sept.
24, 1814,
orphaned child to Catherine McGrath [21]
Sources:
[1] Colonel E.A.
Cruikshank, A Study of Disaffection in Upper Canada in 1812-15, The Royal
Society of Canada, Ottawa, 1913, Page 53.
[2] Alan Corbiere, Jean
Baptiste Assiginack/The Starling (aka Blackbird): Anishnaabeg in the War of 1812, accessed Feb.
7, 2017, at https://earlycanadianhistory.ca/2017/02/06/jean-baptiste-assiginack-the-starling-aka-blackbird-anishnaabeg-in-the-war-of-1812/
[3] Collections Canada,
War of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1126, pages 406-415.
[4] Dorothy Duncan, Hoping
for the Best, Preparing for the Worst, Dundurn, Toronto, 2012, page 196.
[5] Colonel E.A. Cruikshank, A Study of
Disaffection in Upper Canada in 1812-15, The Royal Society of Canada, Ottawa,
1913, Pages 53-54.
[6] George Sheppard, Plunder, Profit, and
Paroles: A Social History of the War of
1812 in Upper Canada, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1994, page 115.
[7] Linda Corupe, U.E.,
Upper Canada Justice, Early Assize Court Records of Ontario, Vol. 2, 1810-1818,
transcribed and indexed 2008, pages 135-136 & 393.
[8] Collections Canada, War of 1812, Board
of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1127, pages 351, 357, & 278.
[9] Linda Corupe, U.E.,
Upper Canada Justice, Early Assize Court Records of Ontario, Vol. 2, 1810-1818,
transcribed and indexed 2008, pages 137-138.
[10] Susan Graves, personal
family history, from correspondence in April, 2016.
[11] Collections Canada,
War of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1130, page 767.
[12] Collections Canada,
War of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1135, page 692.
[13] Collections Canada,
War of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1137, page 811.
[14] Donald E. Graves, Merry Hearts Make
Light Days, The War of 1812 Journal of Lieutenant John Le Couteur, 104th
Foot, Carleton University Press, Ottawa, 1994, page 202.
[15] 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 143-147,
accessed on Dec. 14, 2018 at https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/4754
[16] Collections Canada,
War of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1138, page 339.
[17] Collections Canada, War
of 1812, Board of Claims and Losses, Microfilm t-1136, pages 402-414.
[18] Collections Canada,
War of 1812: Upper Canada Returns,
Norminal Rolls and Paylists, RG9, Militia and Defence, Series 1-B-7, Microfilm
t-10384, pages 417-420.
[19] 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 254-255, accessed on Dec.
14, 2018 at https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/4754
[20] Benjamin Smith’s Diary, Benjamin Smith Fonds F582, Ontario
Archives, Toronto, Ontario.
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