PART IV - "Catastrophes Abound"
Notable Events in the War during 1813:
LAKE ERIE:- March 7 - Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry arrives at Presque Isle in Pennsylvania to take command of the U.S. Naval forces on Lake Erie.
- June 10 - British naval forces under Commander Robert Heriot Barclay scouts the defenses at Presque Isle with a pair of warships.
- July 2 - Orders arrive from General Arthur Wellesley, campaigning in New York, to Major General Henry Procter, commanding British forces in Upper Canada to take Presque Isle.
- July 26 - Procter's forces, including a large number of Indian warriors under Shawnee leader Tecumseh, land at Presque Isle and lay siege to the 2000-man detachment. With insufficient naval support, the Presque Isle detachment is forced to surrender on August 13. The British take complete control of Lake Erie.
NORTHWEST (MICHIGAN/OHIO/INDIANA) THEATER:- Late 1812 to January 1813 - U.S. forces under Lieutenant Colonel John B. Campbell lead an expedition into Indiana, attacking villages of the Miami tribe along the Mississinewa River. Capturing nearly 80 natives, they return to Fort Greenville, though 300 soldiers end up suffering from frostbite. Despite the native tribes successfully protecting their food supplies (their number one objective), Campbell's forces' capture of 80 Miami tribespeople lead General William Henry Harrison to call the expedition a victory.
- January 22 - The U.S. Army of the Northwest, under William Henry Harrison, meets Major General Procter's combined British-Indian force at Frenchtown, Michigan. Procter's forces score a decisive victory, with only 33 American soldiers escaping death or capture. In the aftermath, with Procter's redcoats having returned to the Detroit area, the Native forces massacre their American prisoners in the infamous River Raisin massacre.
- April 28 - Approximately 800 British and Canadian soldiers from Procter's command, along with about 1600 Indian warriors under Tecumseh arrive at the newly constructed Fort Meigs in northwest Ohio and begin a siege. Inside the fort are 1500 Pennsylvania militamen, bolstered by an additional 1500 from Kentucky, all under the personal command of William Henry Harrison.
- May 5 - An American relief force of 850 Kentucky militiamen under the command of Colonel William Dudley arrives and attacks the British artillery battery bombarding the fort, routing them. A counterattack is led by British Major Adam Muir, and the Kentuckians are sent fleeing into the woods which are full of Tecumseh's warriors. 547 Americans are captured, 150 killed. Of the captured soldiers, approximately 40 are massacred in nearby Fort Miami before Tecumseh arrives and puts a stop to the murdering.
- May 13 - Procter lifts the siege on Fort Meigs and returns to Michigan. Over 1000 Americans had been killed, wounded or captured during the two week siege and battle against 121 British and Indian casualties. Because the garrison survived however, Harrison claims victory.
- August 24 - Having successfully captured Presque Isle, Procter's forces move against Fort Stephenson, the U.S. supply link on the Sandusky River. Harrison, fearing just such an occurrence had ordered the Fort's commander, Major George Croghan to abandon and destroy the fort. Croghan, believing he could hold, refused and Harrison relented. After preliminary bombardment by artillery and gunboat fails to do appreciable damage to the fort, Procter orders and infantry assault. Under heavy fire and with great loss, Procter's forces successfully breach the defenses and capture the fort.
- August 28 - With a relief force under Harrison arriving at Fort Stephenson and his command down to nearly half-strength, Procter destroys the supplies - and fort - and abandons it to the Americans.
NORTHEAST (NEW YORK) THEATER:- April 20 - Wellesley's 35,000-man Army departs Fort Niagara, striking east across New York state.
- April 25 - American forces under General Henry Dearborn attempt to halt the British advance at Batavia. In a lopsided battle, Dearborn is captured and his top aide Colonel Winfield Scott, saves the American army by retreating under overwhelming odds.
- May 7 - Dismissing Scott's force - which has retreated to Geneseo - as "nothing more than nuisance" Wellesley continues his march east, and captures Rochester without a fight as the small militia force holding the town surrenders upon seeing the large British force.
- June 2 - Under direct orders from the Secretary of War, Scott, now promoted to General, is given command of a hastily raised force of 20,000 men (mainly New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania militia), which heads for Albany.
- July 13 - British forces reach Oneida Lake and Wellesley decides to turn southeast, with an eye towards reaching Albany and bringing Scott's army to battle.
- August 7 - Wellesley's army reaches the south shore of Otsego Lake, at the site of Cooperstown.
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COOPERSTOWN, NY, AUGUST 8, 1813: "What the devil is that they're playing at?" Wellesley asked and bit into an apple.
Colonel Harold Tyne, Wellesley's adjutant, shook his head. "No idea, sir. Resembles cricket a bit though."
The game the two British officers were observing involved some posts stuck in the ground in a rough approximation of a square, or perhaps diamond, since play initiated at one of the corners. A ball and club were involved, as well as much running around and throwing of the ball by some of the boys at others who were running between the posts. "Exceedingly strange, sir," opined Tyne.
Wellesley shrugged. "Seems as if the children are having fun." He spied a group of his redcoats sitting around a tree, watching intently. "The boys seem interested."
Tyne caught the eye of the sergeant. "A moment of your time, sergeant, if you please."
The sergeant, like most of his men a veteran of hard service in Spain and Portugal, rose slowly and approached. He carried, noted Tyne proudly, his musket. A veteran never left his weapon unguarded. "Sir?" he said as he approached, then bowed to Wellesley, "My lord."
Wellesley nodded and motioned with his apple toward the boys. "I have noticed you men watching. What is the game these boys are playing?"
The sergeant glanced at the group of local boys. The fact that a British army of a size dwarfing the entire population of the Lake Otsego region was encamped in their village seemed to matter little to them. "I've no idea what it's called, though I have heard one of the children refer to 'base' whatever that means, sir."
Tyne looked at the Marquess of Wellington. He knew his commander well - Wellesley was intrigued - but would not admit to it. "Perhaps you may enquire as to the rules of play. It seems to resemble cricket, or perhaps rounders. But it certainly is neither."
The sergeant nodded and went to speak to one of the boys. He returned a moment later. "The boy says the game is called base ball, though some just call it base, or town. Another boy says they play a similar game in Massachusetts."
Wellesley took another large bite of his apple. "Interesting. If we ever get to Massachusetts, perhaps I shall investigate further." He swallowed and handed the core to Tyne. "You men may participate in the game, if you wish, sergeant. It's been a long march; the men are entitled to some leisure."
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THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON DC, SEPTEMBER 6, 1813: President Madison had called Speaker Clay and his congressional crony John C. Calhoun to the White House.
"Your War Hawks have brought us to this low state, you realize this do you not?" he said in a low voice as he fought down his exasperation.
"It is late to be assigning blame, Excellency," Calhoun said haughtily.
Madison, whose remark had been directed at Clay, rounded on Calhoun. "Do not presume to lecture me sir! Your greed has led us into a war we are going to lose!"
The color rose in Calhoun's neck and he barked back without thinking, "Greed! How dare you sir!"
Now Madison was equally angry. "Yes, greed! Do you deny that you and your friends did coerce this nation into war with the British simply out of the hope that we should conquer Canada, and perhaps Florida, and expand our territorial hold on our North American continent?"
Calhoun's lips thinned as his mouth tightened down on a biting response. He said through clenched teeth, "You, sir, did recommend to the Congress that a declaration of a state of war be made."
Madison deflated. He had indeed made that recommendation - but only after months of pressure from the War Hawks.
Clay broke in. "Gentlemen, the problem at hand is not the assignation of blame, but rather the solution for the problems now facing our nation."
"Problems? I'd say they were worse than problems," Madison snorted. "We have lost the Northwest Territories, the Great Lakes are controlled by the enemy, and worst of all the Marquess of Wellington has a rather large army cutting a swath through New York state and will likely threaten our greatest city by the end of the year."
"He's been made a Duke," Clay said softly.
"Ah, excuse me - the Duke of Wellington is cutting across New York and we are powerless to stop him," Madison said scathingly. Then he added, in a weary voice, "Gentlemen, catastrophes abound, and we may not have seen the worst yet. I fear for the future of our republic."