Archive for October, 2009

Samuel Smith, Baltimore mayor and general

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Samuel Smith, Baltimore mayor and general

When compared to the bumbling actions of so many other citizen-soldiers during the War of 1812, the city of Baltimore was lucky to have Maj. Gen. Sam Smith. He was 63 in 1814 when the battle of Baltimore took place but he still had another good twenty-plus years ahead of him of public service...
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Tippecanoe reenactment weekend

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A reenactment and living history event will be held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Prophetstown State Park to mark the historic battle between Tecumseh’s forces and those of William Henry Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe in Indiana. Here’s part of the article  previewing the event in the Journal & Courier: Roughly 350 re-enactors will...
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Join the Royal Marines!

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What made someone join the Royal Marines during the War of 1812 to fight those pesky Americans? For starters, there was a promise of a daily ration of meat and rum.
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Burning of Frenchtown on Chesapeake Bay

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British forces attacked and burned Frenchtown, a Chesapeake Bay port in Maryland. In 1999, researchers using sonar found evidence of the attack on the Elk River.
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Tecumseh, American Indian leader

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Tecumseh, American Indian leader

Born around 1768, Tecumseh was a charismatic Shawnee chief who was able to unite several Indian nations in opposition to expanding settlement of the Old Northwest. Tecumseh was an ally of the British, who had a vested interest in preventing expansion of the United States. The fight against Tecumseh helped propel Gen. William Henry Harrison...
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War of 1812 privateers

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During the War of 1812, America relied heavily on its privateer fleet to harass British shipping and the attacks began to have a telling effect on British trade. Privateers were a sort of government-sanctioned pirate fleet that operated under a Letter of Marque and Reprisal issued by the president or the Crown – the British...
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Kitty Knight, heroine of 1812

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Kitty Knight has become a legend in Maryland for standing up to British invaders who pillaged and burned her waterfront village.
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High cost of 1812 reenacting

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The cost of being a War of 1812 reenactor is fairly substantial with these living historians spending hundreds of dollars on uniforms and reproduction weaponry.
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Enslaved Americans caught in the middle of conflict

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Enslaved Americans often found themselves forced to take sides during the War of 1812. For some, the promise of freedom offered by the British was hard to resist.
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Saving the flag at the Smithsonian Institution

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Saving the flag at the Smithsonian Institution

Time has not been kind to the national symbol known as The Star-Spangled Banner, but researchers at the Smithsonian have recently restored and preserved the famous flag that has bee an important symbol since the war of 1812.
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