The British Raid on Essex: The Forgotten Battle of the War of 1812

Contents

ContEnts Prologue ix ChaPtEr 1 forgottEn BattlE 1 Loser’s Day 5 ChaPtEr 2 DECatur’s War 10 Blockade 17 The Privateers of Pettipaug 18 The Traitor 23 ChaPtEr 3 thE raiD 27 Going In 31 The Landing 43 ChaPtEr 4 in thE hEart of thE EnEmy’s Country 47 Deal, Or No Deal? 48 Conspiracy Theory 50 The Burning 52 Resistance 55 Spilled Rum and the Forgotten Sword 57 ChaPtEr 5 thE shiPs 61 Coote’s List of Burned Ships 63 The Osage 64 How Far? 68 Mystery Ships 69 ChaPtEr 6 gEtting out 72 Captain Glover 72 Parry Holds the Key 74 Torpedo Jack 76 Outward Bound 77 Major Ely 82 ChaPtEr 7 in thE rivEr 86 Mobilization 89 “At Defiance” 93 ChaPtEr 8 thE EnD gamE 101 The Gauntlet 103 ChaPtEr 9 aftEr thE BattlE 109 Postscripts 112 The Traitor Unmasked 113 Admiral Richard Coote? 115 Stonington 116 ChaPtEr 10 fighting for thE lost BattlE 117 Off the Radar 120 Battle Site Essex 120 ChaPtEr 11 thE ProBlEm With history 125 Battlefield Archaeology 125 Ballast Stone & Dropped Balls 126 Battle Site Revisited 129 Essex (Pettipaug) 129 Old Lyme 130 Saybrook 130 aPPEnDix onE: Primary DoCumEnts 133 From The British Admiralty Documents 133 The Report of Captain Richard Coote to Captain Capel 133 Major Ely’s Surrender Note to Coote 135 Coote’s Report Continues 136 Captain Capel to Captain Talbot, HMS Victorious 140 Vice Admiral Cochrane to Croker 142 Lieutenant Parry’s Transcription 143 American First Hand Accounts 145 Captain Jeremiah Glover 145 Lieutenant Bull’s Account 148 General William Williams’ Account 148 A Gentleman from Lyme 150 Selectmen of Saybrook to Governor Smith 151 American Newspaper Accounts 153 Connecticut Gazette 153 Middlesex Gazette 157 Connecticut Spectator 158 New York Commercial Advertiser 161 American Mercury 162 Connecticut Spectator 164 aPPEnDix tWo: orDEr of BattlE 166 British Raid on Essex, April 7–8, 1814 168 Acknowledgements 171 Notes and Sources 173 Introduction 173 Chapter Notes 174 Bibliography 185 Index 191 Plates follow pages 52 and 116. ...