The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Chrysler's Farm (11/11/1812) - Oct 26th, 2003

http://members.tripod.com/~war1812/batcrys.html ^

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
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The Battle of Chrysler's Farm

Major-General Wade Hampton planned to attack Lower Canada by following the Lake Champlain route, while Major-General James Wilkinson planned to move on Montreal from Lake Ontario. The American chances to succeed looked very good. Hampton had 5,000 men, while Wilkinson had 8,000 men stationed at Sackett's Harbor. But, the two general's were bitter enemies and Hampton resented that he was to serve under Wilkinson. This was to be a well coordinated plan of attack, but ended up being one party ignoring the other to the detriment of the project.

The planning of the campaign was disrupted by the arrival to Sackett's Harbor of John Armstrong , the secretary of war. Armstrong insisted that the attack be against Kingston, while Wilkinson perferred a direct assault on Montreal. When Armstrong finally agreed Wilkinson changed his mind and opted for Kingston and so it went. Montreal was finally agreed on as the primary objective.

On 17 October, Wilkinson left Sackett's Harbor in a flotilla of bateaux and headed down the St. Lawrence River. At once bad luck came to the Americans in the way of a early snow storm, they became snowbound on Grenadier Island with a number of their boats being damaged beyond repair. While on the island Jarvis Hanks of the 11th U.S. Infantry remembered a farmer that still had potatoes in the ground. The men who as a rule do not care how they appropriate food offered the farmer fifty cents a bushel for the potatoes. The farmer said he could get a dollar a bushel for them from the British in Kingston. Well talk spread around the American camp that the farmer was suppling the enemy with potatoes so the men just took them, without paying any money at all. The farmer complained to the American officers but they did nothing to help him. He left thinking how unwise his decision was not to sell the potatoes for fifty cents a bushel.

Wilkinson pressed on despite the cold weather. Part of his army was forced to march down the American side while the rest used the boats.


Major General James Wilkinson

News of the continued American movement reached Kingston, Sir George Prevost directed that, if the American force moved down river, the 49th and 89th Regiments should be sent in pursuit, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Morrison of the 89th Regiment. His force consisted of 630 rank and file: nine companies of the 89th totalled about 450 men, but the battalion companies of the 49th Foot had been reduced by casualties to a total of about 160 men and there were less than 20 artillerymen with two 6 pounder field guns. On November 6th this force embarked on two schooners the "Lord Beresford" and the "Sir Sydney Smith" and seven gunboats and a number of bateaux . Naval command was entrusted by Sir James Yeo to his subordinate Commander William Mulcaster R.N., who was serving as a captain on Lake Ontario.

General Wilkinson was now approaching Prescot. Since the guns of Fort Wellington commanded the St. Lawrence at Prescot, Wilkinson landed his army above Ogdensburg and floated the empty boats down river in the dark, the boats slipped quietly by the British guns at Fort Wellington. Wilkinson then re-embarked his troops. Whenever the Americans came to a narrowing in the river they were being shot at by Canadian farmers who were turning out as militia. Wilkinson ordered 1,200 troops to land on the Canadian shore at Iroquoois, below Prescot, as an advance guard to drive them off. This they succeeded in doing.


Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Wanton Morrison

The Americans reached Long Sault Rapids on 8 November. They deployed a force under Winfield Scott on the Canadian shore to oppose any attempt to interfere with the movement of the bateaux through the rapids. On 10 November Scott's troops along with Jacob Brown's brigade began to march on Cornwall leaving John Boyd's brigade to deal with Morrison's small force.

Lieutenant-Colonel Morrison's pursuing force landed at Prescot on the morning of November 9th. His "corps of observation" was increased by a detachment of 240 troops commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Pearson. These consisted of two flank companies of the 49th Foot, a detachment of Canadian Fencibles, three companies of Canadian Voltigeurs, a handful of miltia artillerymen with a 6-pr gun and a half dozen Provincial Dragoons to serve a couriers. Captain Morrison now had about 900 officers and men.

Commander William Mulcaster R.N. had to leave his armed schooners at Prescot but his gunboats pressed on to harass the American boats, as the American bateaux began to move through the rapids Mulcaster's gunboats opened fire and the small British force attacked.

Meanwhile Colonel Morrison, had established his headquarters in John Crysler's farmhouse, he decided that he had a good defensive position should the Americans choose to turn on him. From the farmhouse a dirt road ran on right angles to the river as far as a swamp that was impassable a half mile inland. There were log fences that provided protection for the troops and in front of them was a large field of winter wheat.


Canadian Voltigeurs and Mohawk warrior, two of the Canadian units that stood with British regulars under Morrison's command and turned back Wilkinson's army on November 11, 1813.

November 11th at 8 o'clock in the morning an alarm is sounded. An Indian had fired on an American reconnaissance patrol causing each side to believe that the other was about to attack.

General Wilkinson ordered General Boyd to advance in three columns, Boyd had 2,000 U.S. troops. He was to outflank the British and capture their field guns.

A force this large had no difficulties driving back skirmishers earlier, however the advancing American troops were stopped by the volley firing of companies of the 49th and 89th Regiments. The Americans tried to turn the British left flank but the 89th companies were swung around almost 90 degrees to counter this move successfully.

The Americans became flustered when they realized that the men wearing the grey greatcoats were not militia, but were the 49th Regiment of Foot. The order came to advance and Major Charles Plenderleath of the 49th Regiment led his troops against the American guns 120 yards in front of them. All of a sudden to the right of him a troop of American Dragoons were seen galloping down the King's Highway toward their position. If they could get behind them they could charge their rear turning the tide of the battle against them. Captain Ellis's orders to his company on the right flank were, "Halt ... front... pivot...cover... left wheel into line... fire by platoons from the center to the flanks." Ellis had wheeled his company backward to the left to face the cavalry. Ellis waited as the cavalry charged down on his men, then smoke and fire erupted from the British line shattering the American charge and eliminated the threat. Captain Ellis held his fire to that last moment to maximize the effect. His company wheeled back to the advance and the 49th captured the American guns.


Major General Wade Hampton

The Americans were forced to withdraw from the field and that night crossed back across the river to the American side. The army pushed on to make their junction with Hampton's army beyond the Long Sault, but Hampton, having been defeated at Chateauguay, refused to meet Wilkinson at St. Regis. Wilkinson, ill and discouraged, abandoned the campaign.

Lieutenant Colonel Morrison's troops had defeated the Americans that day against overwelming odds, however there was one American unit that caught his eye. He was so impressed with the U.S. 25th infantry's steadiness in battle that he sent a note to their commander, Colonel Edmund Gaines, hoping that they might meet after the war as friends.

Morrison reported his own casualties for the Battle of Crysler's Farm as being 22 killed, 148 wounded and 9 missing. General Boyd reported 102 killed, 237 wounded and more than 100 missing.

On the Niagara Frontier the humiliating defeats of Stoney Creek and Beaverdams forced the Americans to withdaw into Fort George. The victory at the Battle of the Thames did little to lift morale of those American troops on the Niagara Peninsula. Foraging parties were ambushed and Merritt's Dragoons harassed pickets and patrols alike. The pickets were especially vulnerable to Indain attacks that kept them constantly in a state of agitation.



The scene was now set for one of the most callous acts of the war, the burning of Newark. An act that would have far reaching effects for Americans living on the east bank of the Niagara.

[SAMWolf]

On October 17, 1813, American Major General James Wilkinson left Sacket’s Harbour with an army of over 7000 in a flotilla of bateaux. His plan was to sail down the St. Lawrence River and attack Montreal. Progress downriver was slow due the combination of bad weather and British sharpshooters along the shore.

By November 10, British Captain William Howe Mulcaster was hot on Wilkinson’s heels with a flotilla of gunboats carrying two regiments of British soldiers. The Americans had now reached the dreaded Long Sault rapids. To lighten the boats, and to clear the bank of enemies, Wilkinson landed his army near a farm owned by a man named John Chrysler.

While the Chrysler family hid in their farmhouse cellar, a massive battle between British and American troops occurred outside in their fields. Though the British were outnumbered almost 10 to 1, the American force lacked the formal training of their opponents. The British lines held fast in the face of numerous American assaults, each time wheeling about and firing in textbook formation. After suffering significant losses, the Americans retreated to their boats awaiting them on the St. Lawrence hoping to save face by taking Montreal. They never achieved their goal.

This was exactly what the British had hoped he would do. They landed and deployed their two regiments at Chrysler's farm under Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Wanton Morrison with the express intention of engaging the Americans. Wilkinson simply could not leave this small enemy force of 800 intact to dog him all the way to Montreal. Too sick to command himself, he ordered his subordinate, Brigadier General Boyd, to destroy it before marching on.

In the early afternoon, an American regiment advanced towards the British left. Suddenly, a unit of concealed Voltigeurs and First Nations warriors rose and fired. They traded shots with the enemy briefly before the sheer number of U.S. troops forced them to run for their lives, with the Americans in hot pursuit. This was a critical point - if the Americans had managed to force their way between the British 89th Regiment and the swamp beside them, they could have turned and attacked the British rear. But Morrison had the 49th execute a parade-ground maneuver, making it swing backwards one quarter turn as a single unit so as to face the charging Americans with a solid volley. The Americans broke up and ran.

The American commander then launched his three brigades across the plowed fields at the British right. Morrison responded with another text-book maneuver, forming his soldiers in staggered platoons that each fired and then reloaded in turn, hitting the Americans with a continuous rolling volley. The effect was devastating.

Boyd next sent a cavalry unit galloping down a road that ran between the river and the British right. If they had got past the British, they could have turned and charged from behind, but Morrison had yet another parade-ground maneuver to deal with such a threat. The 49th Regiment wheeled backwards to the left to face the cavalry and fired, and all but destroyed the entire American cavalry unit with a single shattering volley.

By this time the entire American army was being moved back, by the relentadvancing British. The Americans were only saved from a rout by the proximity of their boats into which they piled up and rowed off to the safety of their own side of the river.

After the Battle of Chrysler's Farm, the British posted this placard in the vicinity of the American camp. History does not record how many of the demoralised American soldiers were actually seduced away from their dismal winter camp.

The next day, Wilkinson called a council of war which decided to abandon the attack on Montreal.

An American army had once again suffered defeat at the hands of a much smaller foe. And once more the defeat was due to poor leadership. By attacking first one side, and then another, rather than attacking all at once, Boyd had played into the hands of Morrison’s small but experienced force.

[SAMWolf]

The Battle that Saved Canada

The Battle of Crysler's Farm, fought on muddy ploughed fields beside the St. Lawrence River on November 11, 1813, was a crucial moment in the history of Upper Canada and marked the end of the most serious attempt to that time to invade Canada.

The campaign of 1813 focused on the St. Lawrence frontier with two powerful American armies poised to meet at Montreal and cut British lines of communications on this lifeline into the heart of the continent.


Sedentary Militiaman of Lower Canada by G.A. Embleton

An army commanded by Wade Hampton stood ready to move from the south, up the traditional invasion route of the Champlain Valley, and the other readied itself under the command of James Wilkinson at Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario, ready to descend the river. The two were to meet at Montreal and choke all British settlements and garrisons west of the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers.

Outnumbered but not out-fought

Hampton's army numbered just under 4,000; Wilkinson's close to 8,000, as they prepared to catch Montreal in a pincer movement.

Fortunately for the British and both Upper and Lower Canada, they were opposed by small but highly trained - and motivated - armies under the commands of brilliant officers, Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry in Lower Canada and Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Wanton Morrison in Upper Canada.



de Salaberry met and defeated Hampton's much larger force at the Battle of Chateauguay on October 26, forcing the southern invaders back on their base in the U.S., from which they eventually retired in disarray.

The invasion down the St. Lawrence was to be a much more serious affair.

Morrison commanded a 1200-man-strong 'corps of observation' nipping at the heels of Wilkinson's army as it traveled down the St. Lawrence from Sackets Harbor. Aided by William Howe Mulcaster's detachment of gunboats, they harried the invaders as their flotilla of batteaux and smaller gunboats made their way to Montreal.

Swatting away

Wilkinson, who detested Hampton with a fervour that was reciprocated, was unaware of the check that had been dealt to U.S. invasion hopes at Chateauguay until well after the fact and he disembarked his army on the Canadian shore east of the Galop Rapids in readiness to shoot the Rapids du Plat and Long Sault Rapids, between Morrisburg and Cornwall.


Canadian Voltigeur soldier, 1813 by G.A. Embleton

His army fought a brief and confused rearguard action against Morrison at Hoople Creek on November 10 and the following day it turned to swat away the Anglo-Canadian army as its vanguard continued on to occupy Cornwall.

Morrison's command, consisting of companies of the 49th and 89th Regiments of Foot, three guns and crews of the Royal Artillery, the Canadian Fencibles, Canadien Voltigeurs and 30 Mohawk warriors from Tyendinaga, near Belleville, as well as the Dundas County Militia, took their positions on ground chosen by the commander and waited for the Americans to come on.



Poorly led and poorly trained, suffering from cold and hunger and their numbers depleted by disease, close to 4,000 American troops attacked Morrison's corps of 1200. The American troops were committed piecemeal to the battle and their officers proved no match for their battle-hardened counterparts. The result was an uneven match-up despite the Americans' overwhelming numerical superiority and after close to three hours of hard fighting, they withdrew from the field leaving 400 casualties - killed, wounded and captured - and beat a hasty retreat to the U.S. side of the river.

Victory paid for in blood

Morrison's victory was paid for in blood. His 'corps of observation' suffered 200 casualties, or about one-sixth of his total force. The greatest percentage of casualties was taken by the Canadian Fencibles, a regiment raised in Quebec and whose ranks were about 50 per cent francophone. They suffered a casualty rate of nearly 33 per cent. Of note is the fact that of the 270 Canadian regulars under Morrions' command that day two-thirds were French-speaking soldiers from Quebec.


Wounded Canadian Voltigeur by Eugene Leliepvre

Stunned by the ferocity of the Anglo-Canadian army and their Mohawk allies, Wilkinson's broken and dispirited army went into winter quarters at French Mills (present day Fort Covington), ending the threat to Canada.

The three founding peoples

While not of a European scale, the battle fought on the ploughed fields of John Crysler's Farm was an epic event in Canadian history, ending as it did the American campaign of 1813 with the British firmly in control of both sides of the St. Lawrence and dashing the hopes of those in Washington who had boasted that the conquest of Canada would be a 'mere matter of marching'.


Monument to the Battle of Chrysler's Farm

The Battle of Crysler's Farm was perhaps as important to posterity for those who fought as it was for its result.

British regulars stood with Canadians of both English and French heritage and with them were the Mohawk warriors of Tyendinaga as our three founding peoples stood shoulder to shoulder in defence of this new country.

Additional Sources:

www.galafilm.com/1812
library.thinkquest.org
www.law.umkc.edu
members.attcanada.ca/~htfergus
www.warof1812.ca
www.americaslibrary.gov
www.cryslersfarm.com

[SAMWolf]

'The Battle of Chrysler's Farm is the story of General James Wilkinson's ill-fated attempt at invasion and the taking of Montreal, which was an abject failure. While the troops employed by the Americans were Regulars, they were both ill-trained and badly led, these rookies having a generally hard time campaigning in the rugged Canadian wilderness, and being roughly handled by a smaller number of experienced British Regulars and Canadians.

Wilkinson himself was a political hack, a "confidence man in uniform," who, as second in command to Anthony Wayne with the Legion of the United States in 1794, had tried to backstab that very competent general in his campaign to defeat the tribes in the Old Northwest. More interested in his own comfort, and happy to cheat his men out of their rations to fill his own wallet, Wilkinson set the stage for disaster in this abortive offensive, that former President Thomas Jefferson remarked would "only be a matter of marching."'

Donald E. Graves

[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

Veterans Day 2003
PDN News Desk ^ comwatch

Veterans Day is right around the corner.

It only takes a few minutes to write a letter to the kids and share a story of why you served.

If you aren't a Veteran then share your thoughts on why it is important to remember our Veterans on Veterans Day. 

It's an opportunity for us to support our troops, our country and show appreciations for our local veterans. It's another way to counter the Anti-Iraq campaign propaganda.  Would you like to help?  Are there any VetsCoR folks on the Left Coast?  We have a school project that everyone can help with too, no matter where you live.  See the end of this post for details.

Three Northern California events have been scheduled and we need help with each:

 

Friday evening - November 7th Veterans in School (An Evening of Living History, A Veterans Day Ice Cream Social)

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003c.htm

 

Saturday - 11 a.m. November 8th: Veterans Day Parade (PDN & Friends parade entry)

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003b.htm

 

Sunday November 9, 2003 Noon to 3:00 PM Support our Troops & Veterans Rally prior to Youth Symphony Concert

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003d.htm

 

Each of the WebPages above have a link to e-mail a confirmation of your interest and desire to volunteer.  These are family events and everyone is welcome to pitch in.  We'd really appreciate hearing from you directly via each these specific links.  This way, we can keep you posted on only those projects you want to participate in.

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Veterans in School - How you can help if you're not close enough to participate directly. If you are a veteran, share a story of your own with the children.  If you have family serving in the military, tell them why it's important that we all support them. Everyone can thank them for having this special event.  Keep in mind that there are elementary school kids. 

Help us by passing this message around to other Veteran's groups.  I have introduced VetsCoR and FreeperFoxhole to a number of school teachers.  These living history lessons go a long way to inspire patriotism in our youth.  Lets see if we can rally America and give these youngsters enough to read for may weeks and months ahead.  If we can, we'll help spread it to other schools as well.

  Click this link to send an email to the students.

[snippy_about_it]

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

.......Good Sunday Morning Everyone!


If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy.

[snippy_about_it]

Good night SAM.

[Neil E. Wright]

Dear Lord, watch over our Brothers and Sisters who remain in harms way, where ever they are around the globe. Grant them Thy blessing, that they be protected from harm, and may they be safely, and swiftly, returned to their loved ones. AMEN

G'morning people!!!! :)
±

"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty."
Toward FREEDOM

[radu]

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE AT THE FOXHOLE!

THANK YOU service men and women, past and present, for your service to our country!

[Samwise]

I had no idea we ever tried to take Canada.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[Eastbound]

A hardy 'Howdy' to all in the trenches this morning!

[aomagrat]

ht

Today's classic warship, USS Rhode Island (BB-17)

Virginia class battleship
Displacement, 14,948 t.
Lenght. 441' 8"
Beam. 76' 3"Draft. 23' 9"
Speed. 19 k.
Complement. 812
Armament. 4 12", 8 8", 12 6", 12 3", 12 3-pdr., 4 21" tt.

The USS Rhode Island was launched 17 May 1904 by Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, Mass.; sponsored by Mrs. F. C. Dumaine; and commissioned 19 February 1906, Capt. Perry Garst in command.

Rhode Island underwent extensive shakedown and acceptance trials on the U.S. east coast between Hampton Roads and Boston before being assigned to Division 2, Squadron 1, Atlantic. Fleet 1 January 1907. The battleship departed Hampton Roads 9 March 1907 for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to participate in gunnery practice and squadron operations evolutions. She then returned north to cruise between Hampton Roads and Cape Cod Bay.

Arriving in Hampton Roads 8 December 1907, Rhode Island joined 15 other battleships, a torpedo boat squadron, and transports, for the great fleet review which began the cruise of the Atlantic Fleet to the west coast and around the world. President Theodore Roosevelt reviewed the "Great White Fleet " 16 December and sent it on the first leg of the long voyage. Rhode Island called at Trinidad, British West Indies, Rio de Janeiro, Punta Arenas, Callao, and Magdalena Bay before arriving at San Diego, Calif., 14 April 1908.

The fleet remained on the west coast into July, Rhode Island steaming north to visit the Puget Sound area during June. The entire fleet departed San Francisco 7 July 1908 for Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, and Manila, arriving in the Philippines 2 October. From Manila Rhode Island made for Yokohama, Japan, returning to Olongapo, Philippine Islands, at the end of October. Departing Cavite 1 December, Rhode Island visited Colombo, Suez, Marseilles, and Gibraltar before returning to Hampton Roads 22 February 1909.

Modernized after this historic voyage, Rhode Island received "cage" masts and numerous other alterations before again taking up her duties with the Atlantic Fleet. Rhode Island was assigned 8 March 1909 to Division 3, Squadron 1. She continued to serve with the Atlantic Fleet into 1910, participating in exercises including deployment southward to the Caribbean during February 1910. Assigned 20 October 1910 to Division 4, Squadron 1, Rhode Island and other fleet units were reviewed 2 November at Boston by President Taft prior to their departure for European waters. In an elaborate battle and scouting problem, the fleet continued its training, Rhode Island subsequently visiting Gravesend, England, before returning to Guantanamo Bay 13 January 1911.

Rhode Island continued her duties attached to the Atlantic Fleet up to the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914. She cruised southward to Key West, Havana, and Guantanamo Bay during June and July 1912 but otherwise remained on the east coast operating between Hampton Roads and Rockland, Maine. Reassigned to Division 3, Squadron 1, Atlantic Fleet, Rhode Island became division flagship 17 July 1912. She transferred the division flag to New Jersey 1 August in the periodic rotation of additional flag duties among units of her division.

The Commander, Division 3, Squadron 1, transferred his flag from Virginia to Rhode Island 28 June 1913 and remained on board until 18 January 1914. At the end of 1913, Rhode Island cruised off the Mexican coast to protect citizens and property threatened by deteriorating political developments ashore. Arriving off Vera Cruz 4 November 1913, Rhode Island operated off Tampico and Tuxpan into February 1914. After 2 weeks at Guantanamo Bay the battleship returned northward to Virginia waters.

Rhode Island kept up her continuous schedule of annual docking and overhaul gunnery practice, and squadron maneuvers well into 1916. She remained off the U.S. eastern seaboard but occasionally steamed into more southerly waters; she called at Carib bean ports during October 1914 to March 1915 and January to February 1916. Rhode Island undertook additional duty as flagship, Division 4, Squadron 1, from 19 December 1914 until 20 January 1915.

Placed in reduced commission in reserve 15 May 1916 at Boston Navy Yard, Rhode Island was detached from the Atlantic Fleet the following day. The battleship flew the flag of the Commander-in-Chief, Reserve Force, Atlantic Fleet, from 24 June 1916 t o 28 September.

Returned to full commission 27 March 1917 at Hampton Roads, Rhode Island broke the flag of the Commander, Battleship Division 3, Atlantic Fleet, 3 May 1917 shortly after the United States entered World War I. Undertaking vigorous gunnery practice and emergency drills to reach combat readiness, Rhode Island was assigned antisubmarine patrol duty off Tangier Island, Md. Based at Hampton Roads into 1918, Rhode Island was transferred to Battleship Division 2 during April. Remaining ready for overseas deployment, Rhode Island undertook special torpedo proving trials during June 1918.

Upon the war's end in November 1918, Rhode Island was ordered to assist returning U.S. troops from France. Fitted with hundreds of extra bunks, the battleship made five round-trip voyages across the Atlantic between 18 December 1918 and 4 July 1919 . In all she transported over 5,000 men from Brest, France, to Hampton Roads and Boston.

Designated flagship of Battleship Squadron 1, Pacific Fleet, 17 July 1919 at Boston, Rhode Island departed Boston Navy Yard 24 July for Balboa, C.Z., and Mare Island Navy Yard to undertake her new assignment. After remaining at Mare Island into 1920, Rhode Island decommissioned 30 June and was placed in reserve.

Rendered incapable of any further warlike service 4 October 1923 in accordance with the Washington Treaty limiting naval armaments, Rhode Island was sold 1 November 1923 for scrapping.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Samwise. SAM of course knows much more than I do about our battles against Canadians but here is my attempt at a response. I'm sure he can correct me and set us straight about our attempts to move on Canadian territory. :)

From 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized an invasion of Canada to the invasion attempts during the War of 1812;

A lot of the battles we already know about involve Canada. I think we often think of it as the battles for the Northwest Territory, the Great Lakes and battles against the Brits, french and Indians without connecting them with Canada per se.

These links will provide an idea of how we really know about them but don't put a "Canadian" face on them neccessarily, imo.

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Lake Erie (9/10/1813)- April 21st, 2003

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Moraviantown (Thames)(10/5/1813) - June 26th, 2003

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the Battle of Plattsburg (9/11/1814) - July 20th, 2003

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Tippecanoe (11/7/1811 ) - July, 27th, 2003

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Fort Dearborn Massacre (Aug, 1812) - Aug. 10th, 2003

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Burning of Washington (8/24/1814) - Aug. 24th, 2003

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Lundy's Lane (7/25/1814) - Sep. 7th, 2003

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Ann Story, Ethan Allen & The Green Mountain Boys - July 16th, 2003

The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Benedict Arnold - Oct. 4th, 2003

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Neil.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning radu.

[snippy_about_it]

Your chipper for a Sunday morning! Howdy back atcha from the Foxhole!

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning Everyone!

[snippy_about_it]

Godd morning feather. Coffee is in hand and work in front of me. I'm ready to attack the day!

[snippy_about_it]

No matter how many times we tried I don't think we ever gave battling Canada 100 percent.

It's like swatting a fly who is annoying you.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on October 26:
1466 Desiderius Erasmus Holland, scholar/author (In Praise of Folly)
1685 Domenico Scarlatti Naples Italy, composer/harpsichordist
1759 Georges Danton France, revolutionary leader
1791 Charles Sprague Boston, banker/poet (Curiosity)
1800 Count Helmuth Karl Von Moltke, a Prussian Field Marshal, whose reorganization of the Prussian Army lead to military victories which allowed the unification of Germany.
1855 Charles Post who had a way with breakfast cereals
1861 Richard D Sears Boston, 1st to win US amateur national tennis match
1873 Thorvald Stauning Denmark, PM (1924-26, 1929-42)
1879 Leon Trotsky Russian revolutionary (pres of 1st Soviet)
1894 John S Knight WV, publisher (Knight-Rider)
1910 John Cardinal Krol former archbishop of Philadelphia
1911 Mahalia Jackson New Orleans, gospel singer (Whole World in his Hands)
1911 Sid Gillman NFL coach (LA, San Diego, Houston)
1914 Jackie Coogan LA Calif, actor (Uncle Fester-Addams Family)
1916 Fran‡ois Mitterand Jarnac France, President of France (1981-1995)
1917 Felix the Cat cartoon character
1919 Edward W Brooke 1st black senator in over 80 yrs (Sen-R-Mass)
1919 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Aryamehr Shah of Iran (1941-79)
1931 Hank Garrett Monticello NY, actor (Car 54 Where Are You)
1932 Chinadorai Deshmutu India, field hockey player (1952)
1933 Suzy Parker San Antonio Tx, model/actress (Chamber of Horrors)
1936 Bruce Belland Chicago, singer (Tim Conway Hour)
1939 John Arden England, novelist/playwright (Left Handed Liberty)
1940 Mario Orosco 1st victim of NYC's Zodiac killer (survives)
1941 Harald Nielsen Denmark, soccer player (Olympic-silver-1960)
1942 Bob Hoskins Suffolk England, actor (Brazil, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)
1945 Pat Conroy American writer (Great Santini, Prince of Tides)
1946 Pat Sajak Chicago, TV host (Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak Show)
1947 Jaclyn Smith Houston Tx, actress (Charlie's Angel, Nightkill)
1947 Hilary Rodham Clinton First Lady (1993-)
1948 Marshall Colt New Orleans La, actor (Eric-Lottery)
1950 Chuck Foreman NFL running back (Minnesota Vikings)
1951 Bootsy Collins Cin, rocker (Parliaments-We Got the Funk)
1953 Julian Keith Strickland drummer/guitarist (B-52's-Rock Lobster)
1954 Lauren Tewes Braddock PA, actress (Love Boat, Eyes of a Stranger)
1962 Cary Elwes actor (Glory, Princess Bride)
1963 Kerri Lynne Rosenberg Burlington Ia, Miss Iowa-America (1991-top 10)
1966 Olga Bicherova gymnastics (won title at 15yrs 33 days)

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Deaths which occurred on October 26:
0901 King Alfred the Great, die
1440 Gilles de Rais, French marshal, depraved killer of 140 children, hanged over slow fire.
1868 B F Randolph SC state senator, assassinated
1909 Prince Ito of Japan is assassinated by a Korean
1920 the Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland, Terence McSwiney, died after a two-and-a-half-month hunger strike in a British prison cell, demanding independence for Ireland.
1957 Nicos Kazantzakis, writer (The Last Temptation of Christ), dies
1962 Louise Beavers actress (Beulah-Beulah), die at 64
1968 Erich Von Stroheim, actor/director (Napoleon), dies of cancer at 52
1972 Igor Sikorsky, Russian/US helicopter builder, dies at 83
1979 Park Chung-hee South Korean President is assassinated
1984 Sue Randall actress (Miss Landers-Leave it to Beaver), dies at 49
1990 William Paley CEO (CBS), dies at 89 from a heart attack
1991 Lori Rae Matthews crushed to death by an artist's 485 lb umbrella

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 MORRISON GLENN RAYMOND JR---MASON CITY IA.
1967 DANIELS VERLYNE W.---REAMSVILLE KS.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1967 MC CAIN JOHN S.---NORFOLK VA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 03/US SENATOR]
1967 RICE CHARLES D.---SETAUKET NY.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1969 BYNUM NEIL S.---VIAN OK.
1969 WARREN GARY D.---DES MOINES IA.
1971 EVELAND MICKEY E.---LOS ANGELES CA
1971 FINGER SANFORD I.---NEW YORK NY.
1971 GREEN THOMAS F.---RAMONA CA.
1971 LAUTZENHEISER MICHAEL---MUNCIE IN.
1971 NICKOL ROBERT A.---BETHLEHEM PA.
1971 TRUDEAU ALBERT R.---MILWAUKEE WI.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
1407 Mobs attack Jewish community of Kracow
1492 Lead pencils 1st used
1529 Thomas More appointed English Lord Chancellor
1662 Charles II of England sells Dunkirk to France
1682 William Penn accepts area around Delaware River from Duke of York
1774 1st Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia
1787 "Federalist Papers" published, calls for ratification of Constitution
1825 Erie Canal between Hudson River & Lake Erie opened
1863 Worldwide Red Cross organized in Geneva
1863 Football Association forms in England, standardizing soccer
1868 White terrorists kill several blacks in St Bernard Parish La
1869 1st American steeplechase horserace (Westchester, NY)
1876 President sends federal troops to SC
1881 Shootout at the OK corral, in Tombstone, Az
1887 Detroit (NL) beats St Louis (AA) 10 games to 5 in the World Series
1903 Yerba Buena is 1st Key System ferry to cross SF Bay
1905 1st Soviet (workers' council) formed, St Petersburg, Russia
1905 Union of Sweden & Norway ends
1911 Phila A's beat NY Giants, 4 games to 2 in 8th World Series
1916 Margaret Sanger arrested for obscenity (advocating birth control)
1921 Solomon Porter Hood named minister to Liberia
1934 While Wash player-mgr Joe Cronin honeymoons with Mildred Robertson, owner Clark Griffith's niece and adopted daughter, he is sold to the Red Sox
1941 US savings bonds go on sale
1942 US ship Hornet sunk in Battle of Santa Cruz Islands during WW II
1947 Maharajah of Jammu & Kashmir accedes to India
1949 President Truman signed a measure raising the minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents an hour.
1950 Mother Teresa founds her Mission of Charity in Calcutta, India
1950 A reconnaissance platoon for a South Korean division reaches the Yalu River. They are the only elements of the U.N. force to reach the river before the Chinese offensive pushes the whole army down into South Korea.
1950 Branch Rickey resigns as Brooklyn Dodger president
1951 Rocky Marciano defeats Joe Louis at Madison Square Garden
1954 Chevrolet introduces the V-8 engine
1955 Ngo Dinh Diem proclaims Vietnam a republic with himself as pres
1956 UN's International Atomic Energy Agency statute approved
1956 Vietnam promulgates its constitution
1957 USSR fires defense minister, Marshal Georgi Zhukov
1957 Vatican Radio begins broadcasting
1958 PanAm flies the 1st transatlantic jet trip-NY to Paris
1960 AL announces Minneapolis & LA to get teams in 1961
1960 AL's Washington Senators move to become Minnesota Twins
1962 Beatles tape "Please Please Me" & "Ask Me Why"
1964 Rolling Stones appear on the Ed Sullivan Show
1965 Beatles receive MBEs at Buckingham Palace
1965 Sylvia Likens tortured by teen girl gang
1966 1st Pacific communications satellite launched, Intelsat 2
1966 US aircraft carrier Oriskany catches fire at Gulf on Tonkin, 43 die
1967 Shah of Iran crowns himself after 26 years on Peacock Throne
1968 Soyuz 3 launched
1970 "Doonesbury" comic strip debuts in 28 newspapers
1971 UN votes to replace Taiwan with China
1972 Guided tours of Alcatraz (by Park Service) begin
1972 Henry Kissinger declares "Peace is at hand" in Vietnam
1973 Wings release "Helen Wheels"
1974 Cleveland Coliseum opens for NBA's Cavaliers & MISL's Crunch
1975 Anwar Sadat became 1st Egyptian president to officially visit the US
1976 Transkei gains independence, not recognized outside of South Africa
1976 Trinidad & Tobago becomes a republic
1977 5th & final test of space shuttle Enterprise
1977 Dr Clifford R Wharton Jr named chancellor of State University of NY
1980 St Louis Cards sack Balt Colt QBs an NFL record tying 12 times
1981 LA Dodgers beat NY Yankees, 4 games to 2 in 78th World Series
1982 Steve Carlton became 1st pitcher to win 4 Cy Young awards
1984 "Baby Fae" gets baboon heart transplant, lives 21 days
1985 On a poor call in 6th game, umpire Don Deckinger starts a string of events costing Cardinals the 82nd World Series
1987 Dow Jones down 156.83 points
1987 Head of Salvadoran Human Rights Comm assassinated by death squads
1988 Donald Trump bills Mike Tyson $2,000,000 for 4 month advisory service
1988 US-Soviet effort free 2 grey whales from frozen Arctic, Barrow, AK
1994 Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and Prime Minister Abdel Salam Majali of Jordan signed a peace treaty at a desert site along the Israeli-Jordanian border.
1995 Islamic Jihad leader Fathi ash-Shiqaqi was assassinated in Malta

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Austria : National Day
Benin, Rwanda : Armed Forces Day
Iran : Birthday of HIM the Shahanshah
South Vietnam : Constitution & Republic Day (1955, 1956)
Switzerland : Flag Day
US : Mother-in-Law's Day (Sunday)
New Zealand : Labour Day-last Monday in October (Monday)
US some states : Veterans Day (Monday)
US : Francis E Willard Day-temperance day (Friday)
Wild Foods Day
National Magic Week (Day 2)
National Collectors Month
Vegetarian Awareness Month

---

Religious Observances
Ang : Commemoration of Alfred the Great
Luth : Commem of P Nicolai, J Heermann, P Gerhardt, hymnwriters
Orthodox : Feast of Demetrios the Martyr
Lutheran : Protestant Reformation Day
Old Catholic : Christ the King Sunday
RC : Commem of St Evaristus, 5th pope (c 97-c 107), martyr

---

Religious History
1779 Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'The Lord is so rich that He easily can -- so good that He certainly will -- give His children more than He will ever take away.
1813 Birth of Henry T. Smart, English sacred organist. Though largely self-taught, Smart published many compositions, two of which are still popular as hymn tunes: LANCASHIRE ("Lead On, O King Eternal") and REGENT SQUARE ("Angels From the Realms of Glory").
1889 Birth of Millar Burrows, American archaeologist. Director of the American School of Oriental Research at Jerusalem 1931-32, 1947-48), Burrows' most popular published work was "What Mean These Stones?" (1941).
1948 The Pentecostal Fellowship of North America was organized at Des Moines, Iowa. The association is comprised of 24 Pentecostal groups and meets annually to promote unity among Pentecostal Christians.
1963 One month before his death at age 65, English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter addressed to a child: 'If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you may always do so.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

---

Thought for the day :
"People see God every day, they just don't recognize him."

---

You might be a child of the 80's if...
3 words: "Atari" "IntelliVision" and "Coleco". Sound familiar?

---

Murphys Law of the day...(H. L. Mencken's Law)
Those who can -- do.
Those who cannot -- teach.
Those who cannot teach -- administrate.

---

Astounding fact #906,346...
If you toss a penny 10000 times, it will not be heads 5000 times, but more like 4950. The heads picture weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom.

[U S Army EOD]

We could have pulled this one off if we had just told the Canadians that all those troops coming across the border were either deserters and were just trying to advoid the draft. I mean, it worked in the sixties and seventies.

[snopercod]

An American army had once again suffered defeat at the hands of a much smaller foe.

This battle plan must have been where Trent Lott and Bill Frist learned their tactics against the democRATS.

[snippy_about_it]

1917 Felix the Cat cartoon character

Good morning Valin.

[manna]

Present!

[snippy_about_it]

Morning manna.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Neil.

[SAMWolf]

Hi Radu. Take an extra hour off from scraping today. ;-)

[SAMWolf]

LOL! We tired to take Canada during the Revolution, the War of 1812 and I read there was a plan to invade Canada during our Civil War. I wish I could remember where I read about that one.

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C.. Beautiful Fall day here today. BBQ Chicken on the Weber for dinner tonight.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Eastbound.

[SAMWolf]

Another ship that participated in the Tampico Affair is heard from. Thanks aomagrat.

[SAMWolf]

I'm impressed, you do pay attention!!

[SAMWolf]

Morning Feather. I'm NOT ignoring you.

[Soaring Feather]

Yes you are!
Sniff!

[SAMWolf]

1881 Shootout at the OK corral, in Tombstone, Az

The stuff legends are made from.

I remember my dad taking me to the theatre to see the Lancaster/Douglas version. Back then going to the theatre was a real treat for us. My dad has always been a big time western fan, he said as a kid in Poland the American West always fascinated him.

I liked "Tombstone" I thought it was the best, but then it had Sam Elliott in it.

[SAMWolf]

LOL! Good Morning EOD. The problem was that Carter let them all come back.

[SAMWolf]

Morning snopercod. I think Lott's plan was even worse.

[SAMWolf]

Hi Manna!

[SAMWolf]

<=== Mash This

[snippy_about_it]

I'm impressed, you do pay attention!!

Should I take that as a compliment? LOL!!

I don't remember everything but I try.

[Soaring Feather]

Yeah-Right!

[SAMWolf]

Our Military Today
Back to School
Courtesy of the US.

Iraqi students walk near a tank with their mother to the first day of school in the capital, Baghdad October 1, 2003. Schools across the country are in various states of disrepair and most are still waiting for new textbooks and stationery to arrive. Locals, aid agencies and the U.S.-led authorities in Iraq have refurbished many schools, restoring water and electrity and repairing furniture. But many are still not ready to welcome students, and hope to reopen on Saturday, the first day of the week in Muslim Iraq. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh


Iraqi students attend classes on the first day of school in the capital Baghdad, October 1, 2003. Schools across the country are in various states of disrepair and most are still waiting for new textbooks and stationery to arrive. Locals, aid agencies and the U.S.-led authorities in Iraq have refurbished many schools, restoring water and electrity and repairing furniture. But many are still not ready to welcome students, and hope to reopen on Saturday, the first day of the week in Muslim Iraq. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh


From the classroom : Iraqi school children watch US soldiers from their classroom during the opening ceremony of Dufuf al-Neil Elementary School in Baghdad. (AFP/Marwan Naamani)


A US soldier greets Iraqi schoolchildren during the opening ceremony of the Dufuf al-Neil school in Baghdad. The opening of the school marks the first day of the new school year in the Iraqi capital.(AFP/Marwan Naamani)


Iraqi girls watch US soldiers from their classroom during the opening ceremony of the Dufuf al-Neil elementary school in Baghdad.(AFP/Marwan Naamani)


Iraqi children receive pencils and crayons from a US soldier during the opening ceremony of Dufuf al-Neil Elementary School in Baghdad(AFP/Marwan Naamani)





Iraqi students queue for schoolbooks, which now have no pictures of Saddam Hussein inside, as they attend their first week of the new school year in the capital Baghdad October 5, 2003. The new academic year officially kicked off in Iraq on Wednesday but some schools across the country were still struggling to find the textbooks, pens and furniture they need to teach their eager students. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz


Iraqi students look through schoolbooks which now have no pictures of Saddam Hussein inside, as they attend their first week of the new school year in the capital Baghdad October 5, 2003.


Iraqi boys wave to U.S. soldiers during a visit to the Al-Fathilia school on the outskirts of Baghdad Wednesday Oct. 15, 2003. The U.S. 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion rebuilt the school, which had been looted after being used as a Baath Party headquarters during the war. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)


Pen pal : A US soldier distributes pens to Iraqi schoolboys at the newly opened al-Taakhi elementary school in Baghdad. (AFP/Ahmad Al-Rubaye)


Iraqi boys wave with school books as U.S. Army soldiers secure the area during an opening ceremony of Baghdad's Al Shaima school, in the eastern part of the capital, Saturday, Oct 25, 2003. Coalition authorities on Saturday announced plans to lift the curfew and reopen a major bridge in Baghdad to ease conditions for Iraqis ahead of Ramadan, despite continued violence. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)


Iraqi school girls wait at the gate of Baghdad's Al Shaima school shortly before a reopening ceremony with U.S. Army soldiers, in the eastern part of the capital, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2003. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)


Iraqi students laugh as a U.S. soldier sings and dances during the opening of a new school in Baghdad, October 25, 2003. (Nikola Solic/Reuters)

[Samwise]

Well, I plead guilty to sleeping through history class. LOL. I knew there were some American incursions into Canada, but I thought they were freelance attempts, not federally sanctioned. I know we wanted Mexico...ala manifest destiny. I didn't sleep through everything.

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Hey, who can remember it all anyway. (Beside's SAM)

[Victoria Delsoul]

Howdy friends. Happy Sunday, all.

[apackof2]

BTT

[snippy_about_it]

Good afternoon Victoria.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks SAM for these pictures of our troops work in Iraq.