The New-York Weekly Museum Newspaper, Vol. II, No.24- October 16, 1813

A weekly paper that was published from 1805 to 1814. War related news includes: Page 95 - Weekly Retrospect: relief effort in London, England for those affected by the war in British North America; naval battles on Lake Ontario by Commodore Chauncey in late September; movements of Major Grant, De Rottenburgh's regiment, General Wilkinson, Commodore Yoe's fleet, General Hampton; the capture of Fort Malden by William Harrison. The rest of the newspaper contains literary works (poems and translations), marriages, deaths and other anecdotes. The motto on the front page states: "Visiting Every Flower with Labour Meet, and Gathering all its Treasures, Sweet by Sweet."

Letter - American soldier's account of battles at Chippewa, Lundy's Lane and Fort Erie, 1814

Transcript (original grammar and spelling retained): My dear wife I take this time to inform you that I am well hoping that these few lines will Reach you and find you the same I shall in form you of all our Battles that we have had sence I left home we crossed in to Canada the 2 day of July and took fort Erie on the 3 day of July without loss of one man. We then marched down to Chipway eighteen miles below the Fort Erie we got there on the forth day and had our first battle on the 5 day our loss was not jistly known But the inemy loss was double to ours. The 6 day we started with the 2 Brigade to make a bridge a crost the crick two miles a bove the fort in Building the Bridge the inemy Brought up their Canon and playd upon us with their artiliery a bout two hours We drove them from the fort our loss was none the inemy loss was nineteen ciled dead on the ground we then marched to Queenston when we got thare our inemy had fledfrom the fort we then remained thair to Queenston ten days then we marched down to Fort George But that caurdly Chaney did not a rive with the fleet so we had to return back to Queenston thare was a bout six hundred militia formed on the heights of land thay fired up on us from their pickets and retreated to the mane body our flankers ciled and wounded and took about twenty before they got to the Maine body we then marched up the hill they gave us two firs but did not damage and then retreated from the field we stayed there one knight and then marched to Chipway and stayed there one night and the next day just as the sun set the first Brigade marched up in order to give them Battle a bout two miles from the Crick and began the Battle the 2 Brigade has to March up to the Niagara path and ingaged them we charged up on their artlery and took all their Canon Miller commanded the four companys that charged....the battles lasted three hours and forty minutes our loss was about 8 hundred cild and wounded our inemies loss was a bout fourteen hundred cild and wounded the next morning we Marched up in order to give them Battle a gin but thay was afraid to ingage us we then marched to Fort Erie and went to fortiffing and made a strong place the inemy folered us up and Began to cananade and held it fifty three days thay a tacked the fort the fifteenth of august thay atacked a bout one hiour be fore day Light we saw them and Blue up our maggerzean & two hundred of our inemy our loss wasa bout forty cild and wounded and our inemy loss was a bout one thousand on the 7 Day of September we atacked them and took their batteries and Broke all their canon and drove them from the field our loss was a Bout two hundred cild and wounded our inemy loss was a Bout 8 hundred cild and wounded...we crossed in to Canada with five thousand and came out with fifteen hundred we then Marched to Sackett’s harbor....am well and harty for the present....a bout comming home it uncarting for there is not any....given this winter as yet But I shall try to Come home if I Can But if I Cant I want you should take good car of the Phiddness[?] I have not Received any Money as yet But soon as I do receive some I send some home. I want you should write to me as soon as you receive this and and how Much Stock you wintor I Received your Letter with Great pleasure I feel uneasy a bout you I am a frade that you are sick or dead this is from your husband Chase Clough

Naval Occurrences of the Late War Between Great Britain and the United States of America- 1817

Full title is "A Full and Correct Account of the Chief Naval Occurrences of the Late War Between Great Britain and the United States of America; preceded by a Cursory Examination of the American Accounts of their Naval Actions Fought Previous to that Period: to Which is Added an Appendix; with Plates" This is an expanded version of author William James' pamphlet "An Inquiry into the Merits of the Principal Naval Actions between Great Britain and the United States." (Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1816) In this work he discussed how American ships, during the War of 1812, were larger and more heavily armed and manned than those of the British. He therefore, stated that American victories were due only to their greater numerical force and not their superior seamanship. Naval Occurrences is a thorough documentation of the naval operations from the British perspective that addresses contradictions and inconsistencies within the American official documents as well as political and media accounts. This is perhaps his motivation for the words "Corrected Account" within the title. James' sentiments towards the US most likely sprouted from being held prisoner while visiting in 1812. (He was falsely accused of being a renegade seeking revenge on the US.) In 1813, he escaped to Halifax where he began writing on various naval topics. James became one of the leading authorities on British Naval History.

The War Vol. 1, No. 20- November 7, 1812

This newspaper was published bi-weekly from June 1812 to September 1814 by S. Woodworth and Co. in New York. Editor Samuel Woodworth formed the content of the newspaper using official documents from both the American and British side with the intention to report the events of the war. Article topics in this issue include: Page 1: Letter from Maj. Gen. Van Rensselaer to Maj. Gen. Henry Dearborn describing in detail the battle of Queenston; Page 2: Letter from Maj. Gen. Van Rensselaer to Maj. Gen. Henry Dearborn describing in detail the battle of Queenston; report of U.S. war sloop Wasp capturing the British war ship Frolic and the subsequent capture of the Wasp by another British war ship, Poictiers; copy of statement by U.S. President James Madison detailing battles in Detroit, Queenston, and his plans for the war; Page 3: copy of statement by U.S. President James Madison detailing battles in Detroit, Queenston, and his plans for the war; Page 4: copy of statement by U.S. President James Madison detailing battles in Detroit, Queenston, and his plans for the war; U.S. President James Madison promotes Capt. Z. Taylor to rank of Major for his part in defense of Ft. Harrison; report of various Naval movements;

The American Naval and Patriotic Songster: As Sung at Various Places of Amusement, in Honour of Hull, Jones, Decatur, Perry, Bainbridge, Lawrence, Etc. Etc. Etc. (1834)

Volume of songs sung in praise of celebrated American War of 1812 heroes.

Naval and military chronicle of the United States : attack on Fort Erie

Includes rare 1816 battle plan map.

A true and impartial account of the actions fought at Chippawa & Lundy's Lane during the last war with the United States /

On leaf preceding the t.p.: Battles of Chippawa and Lundy's Lane, by Charles Anderson, guide to the battle ground.

Robert George Malcomson Papers, 1790s-2009 (non-inclusive)

Materials related to military and naval operations of the 1812 era, research of the late Robert Malcomson, Canadian author and historian. Materials include photocopies of materials relating to the War of 1812, photographs and detailed research notes Malcomson made regarding his approach to research (mainly found in Series VIII). Materials were originally arranged in binders relating to an area of research or a certain publication. Articles were removed from the binders and placed in folders using original titles from the binders as series or sub-series titles. Articles within the binders were separated by tabs indicating what the article related to in the publication or topic of interest. In order to avoid repetition, the writing on the tab was used for folder titles, as each folder would be a part of the Series under which it was grouped. The tab names could be authors, events, accounts etc. of the War. Series and sub-series titles were derived from the original titles on the binders. Original intellectual order was retained, grouping similar subjects into Series and Sub-series. Dates recorded were the publication dates of the articles; however, if no publication date was present the date of retrieval was used if from an academic database (ex. JSTOR). The black and white photos from various repositories are reproductions of paintings, microfilm etc. on photographic paper. The colour photographs from various repositories are actual photographs. All books donated by Malcomson were integrated into the University’s Special Collections book collection. These volumes are noted at the end of the finding aid under separated materials.

The Welland Canals Foundation, Honourable William Hamilton Merritt and the St. Catharines Historical Society and Museum, 1971-1990, n.d.

‘The Father of Canadian Transportation’ is a term commonly associated with William Hamilton Merritt. Although he is most known for being one of the driving forces behind the building of the first Welland Canal, he was many things throughout his life; a soldier, merchant, promoter, entrepreneur and politician to name a few. Born on July 3, 1793 at Bedford, Westchester County, N.Y. to Thomas Merritt and Mary Hamilton, Merritt’s family relocated to Canada shortly after in 1796. The move came after Merritt’s father petitioned John Graves Simcoe for land in Upper Canada after serving under him in the Queen’s Rangers during the American Revolution. The family quickly settled into their life at Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines. Merritt’s father became sheriff of Lincoln County in 1803 while Merritt began his education in mathematics and surveying. After some brief travel and further education Merritt returned to Lincoln County, in 1809 to help farm his father’s land and open a general store. While a farmer and merchant, Merritt turned his attention to military endeavours. A short time after being commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Lincoln militia, the War of 1812 broke out. Fulfilling his duty, Merritt fought in the Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812, and numerous small battles until the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in July 1814. It was here that Merritt was captured and held in Cheshire, Massachusetts until the war ended. Arriving back in the St. Catharines area upon his release, Merritt returned to being a merchant, as well as becoming a surveyor and mill owner. Some historians hypothesize that the need to draw water to his mill was how the idea of the Welland Canals was born. Beginning with a plan to connect the Welland River with the Twelve mile creek quickly developed into a connection between the Lakes Erie and Ontario. Its main purpose was to improve the St. Lawrence transportation system and provide a convenient way to transport goods without having to go through the Niagara Falls portage. The plan was set in motion in 1818, but most living in Queenston and Niagara were not happy with it as it would drive business away from them. Along with the opposition came financial and political restraints. Despite these factors Merritt pushed on and the Welland Canal Company was chartered by the Upper Canadian Assembly on January 19, 1824. The first sod was turned on November 30, 1824 almost a year after the initial chartering. Many difficulties arose during the building of the canal including financial, physical, and geographic restrictions. Despite the difficulties two schooners passed through the canal on November 30, 1829. Throughout the next four years continual work was done on the canal as it expended and was modified to better accommodate large ships. After his canal was underway Merritt took a more active role in the political arena, where he served in various positions throughout Upper Canada. In 1851, Merritt withdrew from the Executive Council for numerous reasons, one of which being that pubic interest had diverted from the canals to railways. Merritt tried his hand at other public works outside transportation and trade. He looked into building a lunatic asylum, worked on behalf of War of 1812 veterans, aided in building Brock’s monument, established schools, aided refugee slaves from the U.S. and tried to establish a National Archives among many other feats. He was described by some as having “policy too liberal – conceptions too vast – views too comprehensive to be comprehensible by all”, but he still made a great difference in the society in which he lived. After his great contributions, Merritt died aboard a ship in the Cornwall canal on July 5, 1862. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=38719 retrieved October 2006 Today numerous groups carry on the legacy of Merritt and the canals both in the past and present. One such group is the Welland Canals Foundation. They describe themselves as: “. . . a volunteer organization which strives to promote the importance of the present and past Welland Canals, and to preserve their history and heritage. The Foundation began in 1980 and carries on events like William Hamilton Merritt Day. The group has strongly supported the Welland Canals Parkway initiative and numerous other activities”. The Welland Canals Foundation does not work alone. They have help from other local groups such as the St. Catharines Historical Society. The Society’s main objective is to increase knowledge and appreciation of the historical aspects of St. Catharines and vicinity, such as the Welland Canals. http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/dec2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006 http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/feb2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006

The Weekly Register - March 1813 and Index

Issues for the March 1813 Weekly Register newspaper (Baltimore, Maryland) are divided and includes the following War of 1812 related stories: March 6th, pages 1-16: Editor's proclamation on reporting on the war (p.1); Declaration of British Parliament - 9 January 1813 (pp.1-6); President's message to Senate and House of Representatives - February 24 (p.8); Events of the War including reports from Ogdensburgh,Battle of Frenchtown with Brigadier General James Winchester, Colonel Henry Proctor, and Round Head; (pp.9-13); naval events (pp.13-15); President Madison's speech - March 4 (pp.15-16). March 13th, pages 17-40 March 20th, pages 41-56 March 27th, pages 57-72 PLEASE CLICK ON THE WEEKLY PERIODICALS ON THE RIGHT OF THE SCREEN (PDF FILES)TO DOWNLOAD FILES. Look for other issues of the Weekly Register within this website. The Weekly Register, also known as Niles Weekly Register, was a weekly periodical edited by Hezekiah Niles (1777-1839) and published in Baltimore Maryland. Volumes of interest were published between 1811 (Vol. 1, No. 1, September 7, 1811) to 1814 (Vol. 5, No. 26, February 26, 1814). These volumes focus primarily on 19th century politics and government in the United States of America. Niles edited and published the Weekly Register until 1836, making it one of the most widely-circulated magazines in the United States. The popularity also made Niles into one of the most influential journalists of his day. Devoted primarily to politics, Niles' Weekly Register is considered an important source for the history of the period. The Register also recorded current economics, technology, science, medicine, geography, archaeology, the weather, and stories of human interest. Call Number: SPCL PER JK 1 N52

The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle - 1812 July to December Index and Supplement

Specific pages related to the War of 1812 include: Pages 655, 656, 657: Battles on the Niagara Frontier, with the death of Major General Sir Isaac Brock at the Battle of Queenston Heights on October 13, 1812. Page 670: Oct 13 - Obituary for Major General Sir Isaac Brock. Click on the pdf links to the right to view the monthly issue. The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle was a monthly periodical published in England during the years of 1736-1833. The volumes of interest from 1812-1815 were written and compiled by Sylvanus Urban, Gentleman. These volumes were printed in London by Nichols, Son and Bentley at Cicero's Head, Red Lion Passage and Fleet Street. The magazine contains accounts of important historical events, abstracts of foreign occurrences, letters from noted figures, articles on geography, biographical entries for prominent people, poems, statistics, obituaries, reviews of books and more.

The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle - 1812 October

Specific pages related to the War of 1812 include: Page 385: The capture of Fort Detroit; battles at Plattsburgh and Sackett's Harbour. Page 389: On 10 October 1812, Major General Sir Isaac Brock was knighted. Click on the pdf links to the right to view the monthly issue. The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle was a monthly periodical published in England during the years of 1736-1833. The volumes of interest from 1812-1815 were written and compiled by Sylvanus Urban, Gentleman. These volumes were printed in London by Nichols, Son and Bentley at Cicero's Head, Red Lion Passage and Fleet Street. The magazine contains accounts of important historical events, abstracts of foreign occurrences, letters from noted figures, articles on geography, biographical entries for prominent people, poems, statistics, obituaries, reviews of books and more.

The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle - 1812 December

*Pages 497-504 are duplicated. Please check both November and December for these pages listed in the Index. Specific pages related to the War of 1812 include: Page 574: Battles at Fort Michilimackinac and the Invasion of Upper Canada by the Americans on October 12, 1812. Pages 576, 577, 578: Intelligence from Major General Sir Isaac Brock with mentions of the battles of Fort Detroit, Amherstburg, etc. Click on the pdf links to the right to view the monthly issue. The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle was a monthly periodical published in England during the years of 1736-1833. The volumes of interest from 1812-1815 were written and compiled by Sylvanus Urban, Gentleman. These volumes were printed in London by Nichols, Son and Bentley at Cicero's Head, Red Lion Passage and Fleet Street. The magazine contains accounts of important historical events, letters from noted figures, articles on geography, biographical entries for prominent people, poems, reviews of books and more.

The Columbian Newspaper vol. IV no. 1105- June 12, 1813

The "Columbian" was established by Mr. Holt in 1808 as an "organ of the Clintonians" (Journalism in the United States, from 1690-1872 By Frederic Hudson) and a replacement to the "Citizen". It was a passionate Democratic paper that supported both Jefferson and Madison. Holt later sold the "Columbian" to Alden Spooner, who published the Long Island "Star". The Columbian ceased in 1821. This issue includes the following War of 1812 topics: Page 2: copies of letters from U.S. Gen. H. Dearborn describing the U.S. attack on Ft. George 27 May 1813; letter from Gen. H. Dearborn describing U.S. pursuit of British troops at Beaver Dams and the U.S. capture of Fort Erie; list of U.S. killed and wounded in Commodore Isaac Chauncey's squadron in attack on York 27 April, 1813; list of killed and wounded in Commodore Isaac Chauncey's squadron in attack on Ft. George 27 May 1813; abstract of the cartel for the exchange of prisoners of war between Great Britain and the United States; mention of troop movements through New York on their way to the battle front; list of persons killed or lost on the privateer Saratoga; Page 3: account of the loss of the U.S. war ships the Growler and Eagle to the British; news from Quebec and Kingston of troop movements; U.S. ship Syren unsuccessfully pursues British ship Herald; account of a U.S. cargo ship being captured by a British military ship; account of U.S. ship Siro capturing British ship Loyal Sam; report from Halifax of recent British troop and ship movements; list of recent troop enrollments in various states; report of British troop build up in Kingston;

Merrimack Intelligencer Vol. 5 No. 48

This was a weekly paper that was published every Saturday. The motto of the Merrimack was: "Not too rash--Yet not fearful--We aim to be just." It was published from 1808-1817. Topics of interest include: Page 1: State of New York Republicans published a statement arguing against the war and the policies of John Adams and James Madison; account of the capture of York by the Americans, 27 April 1813; Page 2: account of the capture of York by the Americans, 27 April 1813; letter from American Brig. Gen. Henry Miller to Sir John B. Warren warning the British not to execute captured U.S. citizen O'Neal; response from Sir John B. Warren to Brig. Gen. Henry Miller stating that O'Neal had been released; account of Stephen Girard buying back his ransomed ship from the British; Page 3: account of Stephen Girard buying back his ransomed ship from the British; U.S. General Harrison repels British and Indian forces that attack Fort Meigs; account of British forces capturing U.S. privateer ship Alexander; report of British forces near Newport, New York, the Delaware river, and the Potomac River; report of Indian attacks in Kaskaskia, Randolph County; report of a boat load of provisions attacked by Indians near Fort Harrison; Commodore Isaac Chauncey arrived at Sacket's Harbor to unload stores taken from York before leaving for Niagara to commence attack against Fort George; U.S. Army announcement recruiting men 18 to 45 years of age to enlist in the army;