Amazon's synopsis: There is an untold side of the American Revolution; a forgotten, lost war fought within the context of that better known war for American independence from Great Britain. It is an untold story surrounded by mystery and misconception to this day because of the very nature of what happened. While Washington’s patriot armies were battling British redcoats in set-piece actions across the colonies in the East, a war of a far different nature was being conducted in the West to determine who was to control the frontier and Indian lands of the upper Ohio River Valley, and the Ohio Country to its west. It was fought without fixed boundaries or large armies, without accepted rules of engagement, or agreed-upon noncombatants.
Alan Fitzpatrick spoke today at the Christmas luncheon hosted by the Parkersburg WV SAR. He is a terrific speaker and I thoroughly enjoyed his talk. However, his topic was so new to me that I didn't have a good place to hang all that I learned....so I want to jot down a few thoughts to come back to.
Alan was born and raised in Canada. In the process of researching an ancestor who was a Tory during the Revolutionary War, he happened across the Haldiman papers in Ottawa, Canada.
From AI: Yes, the
Haldimand Papers (spelled with an 'i') are extensively available on microfilm at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) in Ottawa. The original documents are held at the British Library, but LAC created both transcriptions and microfilm copies, which are available for public use.
These papers are a collection of handwritten copies done by an aid to Col Haldimand in a journal of correspondence between Col Haldimand and his officers in the field. (Alan says the handwriting is excellent)
Alan spent years ordering the microfilm copies one at a time....there are 98 reels......for his use to write this book.
British Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton, operating from Detroit, was a major figure in the western theater, known for inciting Native American attacks on American frontiers and being captured by George Rogers Clark near Vincennes. Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton received a command from the British King to bring the Indians into the fight to subdue the American patriots. He did this by giving the Indians gifts, sending 17 men to recruit the Indians to fight the American patriots in order to retain their lands, and sending six gunsmiths among the Indians to repair their guns and weapons.
I wish that I could recount the battles and history of this conflict on the western frontier/wilderness. But I would have to study for hours to have all of the information in my head that Alan presented today. But some of the main ideas that were of interest to me were the fact that many of these men who fought in these skirmishes had Indian wives or were connected to the Indians in personal ways. And that these were not battles as one finds in the battles on the eastern colonies. These were ambushes where every man was killed. Or battles from combatants who trekked through the wilderness on paths barely wide enough for a man or a horse. Or Boats carrying troops that were intercepted and all of the men on board killed or captured.
The other surprise to me was that this war did not stop when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown 19 Oct 1781. The last battle of this part of the war took place in 1782 and is considered the last battle of the Revolutionary War.
Something I would like to follow up on is from a Slideshow in my possession from Ronald. My memory is faded and I don't have time to work on this tonight.....and I do believe that this time in the militia was BEFORE William, John and James joined the continental army in the begining of the Revolution rather than after they came home after the winter at Valley Forge....but I would like to look at this.
1.William, John and James in Captain Martin ‘s Militia on the Western Front.
