Battle for the Bay: The Naval War of 1812
5/5
()
About this ebook
As the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 approaches, a new chapter in the history of the war is being opened for the first time. Although naval battles raged on the Great Lakes, combat between privateers and small government vessels boiled in the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine. Three small warships — the Provincial sloop Brunswicker, His Majesty's schooner Bream, and His Majesty's brig of war Boxer — played a vital role in defending the eastern waters of British North America in this crucial war.
The crews of these hardy ships fought both the Americans and the elements — winter winds, summer fog, and the fierce tidal currents of the Bay of Fundy — enduring the all-too-real threats of shipwreck and possible capture and imprisonment. In peacetime, these patrol craft enforced maritime law. In wartime, they engaged in a guerre de course, attacking the enemy's commercial shipping while protecting their own. Now, for the first time, Joshua Smith tells the full story of the battle for the bay.
Battle for the Bay is volume 17 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.
Joshua M. Smith
Joshua M. Smith grew up in the United States on Cape Cod and coastal Maine. He now teaches at the US Merchant Marine Academy, where is he also director of the American Merchant Marine Museum. He is the author of Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists, and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1783-1820.
Related to Battle for the Bay
Titles in the series (22)
Saint John Fortifications, 1630-1956 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hope Restored: The American Revolution and the Founding of New Brunswick Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Siege of Fort Beauséjour, 1755 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTurning Back the Fenians: New Brunswick's Last Colonial Campaign Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bitter Harvest of War: New Brunswick and the Conscription Crisis of 1917 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRiding Into War: The Memoir of a Horse Transport Driver, 1916-1919 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Road to Canada: The Grand Communications Route from Saint John to Quebec Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWar on the Home Front: The Farm Diaries of Daniel MacMillan, 1914-1927 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrimming Yankee Sails: Pirates and Privateers of New Brunswick Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hurricane Pilot: The Wartime Letters of W.O. Harry L. Gill, D.F.M., 1940-1943 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsD-Day to Carpiquet: The North Shore Regiment and the Liberation of Europe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Captured Hearts: New Brunswick's War Brides Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Steel Cavalry: The 8th (New Brunswick) Hussars and the Italian Campaign Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAgnes Warner and the Nursing Sisters of the Great War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bamboo Cage: The P.O.W. Diary of Flight Lieutenant Robert Wyse, 1942-1943 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment of Foot in the War of 1812 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uncle Cy's War: The First World War Letters of Major Cyrus F. Inches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Brunswick and the Navy: Four Hundred Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Aroostook War of 1839 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Battle for the Bay: The Naval War of 1812 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Neighbourly War: New Brunswick and the War of 1812 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letters from Beauly: Pat Hennessy and the Canadian Forestry Corps in Scotland, 1940-1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
A Neighbourly War: New Brunswick and the War of 1812 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New Brunswick and the Navy: Four Hundred Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNaval Actions of the War of 1812 (Illustrated Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Naval Actions of the War of 1812: Illustrated Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lake Erie Campaign of 1813: I Shall Fight Them This Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Signal Victory: The Lake Erie Campaign, 1812-1813 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Northern Vermont in the War of 1812 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Canadian Iroquois and the Seven Years' War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArnold’s Expedition to Quebec Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProtecting the Empire’s Frontier: Officers of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot during Its North American Service, 1767–1776 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Maritime Marauder of Revolutionary Maine: Captain Henry Mowat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tide of War: The 1814 Invasions of Upper Canada Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Battle of Bennington: Soldiers & Civilians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInside of Rebeldom: Civil War First Hand Accounts, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTurning Back the Fenians: New Brunswick's Last Colonial Campaign Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Guide to the American Revolutionary War in New Jersey: Battles, Raids and Skirmishes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Journal of the Operations of the Queen's Rangers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battles at Plattsburgh: September 11, 1814 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ashes of War: The Fight for Upper Canada, August 1814—March 1815 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Revolutionary Journal of Baron Ludwig von Closen, 1780-1783 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCivil War Blockade Running on the Texas Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings1812: War and the Passions of Patriotism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI am heartily ashamed: Volume II: The Revolutionary War's Final Campaign as Waged from Canada in 1782 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wild Yankees: The Struggle for Independence along Pennsylvania's Revolutionary Frontier Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Enemy Harassed: Washington's New Jersey Campaign of 1777 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pendulum of War: The Fight for Upper Canada, January—June1813 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hessians and the Other German Auxiliaries of Great Britain in the Revolutionary War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnion in Peril: The Crisis over British Intervention in the Civil War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
History For You
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret History of the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Library Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Things You're Not Supposed to Know: Secrets, Conspiracies, Cover Ups, and Absurdities Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Richest Man in Babylon: The most inspiring book on wealth ever written Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Whore Stories: A Revealing History of the World's Oldest Profession Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lessons of History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unveiled: How the West Empowers Radical Muslims Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Battle for the Bay
2 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Battle for the Bay - Joshua M. Smith
Copyright © 2011 by Joshua M. Smith.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). To contact Access Copyright, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call 1-800-893-5777.
Edited by Brent Wilson and Barry Norris.
Front cover illustrations by (top) John Augustus Atkinson, British Sailors Boarding a Man of War,
collection of National Maritime Museum; (bottom) Irwin John Bevan, Boats of the Maidstone capture the Commodore Barry,
collection of the Mariners Museum 1940.0474.000001.
Back cover illustrations (top) courtesy of National Archives of Canada; (middle) Royal Marine, Period 1835,
courtesy of the New York Public Library 1199102; and (bottom) courtesy of the Hare family.
Cover and interior page design by Jaye Haworth.
Art direction by Julie Scriver.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Smith, Joshua M. (Joshua Mitchell)
Battle for the Bay: the Naval War of 1812 / Joshua M. Smith.
(New Brunswick military heritage series; 17)
Co-published by: Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society.
Includes bibliographical references and index. Electronic monograph. Also issued in print format.
ISBN 978-0-86492-759-0
1. Canada — History — War of 1812 — Naval operations. 2. United States — History — War of 1812 — Naval operations. 3. Fundy, Bay of — History, Military. 4. Maine, Gulf of — History, Military. I. Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society II. Title. III. Series: New Brunswick military heritage series; 17
FC449.N3S55 2010 971.03’4 C2010-907060-7
Goose Lane Editions acknowledges the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF), and the government of New Brunswick through the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Healthy Living.
Goose Lane Editions
500 Beaverbrook Court, Suite 330
Fredericton, New Brunswick
CANADA E3B 5X4
www.gooselane.com
New Brunswick Military Heritage Project
The Brigadier Milton F. Gregg,
VC Centre for the Study of War and Society
University of New Brunswick
PO Box 4400
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canada E3B 5A3
www.unb.ca/nbmhp
To Scott See,
who introduced me to Canadian history.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter One Nelson Is Gone: Constabulary Duties, 1783-1812
Chapter Two For the Service of the Province
: The Provincial Sloop Brunswicker and Littoral Defence
Chapter Three Bream Brings the War to the Enemy
Chapter Four The Sea-Fight Far Away
: H.M. Brig Boxer and the Fog of War
Epilogue
Conclusion Après la guerre
Appendix Table 1 Prizes Captured by H.M. Schooner Bream, 1812-1813
Appendix Table 2 Inventory of Items Sold from H.M. Brig Boxer, November 1813
Acknowledgements
Selected Bibliography
Photo Credits
Index
Introduction
Writing on board his ship H.M.S. Blenheim in 1839, Captain Sir Henry Le Fleming Senhouse of the Royal Navy looked back to his time as commodore of the British naval forces in the Bay of Fundy during the War of 1812. Sir Henry was writing an endorsement for his friend Lieutenant Charles Hare, whose activity and enterprize
in destroying US coastal trade and privateers won the admiration of Senhouse and of every officer who knew him.
Yet, notwithstanding Hare’s undeniable ability, Senhouse had to admit that Hare’s case was one of neglected merit,
for the unfortunate officer had remained at the rank of lieutenant for thirty-seven years despite his performance during the last war with the Americans. Hare’s lack of recognition parallels that of the naval War of 1812 as it played out in the battle for the Bay of Fundy. This work aims to rescue the service of Hare and his fellow Royal Navy officers and sailors from obscurity by examining three warships that played important roles in defending New Brunswick.
These vessels, the provincial sloop Brunswicker, His Majesty’s schooner Bream, and His Majesty’s brig-of-war Boxer, were small and operated out of Saint John during the war. While many Canadians are aware of the naval battles fought on the Great Lakes or the frigate duels fought on the ocean during the War of 1812, few will know of the naval component as it relates to the Maritimes, except for those who might recall it had something to do with privateers. The vessels that fought this war were small, yet extremely busy, and often involved in low-level combat against various US forces.
The size of these vessels and the missions assigned to them indicate that they were not warships designed to engage with enemy fleets in grand battles, but patrol craft. In peacetime they performed a constabulary role, enforcing maritime law and policy. In wartime they engaged in a form of naval warfare known as guerre de course that emphasized attacking the enemy’s commercial shipping and protecting one’s own. It was not the sort of glamorous duty that made for rapid promotion, as Lieutenant Hare found to his dismay. But it was important work, even if it was tedious to fight winter winds, summer fogs, and the fierce tidal currents of the notoriously dangerous Bay of Fundy. It could also be deadly: shipwreck, combat, and imprisonment were constant hazards.
The Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine generally is an area that has been largely ignored in histories of the War of 1812. The frequent small-scale combat fought in these waters between privateers and government vessels has received little consideration. In part this is because of the historiographical big ship
bias that emphasizes blue-water battles. The War of 1812 in the Bay of Fundy and off the New England coast was decidedly not a big-ship conflict; privateers, from both the United States and the Maritime colonies, usually were less than one hundred tons and some were mere open rowboats. The naval units were equally rudimentary: a few sloops-of-war, gun brigs, and schooners. This was a petty raiding war, guerre de course in a littoral, or coastal, environment. Although they seldom operated together as a squadron, let alone a fleet, these naval forces nevertheless played an important role in the war, convoying ships between ports, patrolling the bay for hostile vessels, and raiding the enemy’s coast.
Chapter One
Nelson Is Gone: Constabulary Duties, 1783-1812
Early in January 1806, the news of Admiral Horatio Nelson’s great victory at Trafalgar reached New Brunswick. It was an era of national pride for the British Empire, its monarchy, and the Royal Navy, and thus the response was both public and unrestrained. For years, New Brunswickers had been following the exploits of Nelson, the first of Britain’s truly national heroes. News of his victory over a French fleet off Egypt in 1798, for example, was met with spontaneous celebrations. Flags flew from Saint John’s fortifications and ships in the harbour, and cannon salutes were fired. The wealthy illuminated their windows with candles, a festive manner of celebrating their patriotism. New Brunswickers greeted the news of Trafalgar with a similar response. Accounts of the battle were published in full in the province’s newspapers. Many of the better off celebrated the victory by again placing candles in each window. A ball was held in Saint John in honour of the event, attended by a great assembly of beauty and fashion.
There were public dinners and the drinking of many loyal toasts throughout the province.
The most elaborate celebration was an all-night ball held in the Province Hall in Fredericton. The decorations featured patriotic themes, and after supper loyal toasts were made, interspersed with patriotic songs such as Rule Britannia.
A song was also composed in honour of the late victory of the immortal Nelson
:
To The Memory of Lord Nelson
Though envied and hated by Tyrants and Slaves,
Britannia, fair Queen of the Ocean, remains:
Repell’d by her ramparts that float on the waves,
War flies from her borders and want from her plains.
For ages renown’d,
By Victory crown’d,
Surpassed by no other,
One rivals his brother,
And all prove their titles as Lords of the Main.
Lords of the