The War of 1812: the Year 1814

The Ancaster Bloody Assize treason trials, the Battle of Lundy's Lane, the Siege of Fort Erie, the Burning of Washington, the Attack on Baltimore, the Battle of Malcolm's Mills, Burlington Heights, Unpaid war reparation, Hamilton's Hamilton:the Founding of a City, are among the numerous topics covered in the City of Hamilton's official magazine HistoriCITY, in the third of our series on the War of 1812, the Year 1814. The magazine is available free online at www.hamiltonhistoricalboard.ca Click on Publications. Have a look. My novel,Redcoat 1812, which tells the story of real-life James FitzGibbon is still available through the publisher FriesenPress, through Chapters/Indigo, and at Bryan Prince Bookseller in Hamilton. The very favorable review which appeared in the Hamilton Spectator and my interview on CHCH TV may be accessed via the internet. Just google Redcoat 1812 John Nixon

Collecting Toy Soldier: a Hobby for History Buffs

I will be giving a talk to the Stoney Creek Historical Society at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 in the Stoney Creek Municipal Office (777 #8Hwy - at Jone Road). Hope to see you there.

Who Won the War of 1812? The American View

When the United States Congress unanimously ratifies the Treaty of Ghent in February of 1815, most Americans believe that Great Britain has capitulated and they have won the war. Even though the treaty itself recognizes a military stalemate and requires everything to return to the way it was before, most Americans believe that the Second War of Independence against Great Britain has ended in victory. For most Americans the war has been about respect. Britain's trade embargo of Napoleon-controlled Europe, its impressment of sailors who had freely chosen to serve on American ships, its supplying of guns and ammunition to the Indians who were resisting western expansion of American settlement all were signs of disrespect. Now all of these annoyances have stopped. No consideration is given to the fact that with Napoleon's defeat, Britain no longer needs to embargo American goods or impress sailors for its ships and simply stops these practices, or that western expansion into Indian territory is likely to have continued anyway. What the press pushes into American consciousness is not the failed invasions of Canada or the burning of the White House in an undefended Washington, but instead the heroic defence of Fort McHenry in Baltimore with a star-spangled banner waving over the land of the free and home of the brave, and the triumphant victory at New Orleans, after the terms of the peace treaty have already been agreed to. Even today in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History in Washington the only two War of 1812 exhibits on permanent display focus on these two events. Stories of bravery and epic struggle abound. Men like Oliver "Don't Give Up the Ship" Perry, Jacob Brown, Winfield Scott, Thomas Macdonough and countless others all receive Congressional Medals of Honour. Men with political ambition emphasize their contributions. Andrew Jackson will go on to become president in 1828, and William Henry Harrison will do the same in 1840. Richard Johnson, who claims to have personally killed Tecuseh, will be elected Vice-President in 1836. The conflict has never been popular. In 1812 39% of Congress votes against the declaration of war. By 1814 the United States government teeters on the verge of bankruptcy, and Federalist politicians in New England attend a convention in Hartford to discuss the possibility of succession from the Union. The Republican administration of James Madison sees the opportunity to discredit their Federalist opponents by proclaiming a victory in the war that these "unpatriotic" citizens never wanted. This victorious result will effectively crush the Federalist Party. For most Americans it is straightforward. In the War of 1812 the United States challenges Great Britain, a nation powerful enough to defeat Napoleon. It holds its ground. Nothing is lost. Important lessons are learned. How can this not be a victory? Thus begins the triumphant view. As someone once said, in interpreting historical events, it is all about what you choose to remember and what you choose to forget.

Collecting Toy Soldiers: A Hobby for History Buffs

On Friday, November 8, 2013 I will be giving a talk entitled "Collecting Toy Soldiers: A Hobby for History Buffs", to the Head of the Lake (Hamilton)Historical Society. The meeting will be at the Dundurn Castle Coach House at 7:30 pm. I'll be discussing the history of collecting military miniatures, the state of collecting in Canada, why this is a terrific hobby for those interested in history, and how to get started. Samples from my War of 1812 collection will be displayed. Hope to see you there.

War of 1812 Talk in Toronto

Ever wondered why the American invasions of Canada failed? I'll be speaking to the West Toronto Junction Historical Society on Thursday, September 5, 2013 at the Annette Street Library in Toronto. Their meeting begins about 7:30 pm. I will also read a passage from my novel, Redcoat 1812 and discuss the difference between non-fiction history and historical fiction.

Napoleon, Waterloo, and the War of 1812

This past June I visited Waterloo, the preserved historic site, not far from Brussels in Belgium. The photo above is of the Waterloo battlefield as seen from the Lion's Mound - 41 metres and 226 steps above the ground. Besides Lion's Mound, the monument erected between 1824 and 1826, on the site there is the Panorama (a painted military masterpiece, a lifelike depiction of the battle presented in a circular building) a Wax Museum, and a Visitors' Centre showing two short movies. Out of the picture there is massive construction underway, presumably in preparation for the Bicentennial of this 1815 battle. This is definitely a worthwhile destination for any history buff. What do the Napoleonic Wars have to do with "the American War", as the War of 1812 was referrred to by the British? If Britain hadn't been involved in the titanic struggle with Napoleon there would have been no need for the naval blockade to prevent trade with Napoleon's Europe, nor a need for impressing British-born sailors from American merchant ships to keep the Royal Navy ships fully manned, actions that infuriated the United States and eventually led to their declaration of war. If Britain hadn't been focused on the war in Europe perhaps the fledgling United States might not have challenged Britain. If the French hadn't been defeated and Napoleon exiled in 1814 British troops in Europe would not have been freed up to fight in North America just as the United States was in ascendancy in the War of 1812. The Treaty Of Ghent, bringing an end to the War of 1812, was negotiated and ratified before Napoleon's escape from Elba, and his new campaign that ended on this battlefield in Waterloo.

P.O.W.s and the War of 1812

In November 1812 Britain and the United States reach agreement on the treatment of prisoners captured during the war. Their agreement profoundly affects the lives of many thousands of soldiers, militiamen, sailors and privateers (citizens licensed to seize enemy merchant ships.) Neither side wishes the expense of confining or feeding enemy combatants so parole and exchange feature prominently in the arrangement. Citizen soldiers and sailors are treated differently from professional ones. Militiamen and privateers are released, to return to their homes and businesses if they promise not to fight in the war again. As this is an age of honour a man is expected to keep his word. Lists of those paroled are prepared. Sanctions for parole violaters are severe. The arrangement proves workable. The only problem for Upper Canada is that those not supportive of the war and unwilling to serve in the militia seek out American soldiers and voluntarily surrender, thus earning themselves an exemption from the conflict. Regular army soldiers and navy sailors are to be exchanged. Negotiations are conducted by appointed agents, like Francis Scott Key, and frequently take time. American prisoners of war, such as those from Detroit and Queenston Heights, are sent to prison ships off Quebec. These hulks are old, rotting and unseaworthy, but suit the purpose. The ships are cold and overcrowded. Men are fed less than in prosperous civilian life, but rations are not much different from those of soldiers in the field. In captivity boredom leads to gambling, and prisoners frequently lose the blankets and new clothes they are given. Winfield Scott and William Winder are both exchanged at Quebec and return to the war - Scott to lead his regiment at Chippawa and Lundy's Lane, and Winder to prepare the feeble defence of Washington in August 1814. If there is no timely exchange, prisoners are sent to Halifax to remain on prison ships or to go to the prison camp on Melville Island off Halifax. The camp is the model situation. Prisoners are permitted to occupy themselves making things like woolen mitts, leather goods and bone snuff boxes for sale on Sundays to town folk from Halifax, and to fish to supplement their diet. Of the eight thousand prisoners who pass through Melville Island during the war only 188 die of disease and are buried on nearby Deadman's Island (now a protected Heritage site.) Being in the camp is much safer than being in a typical American army encampment with its poor sanitation and disease. When the war begins the United States has no national prisons and so British prisoners of war are sent to state penitentiaries and poorly-built city jails where they are housed with murderers, thieves and rapists. Eventually, some captives go to a model camp, Pittsfield, thirty miles east of Albany. The prisoners are permitted to work for pay on local farms or in nearby factories in the hope that the men will like this new life and refuse parole when it is offered. The major problem with the exchange for the British is that the number captured by both sides is not equal. Estimates vary, but the British have three to six times as many prisoners. There are too many for Quebec and Halifax to accommodate. Thousands of American prisoners are sent across the ocean to Dartmoor Prison in southwest England. Dartmoor is a massive prison built between 1806 and 1809 to house French prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars. It sits on a barren mountain, surrounded by a treeless moor, frequently shrouded by mist and drizzle. Although prisoners suffer from damp and cold, and the camp is strictly managed, it is less crowded than other sites. Interestingly, there are 1200 free blacks in Dartmoor, those who have been captured while serving in the U.S. Navy and on American privateering ships. At the insistence of other American prisoners they have segregated quarters. As animosity grows during the war, the prisoner exchange systems begins to break down. In 1814 for example, American General Jacob Brown stalls the prisoner exchange and when he eventually releases the British soldiers, most are too ill to fight against him in his summer Niagara campaign. When the war ends in 1815 there are 6,000 Americans in Dartmoor, including those captured at Beaver Dams. Repatriation is a slow process. There is disagreement about whom will pay for the twenty-four ships required to return them to North America. A prison protest over delays leads to confrontation with guards. The confrontation is perceived as a riot and there are seventy casualties in what American newspapers term the "Dartmoor Massacre". Following this Britain agrees to split the cost of the return. The repatriation of American prisoners of war begins in May 1815 and continues until August. For these men the War of 1812 is finally over.