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During the War of 1812, Sackets Harbor was the major US Naval base on Lake Ontario, home base to Commodore Isaac Chauncy’s squadron and primary shipyard for the navy. In 1812 the Royal Navy had bombarded the base with little effect, but in 1813 following the American capture of Fort George. General Vincent having fallen back to Burlington Heights sent a message to Prevost and the newly appointed Commodore James Lucas Yeo that Chauncy’s entire squadron was at Niagara leaving Sackets Harbor for the most part undefended. The newly appointing commander of the Lake Ontario Squadron, Commodore James Lucas Yeo jumped at the chance, inRead More →

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One of the most controversial and convoluted battle in the War of 1812 is that of the Battle of Beaver Dams. It’s also been my most active posts in the project, at least my original posts. I have received more hate mail and rude comments (both of which will never be made public) so rather than let it stand as it is, I did what any good student of history would do, that is research more and learn more. In doing so I came across two books (both of which are cited at the bottom of this post) that have greatly opened my eyes toRead More →

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Located in Oswego, New York, Fort Ontario, is one of three 18th and 19th century fortifications that were built to defend the Oswego River. Often confused and called Fort Oswego, Fort Ontario is located on the western bank of the Oswego River, while the actual Fort Oswego was located on the Eastern Bank, and stood approximately at West First and Lake Street in Oswego. The main gate of the fort Originally constructed as “Fort Six Nations” in 1755 by the French during the French and Indian War (part of the greater Seven Years War), following the French capture of the region that saw the BritishRead More →

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While the Battle of Lake Erie was considered the greatest inland naval battle of 1813, the Battle of Plattsburg or rather Battle of Lake Champlain was the greatest inland naval battle of 1814. By fall of 1814 the British army had beaten back Napoleon and was pouring troops into North American at a rapid pace, already General Robert Ross had burning Washington DC and was marching for Baltimore, another force had captured most of what would become Maine. Yeo and Chauncy continued to chase each other around Lake Ontario, and Lake Huron had been secured under British control with the bold captures of the TigressRead More →

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Then there are times when the shot of the week comes just when you walk out of work, and you see a stunning blue sky with white clouds scudding by. But there are so many condos rising above your head that you can’t shoot without getting them. But such is a fact when living and working in the Greater Toronto Area…Condo Life. These vertical residences seem to grow overnight and are slowly dominating the skyline. Modified Anniversary Speed Graphic – Kodak Ektar f:7.7 203mm (Red-25) – Kodak Tri-X Pan (320TXP) Meter: Pentax Spotmeter V 1/5″ – f/45 – ASA-320 Kodak TMax Developer (1+4) 8:00 @Read More →

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Remember the Tree from back from Week 5? Well, I said it would be back, and here it is! It’s not as dead as I first thought. While I originally planned on shooting it later that evening to get the same shot as I did before, but as I drove past it in the morning, the sun was casting through the branches; having the camera with me, I pulled over and got the shot made up just right. Sure many would frown upon shooting with the sun in front, but it gave me what I was looking for. Modified Anniversary Speed Graphic – Kodak EktarRead More →

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Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. – Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower D-Day: 6th of June, 1944 H-Hour: 06:30 Yes, you read that right; this year marks the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Operation Neptune. As I type this, I can feel the tears stinging my eyes. Operation Neptune was the code name given to the Normandy landings on the coast of France to push back the Nazis, dislodge them from the Atlantic wall, and take FortressRead More →

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Many things can be used to describe the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Hero, Legend, Warrior, Hunter. Like many who fought in the war, Tecumseh’s name only became larger after his death, following in the line of those like Perry, Harrison, Brock, and Secord. But the war was in Tecumseh’s blood, despite him wanting nothing more than peace. Born in the latter half of the 1760s in the Ohio Valley, he was born into conflict. His true name, Tecumethe, meaning shooting star, was given to him as he was born under such an astrological sign. However, history has named him Tecumseh. The Shawnee had been forced toRead More →

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When it rains, the last place you’ll want to be is Fort Meigs, trust me on this one. The fort isn’t the nicest fort that got involved in the war, there is not a long drawn out or particularly memorable history about the depot fortification. It really is more of an afterthought, a post designed to be a stopping point for troops and supplies, and while it saw only two sieges over the course of the war it did stand out in one way. It was the largest wooden palisade wall fort in all of North America, at least when it was first built. UnlikeRead More →

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The Siege of Fort Meigs was a mess, a minor action at a depot fort that did little but injury the personal morale of a British officer and drive a wedge in the strained alliance between Tecumseh and the British. It was the opening move in the long game of William Henry Harrison and his designs for the invasion of Upper Canada. A muddy mess that did little to further the British plans but was exactly what Harrison had hoped in the end. A small, tactical victory. The first year of the war had not gone well for the Americans. With the entire plan forRead More →