As a further example of how history is as close as the ground beneath our feet, archaeologists in Vermont are digging at the site of a former War of 1812 battery in Burlington’s oldest section. Excavations in the past for road projects and by curious teens have turned up partial and complete skeletons of...
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Another of the capable Royal Navy officers who made life difficult for Americans during the War of 1812 was Admiral Cochrane.
Fans of the popular seafaring novels written by the late Patrick O’Brian may know that the character of Jack Aubrey is based on the real-life Alexander Cochrane. Admiral Cochrane had overall command of British...
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Although they never saw action, blockhouse fortifications were built in what is now New York Central Park to defend the city in the event of British attack during the War of 1812. According to an article in the Niagara Falls Review by Kathleen Powell, the forts were built in reaction to the Royal Navy...
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Not everyone agrees that "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the best choice for the National Anthem. It's hard to sing, not everyone remembers the lyrics, and it's a very war-like song compared to that one about "amber waves of grain." But our vote is for the song written by Francis Scott Key "by dawn's early...
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An interesting article in the Niagara Falls Review offers a look at what happened to the Canadian (and some American) veterans of the War of 1812. Canada did not have a pension system in place, as had already been established in the United States for Revolutionary War veterans. British army veterans often received land...
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Back during the War of 1812, Canadians united to throw out invading Americans. Two hundred years later, our neighbors to the north are hoping to welcome American War of 1812 tourists by the droves.
An article in the St. Catharine’s Standard in Ontario describes efforts by the tourist board to promote the 1812 bicentennial. They...
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Lundy’s Lane was one of the most violent and bloody battles of the War of 1812. The clash involving about 3,000 troops took place on Canadian soil near what is today Niagara Falls, Ontario, on July 25, 1814. By the time the fighting was finished, more than 800 Americans and Canadians would be killed...
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The Star-Spangled Banner Trail continues to move forward thanks to an infusion of $500,000 in Congressional funding, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
From the article:
Congress has passed the Interior-Environment Appropriations Conference Report containing $1 million for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network and $500,000 for the Star-Spangled Banner Trail.
In 11 years, the network has...
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Admiral Sir George Cockburn was a highly capable officer, but his treatment of Americans and Marylanders in particular makes unpopular nearly 200 years later.
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Baltimore has a rich literary traditon (turns out the city isn’t just about beer, crabs and the Orioles) that includes Edgar Alan Poe and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Oh, and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In fact, Francis Scott Key and the poem that became the Natonal Anthem are first on a recent Baltimore Sun list of...
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