Hilltowns during the War of 1812

From Tenney and Howell:

Veterans of the War of 1812

Berne Orange Beeman, Berne; Michael Belle, Berne Richard Brownell, Berne Henry Carroll, Berne Richard Filkins, Berne Jesse Helligus, Berne Reuben Hungerford, Berne Elisha Ingraham, Berne Daniel Joshlin, Berne Daniel Joslin, Berne Derrick Martin, Berne Nicholas Osterhout, Berne David D. Palmer, Berne Stephenson Palmer, Berne John Pier, 2d, Berne William Rhinehart, Berne John I. Schermerhorn, Berne James Sloan, Berne William Truax, Berne Christian Willmon, Berne

Knox Henry Bunzer, Knox William Bunzey, Knox Edward P. Crary, Knox Joseph Gallup, Knox Benjamin Williams, Knox Henry Williams, Knox

Rensselaerville Henry Benn, Rensselaerville George Benn, Rensselaerville William Crandall, Rensselaerville William Holdridge, Rensselaerville Thomas Tibits, Rensselaerville Cornelius Van Aiken, Rensselaerville

Westerlo John Fraligh, Westerlo Abiel Gardner, Westerlo Josiah Hinckley, Jr., Westerlo Walter Huyck, Westerlo John Newbury, Westerlo George W. Swartwout, Westerlo

THE WAR OF 181 2. This war has been called the Second War with Great Britain, the Last War with Great Britain, and the Second War for Independence. It is usually denominated as written at the heading. It was formally declared June 19, 181 2, and closed with a treaty of peace, signed at Ghent December 24, 18 14. The brilliant battle of New Orleans, fought under Andrew Jackson, January 8, 181 5, occurred after the treaty was made. It was not a day of cable grams, and the news of peace did not reach this county until February 12th. The English government was not satisfied with the issues of the revolutionary war; and was dis posed to make encroachments upon what were deemed national rights. Among other things it claimed the right to board and search American vessels for deserting British soldiers and sailors. This claim was exercised in a manner so obnoxious, as to call for most decided remonstrance from our Government. Continued abuses of this kind led to open war. The public feeling in regard to the expediency of this war was far from unanimous. Indeed, those who took opposite sides in the matter were very bitter towards each other. No such bitterness probably has existed in regard to any other political question, unless it be that of slavery, since the days of the Revolution of 1776. The Democrats, as a party, favored the war; the Federalists opposed it, mostly for commercial reasons. They were called the war party and the peace party. Both, no doubt, were influenced by honest love of country. The Albany press was divided — Solomon South- wick conducting the Democratic paper, called the Albany Register, and Charles R. Webster, the Federalist paper, called the Albany Gazette. It is stated that, as an exhibition of party feeling, the office of the Gazette was threatened with destruction by the more violent and ignorant democracy of that day. The public were notified by the Gazette that every man connected with that office was armed against any mob, and ready for resisting attack at any moment. No attack was made. But many a war of bitter words was fought at street corners and in public places, sometimes resulting in blows. The skirmish on State street, April 21, 1807, when the war controversy was raging, between those two eminent citizens, Governor John Tayler, Democrat, and General Solomon Van Rensselaer, Federalist, shows something of the spirit of parties before and during this war. The trial that followed was published in a pamphlet, and is mentioned in Munsell's edition of Worth's " Random Recollections." We are sorry to be able to give so little explicit information concerning the military transactions in Albany County during this war. Our examination of the newspapers of the time gives little help; and the Adjutant-General's office does not con tribute anything in regard to the formation and officering of companies and regiments for service. This explains the fragmentary condition of this article. It is quite certain that Albany County was deeply interested in this war, and furnished many officers and men. We insert here an alphabetical list, taken from the "Index of Awards on Claims of the Soldiers of the War of 181 2, as audited and allowed by the Adjutant and Inspector-Generals," pursuant to the State Laws of 1859, Chapter 176, in the hope that it may lead some of their descendants to give us reliable information in regard to their services. This is supposed to contain the names of most of the militia from Albany County who enlisted in this war. Orrin Abbott, Albany; John Adams, Jr., Bethle hem; Joseph Arkles, Bethlehem; Michael Artcher, Albany; Chester Atherton, Albany; Ammiel Barnard, Albany; Asabel S. Beens, Albany; Orange Beeman, Berne; Michael Belle, Berne; Henry Benn, Rensselaerville; George Benn, Rensselaer- ville; Daniel J. Beyea, Jerusalem; Harmanus Bleecker, Jr., Albany; Nicholas Bleecker, Jr., Albany; Adam Blessing, Guilderland; Garritt H. Bloomingdale, Albany; Henry Bunzer, Knox; Matthew Boom, by widow, Albany; William Bunzey, Knox; Cornelius Bounds, Albany; Joseph Bradley, Berne; Adrian Bradt, Albany; Henry P. Bradt, New Scotland; John C. Bradt, Albany; Salvo Brintnall, Albany; John Bussy, Albany; Asa Brown, Jerusalem; Richard Brownell, Berne; Stewart Bull, Coeymans; Abraham Balson, Albany; Calvin Butler, Albany; Henry Cacknard, Coey mans; Daniel Carhart, Coeymans; John Carr, Coeymans; Henry Carroll, Berne; Daniel R Clark, Albany; William Campbell, Watervliet; Henry Chadwick, Watervliet; Elisha Cheesebro, Guilder- land; Jeremiah Clute, Albany; David Cole, Water vliet; Peter Colburn, Albany; James Cole, Cohoes; John Cole, South Jerusalem; Peter M. Conger, Watervliet; William Crandall, Rensselaerville; Edward P. Crary, Knox; Frederick J. Crounse, Guilderland; Philip DeForest, Albany; James W. Dubois, West Troy; Martin Easterly, Albany; Ebenezer S. Edgerton, Albany; Peter V. B. El- mendorf, New Scotland; Ethel Enos, Watervliet; C. Ertzberger, Albany; Ralph Farnham, Albany; Richard Filkins, Berne; Thomas Fish, Albany; William Forby, Albany; John Fraligh, Westerlo: Christopher Frederick, Guilderland; Luther Fris- bie, Albany; William Fuhr, Albany; John J. Fulton, Albany; Joseph Gallup, Knox; Abiel Gardner, Westerlo; Thomas S. Gillet, Albany; Nathan B. Gleason, West Troy; Jonathan Gold- waite, Albany; Daniel Green, Coeymans; Isaac F. Groesbeck, Albany; Abraham Hagaman, Albany; Oliver Hastings, Watervliet; Aaron Hawley, Beth lehem; George Hawley, Albany; Ezra Haynes, Watervliet; Charles Hazleton, Jerusalem; Jesse Helligus, Berne; Josiah Hinckley, Jr., Westerlo; Isaac Hitchcock, West Troy; William Holdridge, Rensselaerville; Elias Holmes, Coeymans; John D. Houghtaling, Albany; Reuben Hungerford, Berne; Walter Huyck, Westerlo; Elisha Ingraham, Berne; Moses Jay, Albany; James Johnson, Water vliet; John Johnson, Albany; Daniel Joshlin, Berne, Albany County; Daniel Joslin, Berne; Sylvanus Kelley, Albany; John Lamoreux, Albany; Nicho las I. Lampman, Albany; Henry Lasee, Water vliet; William Latta, New Scotland; Daniel D. Lawyer, Albany; Jacob Lewis, Albany; Aaron Livingston, Albany; Jacob Loatwall, Albany; Charles Low, Albany: Jeremiah Luther, Albany; Robert McGill, New Scotland; Daniel Mcintosh, Albany; John McMicken, Albany; Abraham Mar tin, Albany; Derrick Martin, Berne; Jacob Martin, New Scotland; Henry T. Mesick, Albany; Thomas Mitchel, Albany; Moses Mowers, Jerusalem; Will iam Muir, Albany; John Myers, Albany; John Newbury, Westerlo; Benjamin Northrop, Albany; Nicholas Osterhout, Berne; Peter Osterhout, Albany; Henry Ostrander, Jr., Guilderland; Henry Pad dock, Albany; Aaron Palmer, Albany; David D. Palmer, Berne; Stephenson Palmer, Berne; Anthony Pangborn, Bethlehem; John Parker, Bethlehem; Robert Patten, Albany; John Pier, 2d, Berne; Jacob Place, Albany; Jonas D. Piatt, Albany; John Pruyn, Albany; Adam Relyea, Guilderland; Simon Relyea, Albany; William Rhinehart, Berne; Jesse E. Roberts, Watervliet; James Robinson, Albany; John I. Schermerhorn, Berne; Henry I. Schoon- maker, Bethlehem; Courtland Schuyler, Albany; Jacob Scott, Albany; John Scovell, Watervliet; William Scrafford, Bethlehem; Abraham Severson, • Albany; John N. Severson, Guilderland; William Seymour, Albany; Israel Shadbolt, West Troy; John F. Shafer, Coeymans; Jacob Sharp, Albany; Peter Shafer, Guilderland; John Shouts, Albany; Stephen Simpson, Watervliet; John Skinkle, Al bany; James Sloan, Berne; James Sloan, West Troy; William J. Smith, Albany; Peter H. Snyder, Albany; John Spoor, Albany; Lewis Stiman, Beth lehem; John Stenkle, Albany; Cyrus Stone, Wes terlo; John Stone, Albany; George W. Swartwout, Westerlo; Peter Ten Eyck, Albany; Francis E. Thompson, Albany; Thomas Tibits, Rensselaer ville; William Truax, Berne; John Turk, Coeymans; Conrad Turner, Jerusalem; David Turner, Water vliet; Henry Turner, Albany; Jacob Turner, West Troy; John Uran, West Troy; Cornelius Van Aiken, Rensselaerville; John Van Antwerp, Albany; Garret I. Vanderberg, Albany; Garret Vanderpool, Bethlehem; Cornelius Van Derzee, Guilderland; Peter Van Olinda, Albany; Cornelius W. Vedder, Albany; Ebenezer C. Warren, Albany; Samuel Warner, New Scotland; Joseph Werden, Water vliet; Jacob White, Albany; John Wilda, Berne; Hezekiah Wilks, Bethlehem; Benjamin Williams, Knox; Henry Williams, Knox; Christian Willmon, Berne; George Wilson, West Troy.