Copyright (c)
Kingston Historical Society
2011
1812 Conference
Sideshow or Main Event: Putting the War of 1812 into Regional Contexts
Session Abstracts
Keeping the Homes Fires: The ‘home front’ of the War of 1812 Jane Errington
Accounts of the War of 1812 concentrate on the battles and campaigns and highlight how the combined British-colonial forces managed to meet the challenges posed by war on the frontier. However, while Colonial and British leaders were considering how best to deploy their meagre forces, colonial farmers were concerned about planting, raising new barns, or clearing more land; artisans in colonial villages wondered what affect the conflict might have on business, and women continued to be preoccupied with looking after the needs of their families. This paper will explore how Upper Canadians who were not “in battle” coped with the conflict. The Kingston home-front of the War of 1812 was a dynamic, complex world and, as ever, victory on the battlefield depended on the ability and willingness of the “civilian” population to keep the home fires burning.
Kingston’s Bicentennial Shipwrecks: A Century of Exploration Jonathan Moore
The remains of six warships from the War of 1812 in Kingston Harbour have been explored for just over a century. The hulks of these Kingston-built fighting ships were sold off in the 1830s and abandoned in the harbour. By the 1880s, an interest in their historic value was provoked when the HMS St. Lawrence was targeted for souvenir salvage. On the centennial of the War of 1812, C.H.J. Snider, sparked interest in the exploits of the ships through his writing and exploration of the surviving wrecks. In 1938, artefacts were salvaged for an exhibit at the new Fort Henry Museum. In 1951-1952, the wrecks were the subject of one of the first underwater archaeological studies in Canada. More recently, divers and underwater archaeologists have investigated these important shipwrecks. This paper will address the efforts to identifying the wrecks, raise them out of obscurity, address remaining questions regarding their identities, and refer to the myths about them.
Expel the Faithless Foe: The Role of Religion in the War of 1812 Jamie Robertson
This paper seeks to explain the role of religious faith for the soldiers in the battlefield and of religious institutions in framing the contest with America. It will show that Canadian churches were almost universally loyal to the Crown and extolled their parishioners to be likewise because they believed that England, not rebellious America, was the only truly Christian nation. They framed the war as a theological struggle to determine who would rule in the Americas and who was favoured by God. Thus, every battle had cosmic significance and military morality took on both political and eternal ramifications and understanding the churches’ views regarding the conflict help us better understand what the contest with America meant to those in the midst of the struggle.
The Onondaga Arsenal: Reflections on the War of 1812 in Memory and Loss Dennis Connors
In 1808, the threat of war with Britain prompted the New York State legislature to authorize the construction of seven arsenals along its upstate frontier. One of them was at Onondaga and the 2½ story stone building was finished in 1812 and served as an active military storehouse throughout the war. After the war, the arsenal fell into disuse and was eventually declared surplus in 1850. Its slow physical decay is documented in dozens of photographs and paintings as the building became a noted and romanticized ruin. For decades, the community expressed interest in somehow preserving the site, while at the same time, ironically, watched it slowly disappear. Today, only a corner of the building remains, largely invisible and forgotten. How does its sad story reflect America’s memories about the War of 1812? Is it worthy of any future efforts at preservation and interpretation? Answers to these questions and the full story of the Onondaga Arsenal will be presented in this paper.
Kingston and the Upper St. Lawrence River during the War of 1812. John R. Grodzinski
The defence of Upper Canada during the War of 1812 required that the line of communication along the Upper St. Lawrence River be kept open. Accordingly, it was subject to predatory raids and battles which dwarf in comparison to the larger campaigns and battles along the Niagara frontier. However, this paper examines the development of the defences along the Upper St. Lawrence frontier and the logistical operations along it between 1812 and early 1815. It will demonstrate how the Montreal-Kingston link overcame the challenges and threats to ensure the almost uninterrupted delivery to Kingston of provisions, personnel, and ordnance required by the forces in Upper Canada. It was beyond this point that difficulties arose in getting manpower and materiel to where they were needed, which was subject to the changing fortunes of British naval power on the inland seas.
The War of 1812 in Sackets Harbor: Ministers, Babies, and Invasive Species Constance Barone
Sackets Harbor is recognized by the National Park Service as one of the top ten War of 1812 sites in the United States and its role in the War of 1812 is legendary. But what about daily life during the war? Why was the Town of Hounsfield Board so concerned about Canada Thistle and not the Canadian Provincial Marine? What do we know of the role played by Sackets resident Elisha Camp or his political colleague Noadiah Hubbard in nearby Champion? And how did the Methodist circuit rider, Reverend Case, get caught up in the war? What about Abbey, shipmaster William Vaughan’s wife, who bore five children, including twins, in chaotic Sackets Harbor during the war years? Yes, the military history of the war here is well documented, but this paper reveals how the war touched the lives of people in the region called the ‘northern frontier.’
A Longhouse Divided: Akwesasne and the War of 1812 Alexander V. Campbell
The Mohawk territory of Akwesasne was located on the south side of the St. Lawrence River, at the foot of the Long Sault rapids, in close proximity to New York State and both British and American authorities tried to woo the Native peoples of this strategic border community. While neutral at the outset of the conflict, about 20% of its warriors joined the Crown’s forces and their families were expelled from the parish to find asylum in Upper Canada after U.S. troops defeated a small militia detachment in the late fall of 1812. Most of the Natives moved into the American orbit as the local garrison (Fort Covington) became an important provisioning-base. In 1813, some St. Regis Mohawks supported American troops on the Niagara frontier and in Major-General James Wilkinson’s abortive expedition against Montreal. Following the 1814 Treaty of Ghent, the 1817 Survey Commission ran the international boundary line through the reserve. My presentation will reveal how the War of 1812 exacerbated factionalism within Akwesasne and led to the breakdown of its neutral stance that had characterised its community life since the American Revolution.
Stick to Your Guns! The Third US Artillery and the Battle of Oswego 1814 Matthew MacVittie
The early months of 1814 witnessed a shipbuilding-race on Lake Ontario. The British Commodore James Lucas Yeo constructed a squadron of frigates while the American Commodore Isaac Chauncey countered by building their own squadron which threatened to outgun and over-power the British on Lake Ontario. Accordingly, early in May 1814, Yeo decided to attack Fort Ontario to seize the 30 plus guns believed to be stored there en route to the naval-yard at Sackets Harbor. Opposing Yeo was Major George Mitchell of the Third US Artillery. Fort Ontario was in a state of disarray and neglect as government had allowed the post to become antiquated and ill equipped to fight off a well-armed adversary. However, Mitchell and his 242 men (along with 25 sailors and roughly 200 Militiamen) prepared for an all-out British assault and fortified the post against the stronger and better-armed opponent. This paper takes a look at both sides of the battle, its major players, and why it is still considered to be both a victory for the British and American Forces.
Accounts of the War of 1812 concentrate on the battles and campaigns and highlight how the combined British-colonial forces managed to meet the challenges posed by war on the frontier. However, while Colonial and British leaders were considering how best to deploy their meagre forces, colonial farmers were concerned about planting, raising new barns, or clearing more land; artisans in colonial villages wondered what affect the conflict might have on business, and women continued to be preoccupied with looking after the needs of their families. This paper will explore how Upper Canadians who were not “in battle” coped with the conflict. The Kingston home-front of the War of 1812 was a dynamic, complex world and, as ever, victory on the battlefield depended on the ability and willingness of the “civilian” population to keep the home fires burning.
Kingston’s Bicentennial Shipwrecks: A Century of Exploration Jonathan Moore
The remains of six warships from the War of 1812 in Kingston Harbour have been explored for just over a century. The hulks of these Kingston-built fighting ships were sold off in the 1830s and abandoned in the harbour. By the 1880s, an interest in their historic value was provoked when the HMS St. Lawrence was targeted for souvenir salvage. On the centennial of the War of 1812, C.H.J. Snider, sparked interest in the exploits of the ships through his writing and exploration of the surviving wrecks. In 1938, artefacts were salvaged for an exhibit at the new Fort Henry Museum. In 1951-1952, the wrecks were the subject of one of the first underwater archaeological studies in Canada. More recently, divers and underwater archaeologists have investigated these important shipwrecks. This paper will address the efforts to identifying the wrecks, raise them out of obscurity, address remaining questions regarding their identities, and refer to the myths about them.
Expel the Faithless Foe: The Role of Religion in the War of 1812 Jamie Robertson
This paper seeks to explain the role of religious faith for the soldiers in the battlefield and of religious institutions in framing the contest with America. It will show that Canadian churches were almost universally loyal to the Crown and extolled their parishioners to be likewise because they believed that England, not rebellious America, was the only truly Christian nation. They framed the war as a theological struggle to determine who would rule in the Americas and who was favoured by God. Thus, every battle had cosmic significance and military morality took on both political and eternal ramifications and understanding the churches’ views regarding the conflict help us better understand what the contest with America meant to those in the midst of the struggle.
The Onondaga Arsenal: Reflections on the War of 1812 in Memory and Loss Dennis Connors
In 1808, the threat of war with Britain prompted the New York State legislature to authorize the construction of seven arsenals along its upstate frontier. One of them was at Onondaga and the 2½ story stone building was finished in 1812 and served as an active military storehouse throughout the war. After the war, the arsenal fell into disuse and was eventually declared surplus in 1850. Its slow physical decay is documented in dozens of photographs and paintings as the building became a noted and romanticized ruin. For decades, the community expressed interest in somehow preserving the site, while at the same time, ironically, watched it slowly disappear. Today, only a corner of the building remains, largely invisible and forgotten. How does its sad story reflect America’s memories about the War of 1812? Is it worthy of any future efforts at preservation and interpretation? Answers to these questions and the full story of the Onondaga Arsenal will be presented in this paper.
Kingston and the Upper St. Lawrence River during the War of 1812. John R. Grodzinski
The defence of Upper Canada during the War of 1812 required that the line of communication along the Upper St. Lawrence River be kept open. Accordingly, it was subject to predatory raids and battles which dwarf in comparison to the larger campaigns and battles along the Niagara frontier. However, this paper examines the development of the defences along the Upper St. Lawrence frontier and the logistical operations along it between 1812 and early 1815. It will demonstrate how the Montreal-Kingston link overcame the challenges and threats to ensure the almost uninterrupted delivery to Kingston of provisions, personnel, and ordnance required by the forces in Upper Canada. It was beyond this point that difficulties arose in getting manpower and materiel to where they were needed, which was subject to the changing fortunes of British naval power on the inland seas.
The War of 1812 in Sackets Harbor: Ministers, Babies, and Invasive Species Constance Barone
Sackets Harbor is recognized by the National Park Service as one of the top ten War of 1812 sites in the United States and its role in the War of 1812 is legendary. But what about daily life during the war? Why was the Town of Hounsfield Board so concerned about Canada Thistle and not the Canadian Provincial Marine? What do we know of the role played by Sackets resident Elisha Camp or his political colleague Noadiah Hubbard in nearby Champion? And how did the Methodist circuit rider, Reverend Case, get caught up in the war? What about Abbey, shipmaster William Vaughan’s wife, who bore five children, including twins, in chaotic Sackets Harbor during the war years? Yes, the military history of the war here is well documented, but this paper reveals how the war touched the lives of people in the region called the ‘northern frontier.’
A Longhouse Divided: Akwesasne and the War of 1812 Alexander V. Campbell
The Mohawk territory of Akwesasne was located on the south side of the St. Lawrence River, at the foot of the Long Sault rapids, in close proximity to New York State and both British and American authorities tried to woo the Native peoples of this strategic border community. While neutral at the outset of the conflict, about 20% of its warriors joined the Crown’s forces and their families were expelled from the parish to find asylum in Upper Canada after U.S. troops defeated a small militia detachment in the late fall of 1812. Most of the Natives moved into the American orbit as the local garrison (Fort Covington) became an important provisioning-base. In 1813, some St. Regis Mohawks supported American troops on the Niagara frontier and in Major-General James Wilkinson’s abortive expedition against Montreal. Following the 1814 Treaty of Ghent, the 1817 Survey Commission ran the international boundary line through the reserve. My presentation will reveal how the War of 1812 exacerbated factionalism within Akwesasne and led to the breakdown of its neutral stance that had characterised its community life since the American Revolution.
Stick to Your Guns! The Third US Artillery and the Battle of Oswego 1814 Matthew MacVittie
The early months of 1814 witnessed a shipbuilding-race on Lake Ontario. The British Commodore James Lucas Yeo constructed a squadron of frigates while the American Commodore Isaac Chauncey countered by building their own squadron which threatened to outgun and over-power the British on Lake Ontario. Accordingly, early in May 1814, Yeo decided to attack Fort Ontario to seize the 30 plus guns believed to be stored there en route to the naval-yard at Sackets Harbor. Opposing Yeo was Major George Mitchell of the Third US Artillery. Fort Ontario was in a state of disarray and neglect as government had allowed the post to become antiquated and ill equipped to fight off a well-armed adversary. However, Mitchell and his 242 men (along with 25 sailors and roughly 200 Militiamen) prepared for an all-out British assault and fortified the post against the stronger and better-armed opponent. This paper takes a look at both sides of the battle, its major players, and why it is still considered to be both a victory for the British and American Forces.
