Reminiscences of Samuel Williams
These "Reminiscences of Samuel Williams" appeared in the
St. Thomas Daily Times on August 29th, 1891.
Access to them was made easier because a local historian of the
day, Frank Hunt included them in a publication of the Elgin
Historical and Scientific Institute, St. Thomas in 1911,
Early Settlers and Other Records of County of
Elgin. The text is as it was published; however,
it has been broken up into smaller sections and descriptive
headings added to make it easier to follow.
Joining Up
I joined the St. Thomas Cavalry
Troop on 2nd January, 1838. They were on their way to
Amherstburg, having left St. Thomas that day. I went up to
Water's Tavern, which was 3¼ miles west of Fingal,
to see the troops arrive there. They were short of men, and
Jephtha Wilson, Captain [Julian]
Airey, brother to the late Colonel (afterwards Lord)
Airey, and I agreed to join. Captain Julian Airey was staying at
Port Talbot. He was a young man, unmarried, and had not been in the
army. He was made a militia captain here.
To the Western Front [Chatham, Amherstburg]
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Click Map to Enlarge West End Lake Erie
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James Ermatinger was in command. He had
organized the troop, and had gone to Toronto for sabres. When the
troop came to Water's, Lieut. Woodward was
nominally in command. He was a banker in St. Thomas and no soldier.
That night the troop stayed at Coyne's Corners, 2¼
miles from Wallacetown. We joined them there next
morning. They stayed at Morpeth the second night, and three more
recruits (Duck, Richardson, and Ball) joined the troop from that
neighborhood. I don't remember the name of the place we stopped the
third night. The fourth night (5th January) we stopped at Wright's,
12 miles this side of Amherstburg. Before reaching
there we met a messenger on horseback, who said we were to shove
on, as the 'patriots' were expected every hour to land at
Amherstburg. They were encamped opposite Amherstburg, on the
American side.
The Alarm Bell Rings
We arrived on the 6th, about 2 p.m., or earlier, at Amherstburg.
The Captain had not yet joined us. There was great confusion and
difficulty in finding accommodation for our horses. Mr.
Elliott, of Elliott's
Corners, helped us to get accommodation. A man
named McGregor and I were sent to the stable of a
Mr. Duff, a store-keeper. A boy had the key of the
stable where we were to put in our horses, and while we were
waiting for him to return with the key an alarm bell rang. We asked
what it meant, and were told it was the alarm sounded to warn the
citizens of the approach of the 'patriots'. We ran in and told
Mr. Duff we must put our horses in before going,
and he came out from his store with a hammer and broke open the
stable door. We put in our horses, and then went with the troop on
board a vessel-a schooner, commanded by Captain
Laing, who was well acquainted with Port
Stanley and our troopers from that neighborhood.
The Men from Port Stanley
James, John,
William and Thomas Meek were all
out, and I think in our troop. I am not sure but Thomas was in the
militia. They were all at Amherstburg, however, as
also was Garrett, store-keeper, Port Stanley.
John Bostwick, son, of Col.
Bostwick, of Port Stanley, was the officer next (under
Woodward) in command, and a gallant officer. Benj.
Light, Port Stanley, also another store-keeper of the
Port, was there.
Bois Blanc Island
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| Bois Blanc Island and Elliot's
Point |
We were landed on Bois Blanc Island. The patriots were supposed
to be in two vessels about two miles away. One was the schooner
Ann (afterwards captured); the other
proved to be a wood scow, with sails up, loaded with wood, which
kept the Ann company. We could hear fifes
and drums playing almost continuously while we remained on the
island, viz., four or five hours, from three till eight p.m. on the
6th, when Col. Prince came to us and pointed out
how badly we were placed, and were taken back in scows, Laing's
schooner having run aground.
Back on the Mainland
We were not back an hour when the schooner
Ann sailed close to shore and fired two
cannon shots (of canister) at the troop as we stood on
Gordon's wharf. We returned the fire with muskets.
We heard our bullets strike the canvas and stove-pipe on the
schooner, and she turned and sailed around the island out of sight.
A double patrol from our troop was then sent six miles each way to
see if they were landing elsewhere. But the enemy remained behind
the island and came round at sunrise, the scow at the south end and
the schooner at the north. This was the morning of the 7th.
The Schooner Ann Cannonades the
Town
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| Grapeshot |
The schooner commenced cannonading the town, cutting off limbs
of trees, striking fences, houses, stables, etc.; no one was,
however, hurt. They ceased firing about the middle of the forenoon.
We had nothing which could reach them. They fired grape and
cannister. John Pearce and I were
on patrol, just opposite them, till about sundown. They seemed very
active about that time. In the early evening (between 7 and 8) they
ran in near shore and down the river, cannonading as they went.
They struck the windmill with a cannon ball, piercing it. We ran as
fast as possible around the bend of the river bank to keep opposite
them and prevent their landing.
Elliott's Point
At Elliott's Point they bore so close in that they ran on the
sand bars and were stranded. In ten minutes, they called for
quarter. Some of our troopers called to them to haul down their
colors. They replied that they could not, that some of their men
were shot while trying to take them down. Our men waded in and
boarded the vessel, and found Anderson, whom I had
seen in his hotel at Selborne (Suckertown), where I had been a few
weeks before. He was dying, having been shot. He was an Irishman, a
tavern keeper at Suckertown, and a desperate character.
Prisoners Taken, Gruesome Injuries
There were about 18 taken prisoners out of the vessel, half of
them wounded. General Theller was in command of
them. He was a stout, stern man. Chase, a wheat
buyer of Port Stanley, was on board, and had a ball in the back of
his neck. Those who were not too badly wounded were brought in a
few days to London. Davis and
Dodge, two wounded men, died a few months after.
General Theller was struck with a small ball in
the eye. He told me he had taken it out with his hand, and thought
his sight was not injured. It looked dreadfully bad when,
Wright, a militiaman, and I visited him in the
guard house next morning. When we went in Theller
sat opposite the door with a sort of uniform on, and two stars on
his breast. They looked like silver and were I suppose to
distinguish him.
Interrogation of General Theller
We said, "Good morning." He said, "Good morning, gentlemen."
Wright said, "Well, how do you feel this morning?"
He said, "As well as can be expected under the circumstances."
Wright said, "What did you intend to do? Did you
intend to take Canada with that little schooner?" He said, "No, we
didn't." Wright said, "Well, what were you after
last night?" He said, "We just ran down to give you a few shots and
wake you up." Wright said, "Well you did that."
Theller said, "We had no intention of landing last
night. We were not ready, but unfortunately we ran rather close,
and when the wind came on our side it grounded us. It is perhaps
well for you that things are as they are, for we were not
expecting to land for about two weeks. When we were ready for
landing you'd have known it!"
We were only allowed five minutes with him, and I have given
about the essence of our interview.
St. Thomas Troop Takes Haul from the
Ann
The St. Thomas troop were the main force which took the "Ann."
There were a few Windsor volunteers and five men or less from the
Sandwich troop. We found 3 cannons, two 6 pounders and one 9
pounder, all spiked, some 500 muskets in cases (new) and about 200
rifles and muskets which had been used. We drew the cannon up by
hand to the barracks-about 1 1/2 miles-and set men to work to drill
out the spikes. We got barrels of ammunition besides. The vessel
remained on the bar while I was there. Anderson
was brought out and buried in the shore opposite the vessel. When
we first went aboard, Anderson said to the
Meeks:-"What, are you here?" They said, "Yes, is
this you Anderson?" He said, "Yes, I'm dying!"
Captain Ermatinger had not arrived from Toronto
at this time, nor had any other troops. The vessel remained where
she was captured all the time I was there.
Fighting Island
After the capture of the vessel-three or four days-a portion of
the prisoners (those able to be moved) was sent to London with a
detachment of the St. Thomas troop. The detachment came right back.
We remained quartered at Amherstburg doing patrol duty and drill
till about 20th February, when the "patriots" came on to Fighting
Island, some six or seven miles up the river, and began
cannonading. By this time a battery of Royal Artillery had arrived,
and they took a gun up the river and returned the fire and
dislodged the enemy during the night. This was about the 24th
February. The enemy's gun was knocked off its supports and they
cleared out and left it.
The captain [Ermatinger] had joined us some
time previous to this, but the arms and uniforms had not arrived. A
part of the 32nd and of another regiment, the 85th, I think, came
up to Amherstburg during the winter. Col. Maitland
was in command. Col. Airey was Colonel of the
32nd, and was at Amherstburg, but Maitland was in
command of the entire forces.
There were said to be about six hundred regulars. About 200 or
300 militia from our section (my brother Thomas
[Williams] among others) came up about the time the
prisoners were sent to London. They returned before there was any
further active service. The regulars remained.
St. Thomas Troop Posted Two Every Ten
Miles
Just a few days after, the enemy, said to number 500, were
reported to be on Pelee Island. On the third of March the force
went out to dislodge them. Just a few days before that our troop
had been stationed between Amherstburg and London - two every ten
miles.
Pelee Island Rout
I was sent a few days before with a dispatch to London, and
returned in time to meet the force going out to the island and I
joined them. This was on Saturday morning 3rd March. The
artillery and infantry under Col. Maitland went
also. We arrived at Pelee Island on the ice at sunrise. We could
see the enemy's campfires as we approached across the ice during
the night.
Enemy in Retreat - Troops in Hot Pursuit
As we came near the point of the Island, where
McCormick's clearing and buildings were, we could
see the enemy retreating. Our infantry went out in sleighs. We were
on our horses and the artillery had theirs. We went across the ice
to the west of Point Pelee. As we approached the Island as already
described, the enemy were in retreat and we [the St. Thomas
Cavalry] went across the point of the Island to the side opposites
the American shore.
The Regulars take up their Positions
The regulars were divided and part sent on the Island with the
artillery in pursuit of the enemy, and part were sent around in
sleighs to cut off their retreat towards the American side. The
latter detachment consisted of two companies of the 32nd under
Captain Brown. The 'patriots' had crossed on the
ice to the Island, and the detachment of infantry under
Captain Brown stationed themselves on the ice road
by which the enemy had come and by which we had expected them to
retreat.
The Cavalry Spots the Enemy
After our troops had crossed the point of the Island we struck
the outlet of a marsh, and saw the enemy crossing the marsh in
retreat. Captain Ermatinger sent successive
messages to Col. Maitland for reinforcements, but
the Col. had sent the troops on to the Island, and they were out of
reach.
The Captain examined our arms, and told us we would have to
fight. He said that he hoped every man who was spared to go home
would not be ashamed of having been there. Our arms were only such
as we had taken up with us. Some of the enemy's arms were picked up
on the Island as we went and I was given one of these. We were
dismounted while we waited for reinforcements and watched the enemy
crossing the marsh. Their line reached across the marsh, a distance
of about two and a half miles.
Government Forces Outnumbered Five to One
The Captain, after scanning our arms, ordered us to remount, and
having given up hope of reinforcements, led up toward
Captain Brown's detachment, whom the enemy was
approaching. As we proceeded, we saw the sleighs retreat, and the
soldiers were strung out in a long line across the ice, like fence
posts. The enemy were approaching them at quick march. We could not
see them just at first. They approached Captain
Brown's force in solid column and then spread out in a
line about the same length as the British infantry. There were
about 500 of the enemy. Captain Brown had 90 men
and our troop then numbered but 21. Both sides fired
simultaneously.
There Comes the Cavalry...
The bullets whistled around us
We got none of this volley. We were approaching at a gallop. We
heard the enemy call out, "There comes the cavalry! Fire on them!"
They did so and the bullets whistled around us. We were coming on
their flank. We halted and fired. The infantry charged with fixed
bayonets at that moment in face of a heavy fire from the enemy.
Enemy Ran 'Like Wild Turkeys'
When the infantry were within about six rods of the enemy, the
latter retreated in disorder, running like wild turkeys every way,
leaving five killed, while we had one soldier and one trooper,
Thomas Parish, slain on the spot. The enemy
retreated to the island, staining the snow for a quarter of a mile
in width with blood. I saw Parish, as I supposed,
loading. He was on his knees and was shot. The captain put him on
his horse and held him there and brought him up and called for help
to take him off his horse, saying, "He's a dead man."
William McCormack, who had gone
out as a teamster, helped take him from his horse.
Flourishing His Sword
An alarm was just then raised that the enemy was crossing
further down towards three other islands there. Captain
Brown said to Captain Ermatinger,
"Captain, take your men and chase them!" He did so, flourishing his
sword and leading us until his horse's foot broke through the ice,
when he called to us to wheel to the right and left. We did so. We
knew we were getting on thin ice. The enemy appeared to be
crossing on this and so made their escape, though it is said that
many went through the ice and perished. We went back and followed
their trail on the island, and found a great many of their wounded,
having their wounds dressed at one at Fox's
house.
Parish Buried with Military Honours
We had had no food (neither horses nor men) since nine o'clock
the night before, and it was about that hour when we reached the
main land and got food again. It was reported that 28 of
Brown's infantry were wounded, and one died before
reaching the main shore. The two infantrymen and
Parish were buried at Amherstburg with military
honors, on Monday, the 5th of March, '38. The troop returned to St.
Thomas in June, though I with some others returned earlier. Two
more infantrymen died from their wounds before we left.
by Samuel Williams
1891
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