The A to Z of the War of 1812 by Robert Malcomson

Author:Robert Malcomson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Published: 2006-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

The Siege of Fort Meigs, May 1813. Courtesy of the Library and Archives of Canada, C10740

By 1812, wooden buildings had been erected as quarters for guards and officers, for cooking, and for storage. The prison itself was a two-story structure about 200 feet long and 50 feet wide, and there was a palisade, a stone wall, and a bridge that connected the island to the shore. During the War of 1812, more than 8,100 American seamen and soldiers were accommodated there or in the prison hulks nearby, some only briefly. John Mitchell, from Philadelphia, took post at Halifax in October 1812 to act as an agent for the Americans. The majority of them were taken off privateers, of whom few were exchanged or freed on parole as quickly as USN or military personnel were. As in other such facilities, the prisoners used the small stipend they received to buy necessary items. In addition, they made items for sale and earned money through such activities as gambling. It appears to have been a well-organized facility, with the prisoners also taking steps to marshal themselves. Overcrowding was a problem, however, and the death rate among the prisoners was high.

MELVILLE, ROBERT SAUNDERS DUNDAS, LORD (1771–1851). A Scottish statesman, Melville was a Tory and the son of an influential government official. He first entered the British cabinet in 1807 and in April 1812 became First Lord of the Admiralty, although the closest he had come to actual naval service was to marry the daughter of a wealthy admiral. An efficient and successful administrator, Melville held the office until 1827. He and the other Admiralty lords directed the RN’s activities through the War of 1812, and he took a personal interest in the accomplishments of such individual officers as Sir James Yeo. Melville returned to the Admiralty from 1828 to 1830, when the Duke of Wellington was prime minister, and then retired to private life.

MEMOIRS. The war produced a vast amount of public correspondence and official documents and a large number of personal memoirs, diaries, and journals. The latter material, most of which was prepared by commissioned officers, provides interesting insights into actual conditions on the battlefield or at sea as well as shedding light on the motivations of men. Among the individuals whose personal experiences have been published are George Gleig, Jarvis Hanks, John Le Couteur, William Merritt, Ned Myers, Usher Parsons, and Cromwell Pearce.

MENOMINEE. Members of this aboriginal nation (their name meant “Wild Rice People”) lived in settlements in modern-day Wisconsin in the area just west of Green Bay, where they were fully involved in the fur trade at the time of the War of 1812. The allied themselves with the British when the war began and were with Captain Charles Roberts’s force at the capture of Michilimackinac (17 July 1812). Some warriors were also with Major General Isaac Brock at the capture of Detroit (16 August), while others are said to have participated in the massacre at Fort Dearborn (15 August). In

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