War of 1812

The War of 1812 in the Capital District

August 8, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The War of 1812 began on June 18, 1812, when President James Madison signed a declaration of war which began: “Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That war be and is hereby declared to exist between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dependencies thereof, and the United States of America and their territories.”

The causes of the war are quite clear. [Read more…] about The War of 1812 in the Capital District

Saratoga Area Ethnohistoric Survey Nears Completion

July 18, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In 2018, Saratoga National Historical Park received funding to produce an ethnohistorical study of the Saratoga area. Professor Karim Tiro from Xavier University was chosen to conduct the research and compile the report.

Dr. Tiro specializes in North American history during the colonial, revolutionary, and early national periods with a focus on the history of Native Americans, the War of 1812, and epidemics. [Read more…] about Saratoga Area Ethnohistoric Survey Nears Completion

1813: Fall of Fort Niagara & Burning the Niagara Frontier

May 6, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In December 1813, during the War of 1812, there was a human catastrophe as a result of the burning of the Niagara Frontier. Only one home was spared along the 37-mile-long border and upwards of 6,000 refugees fled into the snowy forests heading for the Genesee River and safety.

Richard V. Barbuto’s book New York’s War of 1812: Politics Society and Combat (University of Oklahoma Press, 2021), looks back to the War of 1812, from the beleaguered Fort McHenry to the burning White House to an embattled New Orleans. [Read more…] about 1813: Fall of Fort Niagara & Burning the Niagara Frontier

Stephen Van Rensselaer III: The Last Patroon

May 4, 2022 by Peter Hess 4 Comments

Stephen Van Rensselaer III (1764-1839), was orphaned at the age of ten. His father had died when he was five and his mother remarried Reverend Eilardus Westerlo, minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany. She died five years later and Stephen was raised by Abraham Ten Broeck (later Brigadier General) and his wife (Stephen’s aunt) Elizabeth Van Rensselaer.

Stephen attended the John Water’s School in Albany, grammar school in Elizabeth Town, New Jersey and Classical School in Kingston. He then attended college at Princeton, but withdrew to Harvard because of the dangers in Northern New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. In 1776, Stephen’s grandfather Philip Livingston (who had married Ten Broeck’s sister Christina) had signed the Declaration of Independence. [Read more…] about Stephen Van Rensselaer III: The Last Patroon

Francis Mallaby: Witness to Sackets Harbor History

January 20, 2022 by Constance Barone Leave a Comment

The name Francis Mallaby may not be familiar in New York history but sailing master Mallaby served at the Sackets Harbor navy yard in a prosperous time of lake shipping and community growth. He helped make a difference by initiating purchase of land which is cherished today as the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site.

This War of 1812 veteran received high compliments from Lake Ontario navy commander Isaac Chauncey and Captain Woolsey that helped influence Mallaby’s 1817 appointment as master of the first steamboat on Lake Ontario, based in Sackets Harbor in Jefferson County, NY. [Read more…] about Francis Mallaby: Witness to Sackets Harbor History

Horse Island’s War of 1812 Secrets Unearthed

July 30, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Last year, archaeologists from the Public Archaeology Facility (PAF) at Binghamton University (SUNY) completed an exploratory cultural resources survey of Horse Island at Sackets Harbor.

Stewardship of the island by New York State Parks came after the American Battlefield Trust purchased the property as their first War of 1812 battlegrounds acquisition in the nation. [Read more…] about Horse Island’s War of 1812 Secrets Unearthed

Hard Times For War of 1812 Veteran Amasiah Ford

June 17, 2021 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

In 1845, Amasiah Ford of Ballston Spa wrote a multi-page manuscript for his application seeking a veteran’s pension. The account of his military experience 30-plus years earlier would be used 150 years later as references in several books on the War of 1812. [Read more…] about Hard Times For War of 1812 Veteran Amasiah Ford

War of 1812: Politics, Society and Combat in New York State

January 21, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.

British demands to move the northern border as far south as the Ohio River put New York on the first line of defense during the War of 1812. The leadership of Governor Daniel D. Tompkins however, distinguished the state’s contribution to the war effort, effectively mobilizing the considerable human and material resources that proved crucial to maintaining the nation’s sovereignty. [Read more…] about War of 1812: Politics, Society and Combat in New York State

Ballston Spa’s Abandoned 1814 Factory Awaits Rediscovery

November 26, 2020 by Guest Contributor 2 Comments

In November, 1813, nine men met in the city of New York to sign an agreement, handwritten by Nicholas Low, to form the Ballston Spa Company for the manufacture of cotton, wool and linen fabrics. They pledged an initial capital of $100,000 in shares of $100 each. A month later the Company announced it would “extend the capital stock” to $800,000, a staggering sum for those days.

Low was a businessman and friend of the rich and powerful of the nation. One was his late colleague Alexander Hamilton. During the 1790s, Low helped midwife the birth of the village of Ballston Spa, in Saratoga County. He owned most of the land upon which it was laid out and spent a fortune developing the village, including the famous Sans Souci Hotel. [Read more…] about Ballston Spa’s Abandoned 1814 Factory Awaits Rediscovery

War of 1812: The Invasion of Sandy Bay (Podcast)

April 24, 2020 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

This week on The Historians Podcast, environmental educator Anita Sanchez has history stories from the War of 1812 (the invasion of Sandy Bay, Massachusetts) and the Civil War (President Lincoln and the Shakers). Malta historian Paul Perreault tells the tale of a missing metal eagle. And history authors are interviewed at the 2016 Chronicle Book Fair in Glens Falls. [Read more…] about War of 1812: The Invasion of Sandy Bay (Podcast)