C is for Coloured Corps

April 3, 2015 by Roland Clarke

Shortly after the Americans declared war on the British in June 1812, a 68 year old West African named Richard Pierpoint proposed the formation of a Black fighting unit, a “Corps of men of Colour.” A small militia unit was formed and became known as the Coloured Corps. Pierpoint, who had fought for the British in the American Revolutionary War, was one of over 50 who served in that unit throughout the war. While the commanding officers were white, six of the enlisted Black men served as sergeants or corporals and the rest served as privates. The number strength of the unit varied throughout the war due to fatalities, illness, desertions and the occasional addition of Black soldiers from other militias. There were usually between 25-30 men. The Coloured Corps saw action in some of best-known battles of the War of 1812. At the Battle of Queenston Heights, they participated in the recapture of the Redan Battery after the death of Major General Brock.

Coloured Corps Painting
“Runchey’s Coloured Corps” by Cameron Porteous.
Image courtesy of canadianartcards.com. 1812 1 20N.

The Black population throughout British North America had much to fear, should the Americans win the war: those who were free men might find themselves sold into slavery. Those who were enslaved might have hoped that their service to the King as soldiers would win them their freedom.

There were both free and enslaved men in the Coloured Corps’ ranks. While Pierpoint gained his freedom for his service in a British provincial regiment, Butler’s Rangers, he was one of many who were free men when the Corps was founded. Robert Scott, a free man and farmer living in the town of York, joined up. George Martin, another Coloured Corps enlistee, had been a slave as a child, until his freedom was purchased by his own father who, like Pierpoint, had served in Butler’s Rangers.

However, others were not so lucky. “Jack” was a slave who had enlisted in the Coloured Corps, perhaps believing that by doing so he might gain his freedom. He was owned by a white slaveholder, W. A. Nelles, who requested that the military return “Jack” to him in March 1814. Prince Henry was the legal property of William Jarvis, the Provincial Secretary of Upper Canada. He appears on the muster roll in 1813. Was he signed up by Jarvis, or was he a ‘run-away,’ hoping his military service would gain him his freedom?

The Coloured Corps was a unique fighting unit within the British military, consisting of men who valued freedom and who were willing to fight to ensure freedom for themselves, their families and their country.

In 1813, the company was transformed into a unit of the Provincial Corps of Artificers and attached to the Royal Sappers and Miners. It served on the Niagara front during the war, and was disbanded a few months after the war ended.

1814 Corps of Artificiers. Image courtesy of Parks Canada.

The Coloured Corps was dismissed in March of 1815, a few months after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. In the years following the war, Coloured Corps veterans worked hard at getting back pay and their pensions. The records indicate that these claims were still being settled well into the 1820s and early 1830s. In fact, getting what was owed was often left to their widows and children, as many Coloured Corps veterans died before receiving what was due to them.

The unit’s history and heritage is perpetuated in the modern Canadian Army by the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.

Further Information:

http://tubman.info.yorku.ca/educational-resources/war-of-1812/richard-pierpoint/coloured-corps/

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-coloured-corps-african-canadians-and-the-war-of-1812/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Runchey%27s_Company_of_Coloured_Men

http://www.eighteentwelve.ca/?q=eng/Topic/25

http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/essays/black-soldier-and-sailors-war/

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behaviour.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, we blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. Please visit other challenge writers.

My theme is ‘The War of 1812’, a military conflict, lasting for two-and-a-half years, fought by the United States of America against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, its North American colonies, and its American Indian allies. The Memoirs of a British naval officer from the war is central to my novel “Seeking A Knife” – part of the Snowdon Shadows series.

B is for Brock

April 2, 2015 by Roland Clarke

Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and administrator, who was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he commanded his regiment in Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) successfully for many years. He was promoted to major general, and became responsible for defending Upper Canada against the United States. While many in Canada and Britain believed war could be averted, Brock began to ready the army and militia for what was to come. To this end he oversaw improvements to the fortifications at Quebec and improved the Provincial Marine which was responsible for transporting troops and supplies on the Great Lakes. Though appointed brigadier general in 1807 by Governor General Sir James Henry Craig, Brock was frustrated by a lack of supplies and support.

However, he worked to alter the militia act to expand his forces and began building relationships with Native American leaders such as the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, and nations such as the Anishinaabe. Brock felt that British military fortunes were bleak. In Upper Canada, he possessed only 1,200 regulars which were supported by around 11,000 militia. As he doubted the loyalty of many Canadians, he believed only around 4,000 of the latter group would be willing to fight. Despite this outlook, when the War broke out, the populace was prepared, and quick victories at Fort Michilimackinac and Detroit defeated American invasion efforts.

Brock’s actions, particularly his success at Detroit, earned him a knighthood, membership in the Order of the Bath, accolades and the sobriquet “The Hero of Upper Canada”.

Brock died at the Battle of Queenston Heights. Leading two companies of the 49th Regiment and two companies of York militia, he charged up the heights assisted by aide-de-camp Lieutenant Colonel John Macdonell. In the attack, Brock was struck in the chest and killed, as was his aide who died in a second charge. However the battle was eventually a British victory. [Q will be for Queenston]

Twelve years after Brock’s death, a 130 foot stone monument was erected in his honour on the heights near the spot where he was killed. His remains, as well as those of Macdonell, were reburied beneath the monument in an elaborate ceremony attended by many of his contemporaries. In 1840, the monument was destroyed by a massive blast of gunpowder, ignited by an American sympathizer. The monument was subsequently rebuilt in 1856, 52 feet taller than before. Today, the monument, which now straddles the longest undefended border in the world, remains one of the most imposing historical landmarks in Canada. Relics of Brock’s career can be seen at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, where his bullet-pierced tunic is prominently on display.

The coat worn by Major General Sir Isaac Brock at the time of his death at Queenston Heights on 13 October 1812. On display at the Canadian War Museum, the bullet hole is evident under the lapel (courtesy Archives of Ontario/S1427)

http://www.eighteentwelve.ca/?q=eng/Topic/16

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Brock

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/1800sarmybiographies/p/War-Of-1812-Major-General-Sir-Isaac-Brock.htm

http://www.warof1812.ca/brock.htm

A is for Anishinaabe

April 1, 2015 by Roland Clarke

For the first day of my A to Z Challenge, I resisted choosing the arena for the War of 1812 – America. But first what caused the conflict? Unsettled issues between the British and the United States after the War of Independence were a factor, as was the Royal Navy attempting to press gang American sailors. However, the US also thought that American settlers in the territory that would become Canada would support their invasion across the border. Canada then consisted of the maritime colonies and parts of southern Quebec and Ontario. But let’s start with the First Nations, who were the other major players on both sides.

A is for the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe, Odawa, Potowatomi), who were among two dozen tribal nations that were involved in the conflict.

When war was declared, there were 8,410 warriors of the Western Confederacy, who included Ojibwe, Odawa, Potowatomi, Huron, Shawnee, Mississaugas, Nipissings and Algonkians. The Anishinaabe made up 7,410 of this number, an overwhelming majority. Although the Shawnee war chief Tecumseh is most associated with the war, it was the Anishinaabe that formed the majority.

The tribes met for military and political purposes and maintained relations with fellow Anishinaabeg nations (Mississauga, Algonquin, and Nipissing) from Michilimackinac, an island between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, It’s always been revered, although opinion is divided whether it is because the island is the turtle of creation or the place of origin of the spirits now called Bgoji-anishnaabensag.

Mackinac Island, William Dashwood – A Painting Commissioned by Robert McDouall

Major General Brock, aware that there were not enough regular forces available to defend Upper Canada, suggested that capturing Michilimackinac and Detroit, from the US, would allay the suspicions of the natives who no longer trusted the British after the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1796. The chiefs constantly recalled when the Americans overpowered the Western Confederacy and the British abandoned the retreating Anishinaabeg to massacre, by locking the gates to Fort Miami.

When Brock’s forces fought alongside the Anishinaabe to secure Fort Michilimackinac, many more of the western nations joined the British.

Throughout the war, the Anishinaabe were repeatedly told that their interests would not be forgotten when peace was made. So much so that at the conclusion of the War of 1812, the Odawa suggested that the British negotiators offer the Americans a greater quantity of Anishinaabe land on the mainland in order to keep Michilimackinac in their possession.

The possibility was there, but in the end the British meekly vacated Michilimackinac to the United States. It is totally conceivable that at least a portion of upper Michigan or Wisconsin could have been set aside as an “Indian country” as the British had promised. The mechanisms were in place but not the honour. This is why the Anishinaabeg say that “we did not lose the war but we lost the peace”.

Further reading on the Anishinaabe and the War of 1812:

http://activehistory.ca/tag/anishinaabeg/

http://activehistory.ca/2014/09/anishnaabeg-in-the-war-of-1812-more-than-tecumseh-and-his-indians/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anishinaabe

http://www.theworldofgord.com/2012/11/heritage-toronto-talk-anishinaabe-first.html

The War of 1812

March 23, 2015 by Roland Clarke

The Great and Powerful A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest!

What were you taught about The War of 1812 in school? Who actually won it? Who lost? Okay it happened two hundred years ago, but for me it matters. Why?

First, it is the theme that I have chosen for this year’s A to Z Challenge in April – I was told having a theme was fun, and last year the guys that know these things were right. I took part in 2014 and now have a collection of shorts almost ready – Gossamer Flames. I also enjoyed other people’s themes, which were varied and in many cases clever.

Second, The War of 1812 is one plotline in my current WIP, “Seeking A Knife”, in which a young journalist in Texas receives a Memoir written in the war by a Royal Navy Officer. The ‘why’, the disappearance of the officer’s knife, and the death of the sender, only add to the mystery.

Third, I get a chance to give you an overview of my research into the events that mattered two hundred years ago to the people living in the United States and Canada. It might even help me find some hidden gems that I can use as I write the Memoir sections of the novel.

Early English Naval Dirk with Sheath

Your perspective on the War will change according to where you grew up and were educated, although judging by some online comments, I wonder.

The War of 1812, which lasted from 1812 to 1814, was a military conflict between the United States and Great Britain. As a colony of Great Britain, Canada was swept up in the War of 1812 and was invaded a number of times by the Americans. For the First Nations this was a chance to halt American expansionism west, and to preserve their land and culture. However, in war there are winners and losers, and often the losers are on both sides.

So join me in April and find out how the British Navy met its match, how the White House was burned to the ground, when The Star Spangled Banner was written, who the Coloured Corps were, who was Tecumseh, and who was betrayed once the conflict ended.

War of 1812 Montage from Wikipedia

Oh, and being English, I never learnt about the War of 1812, except as a theatre in the Napoleonic Wars – a theatre that was not as significant to our History teacher as the Peninsular War. Then I went to Canada, and now I’m married to an American.

Finally, this War of 1812 theme gives me the chance today to participate in this whole separate blogfest!

As the organisers say, “Two years ago A to Z participant Mina Lobo started the Theme Reveal, and we thought it was such a great idea that we made it tradition. It is now our very own, grand and festive way of rolling out our themes together!”

Finally, apologies for those that read this a month ago, when I posted a few weeks early. And my thanks to Sarah Zama for pointing out the error.

Best of luck everyone with A to Z next month.

Visit other participants by clicking here – and have fun.

Parallel Plotting Predicament

February 4, 2015 by Roland Clarke

Plotting was simple with previous draft novels, even when there were two interweaving plot arcs. But how did I end up with three parallel ones? More important how should I be writing this novel?

Draft blurb for “Seeking a Knife”: Welsh Detective Sergeant Sparkle Lodge suspects that the death of a researcher is linked to the priceless 200 year-old Memoirs sent to Nadine Palmour, a Native American journalist. Is Nadine descended from the author of the Memoirs, an English naval officer, Talcott Wendell? Is the theft of his naval dirk in 1920 a cold case that has to be resurrected?

Three POVs in three separate settings, two separated by location – North Wales and Texas – and the other by historical time – the memoirs are from the War of 1812, between the USA and the British in Canada.

I recognise that there are three different areas of research, three sets of character sketches, but are three outlines that gradually weave together? I had initially planned to do all the research, character sketches, and then one interweaving outline of the whole novel. I have a rough outline so know how the novel should unfold – and a time line for the present day arcs. But the great plan hasn’t worked out beyond those elements.

My first POV character, a Welsh Goth in the North Wales Poice arrested me. Who wouldn’t want to develop a character based on Abi in NCIS? So I have her sketched out, and a few lines on those she interacts with. Worst of all I have written around 10,000 words that cover the first third of the novel from her POV.

Do I stop? Do I continue with her story, until she meets the Native American? Or should I just work on the parts that inspire me?

Pauley Perrette aka Abi

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. This is my attempt to talk about my doubts and the fears that I am trying to conquer. I want to be encouraging, and by posting perhaps this is a way of saying keep striving. Visit IWSG and some other great bloggers, not all as insecure but great fun.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
The awesome co-hosts for this February 4 posting of the IWSG are Gwen Gardner, Dolorah, Sarah Foster, and M. Pax!