Title

A Veteran of 1812

Identifier

http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?b=1&ref=oo&id=298006

page

1-8

Bibliographic Citation

A veteran of 1812 : Jonathan Phillips.

10168212

A veteran of 1812 : Jonathan Phillips.

Type

Text

extracted text

RA FALLS PUBLIC LIBRARY
rt

-

A VETERAN OF 1812.
JONATHAN PHILLIPS.
Another old settler in the Bay of Quinte region and a veteran of the war of 1812, has been
laid with his cotemporaries and companions
in arms. As an bumble, though representative man, of a class of our population that is
gradually disappearing from the scene of active life, the subject of this sketch calls for
a somewhat lengthy notice. A few years
more and there will not be a living witness
of the times and the actions of the resolute
men who laid the foundation of our present
institutions, by maintaining the connection
of the present British American Province
with the mother country. The danger that
threatened Canada at the commencement of
the war of 1812, is perhaps not at the present
day fully appreciated. It has, however, been
frequently dwelt upon, but we live too near

2
the.t,ime to regard, in a true light, the effect
that an adverse issue of the sharp contest then
waged would have produced. Our position, I.,
at the E above igientit'on/itct ' e4eiii
llu il period, is'
well described in the_following extract from
an address delivefed by pei 1pt ? ,31cm. Wm.
h on the
t e occasion oi laying
•

i

1

"war, it has never yet bien brought *int;
" nently before the ; yet it clearly
"proves that the &feint' of Canada, then
rested, 4vith its inhabitants. 'We find that
,

i

‘

" though they nonsisted principally of the old
"U. E. Loyalists' and their descendants, the
*native indians who"had been dispossessed
"of their possessions in the United States,

the foundation stone of Brook's Monument,
LI , . - %"1 r ,•,f1 1•
' • :AM:, 'I & .r.,:.
6ii the 73thblitaei
16 63`: "and their descendants, together with resi',sod .,-.Ad
w ill by in the recollection of Pr/ now
" dents from the United StatesL-s emigration
..•
r , q,,, '... i,lo: W:i-5 1%.9;31',1f::(101::JI'M alt ! ,
" preennt,. tlistA tb:pi commiencpment of the
from the Mother country not having been
e
one
regiment
ofilritish
! war 110ti,l;
of 'I0 only
,
"commenced
to any extent,—a population
1,2,
,
„.i;
t.1
J
,!
PP.B17)
:
,i
ill
; 0(LITIO
-

.

'

"

cf

,r??Vt”. ,

1 (31.7 kf„, ?ii .V43,9 P, Upper

8t11

" Canada,. ,froip Kingtitoitto)tipixyamackinito,
"a distance of • one . thontsinct payes,Autl durgt ing the whole campagn; oily two

t#tti '.' 'uiTcirb 9 ;iiria,o;iiiis
airviiiw: Iiiiv4rit ,)41
this fact ii;.lie°Iitiie
t,c, c , l- 1 or.tw 7, I, i
--

•"

.

01

_,o - i..ii.L. ic) riolii.
‘
most sulk ng events connected with that

W.' 4,

0

'

•""

' --."

?, .i. .( i' ■ ' .
,

,

,

,

,

--

:

,

' C'I

,

11:- ' -.1

,,,,7i Requiting auCcirilling were being briskly ear'tied on 'about Quebec and Montreal. Some troops begen towriye, about the beginning of March,1813, from
the Lower Provinces. The 104th Regiment had ar•
rived evesslaud fronacederickton m Nevr.Brunstviok,
by the valley of the St. John's riper,, through an ha. /Assessable -forest, for hundreds of Mike, to Lake Temiseouta, and from thence to Reviere,du-J4onp, proceeding Sp wards along the' s 'dish ' shore 'str ' this 'St.
o

4.1?1° P)3,11Pe '7# ii's#i PRSP.A. q-f'"at:op)si

"thus composed, not exceeding in Upper
"Canada, at most 90,000, without troops,
" without munitions of war, without resources, and without the least expectation of any
"timely aid from the mother country, with a
" few troops, unable to contend against a
"powerful nation, numbering about 8,000,000
." with munitions of war, and resources with." out limit, within a comparatively short , dis4
' tance from maratime cities, also nitniefottis
1
' forces at command, of which they were not
"slow of apprising us, in the proclamations
circulated from time to time,—it was under
4

'

4

5

" those cirmmstances that the character and

getting out square pine, oak, and staves ;
whilst thus employed, Capt. Judkins, former-

"ability of Sir Isaac Brock were brought to
light. Well knowing on whom he had to
" depend for the defence of the country, he
"directed his personal attention to the clothin g, arms, equipment, mess, and personal
"comfort of the militia, and took every op" portunity of gaining the good will of the
" Indians."
"

Of the Provincial troops, the Glengary
Regiment of Infantry took perhaps the most
active pert. At the age of 15, Jonathan Phillips enlisted in this corps, then being raised
throughout Canada. The urgent necessity
for recruits inducing the authorities to accept
youths even of that tender age. The story
will best be to?d, as nearly as may be, in the
veteran's own words. " I was born in Duchess
County, State of New York, in the year 1796;
my father came from Devonshire, England,
and my mother from Edinburgh, Scotland.—
In 1809 my parents removed to Canada and
settled in Fredericksburgh, County of Lennox
& Addington. In January, 1812, I was working for Mr. — Chapman, in Fredericksburgh,

ly of the 104th Regiment of the Line, asked me
to enlist, and I joined the Glengarys, and in a
few days after was sent to Kingston with
about twenty other recruits from Fredericksburgh, Richmond, and Ernestown. We remained in Kingston till navigation opened,
when the recruits assembled at that place,
about 200 in all, descended the St. Lawrence
in batteaux to Three Rivers, where we re_
ceived uniforms, arms and accoutrements, and
commenced to learn our drill. The corps now
numbered about 800.
Towards autumn we were ordered to Quebec, in charge of about 1000 prisoners from
General Hull's army, captured in the West.
We remained at Quebec a month or six weeks.
In October, 1812, we were ordered to the
West, (the season is recalled from the recollection that as they marched from Quebec the
farmers were busy cutting wheat on the hillsides, and the snow was falling at the time.)
The march was by the North shore road to
Montreal. Here we remained all winter, ex-

6

7

petting the Americans to attack that city.—
the month of March, before the sleighing
was gone, the regiment was ordered to Kingon, taking with them several pieces of cannon, which were drawn by oxen. The men
marched. The cattle that drew the cannon

pursued them and had several skirmishes with
them, They blow up the Fort and evacuated
Canada. In the fall of the year we marched
back to York ; there we embarked in batbeaux and came to the Carrying-Place—thence

e crossed into the Bay of Quints and thence
y batteaux to Kingston. From Kingston we
for provisions. We remained a month at arched to Adolphustown Court House, and
Kingston, and then passed up the Bay of were billeted upon the farmers in that vicinity
Quinte to the Carrying Place in batteaux. The during the ensuing winter. There were from
and baggage, were slaughtered at Kingston

baggage and batteaux were transported across
the isthmus into Lake Ontario, and we re-embarked for York. On our arrival at York we
were forwarded with all despatch to Burling-

eight to ten men in each house. Whilst here
we assembled every day at the Court House,
at 10 A.M., for drill, —we were at least 800

ton Bay. We first met the Yankees at Stoney
Creek, and then pushed on towards Fort
George. We halted at the village of St.
Davids, and encamped at the oross-roads.—
The Yankees held Fort George : when they
discovered we were so near them they retreat•
ed upon Black Creek. We followed them up,
and had a battle with them at Lundy's Lane,
on 25th July, 1813. In this affair I was in
the advance guard, or reconnoitering party.
The enemy retreated upon Fort Erie, and we

:On the 28rd March, 1814, all the three
ears' men were paraded at the Court House,

.

stron g

paid off, and discharged. Each man so discharged: drew 100 acres of land in Upper

anads, littiaing utensils, and a year's pro,
6ur uniform was of bottle green coloured cloth,
with three rows of white metal bell-buttons on the
coat. The buttons bore as arms the rose, shamrock
and thistle, and the words " Canadian Light Infantry
FencibleOik
Jn,the summer we wore bucketshaped bats, witia peaks and a green cockade. In
winter we wore fur caps, with a long green cloth
thanging from the top over the left shoulder, and at
the end of this green cloth a green tassel.
J.P.

8

visions. The provisions were destributed
every three months at Robert Charles Wilkins'
store, at the Carrying-place."
From the time of his discharge till his decease,
Phillips resided in the County of Hastings,
pursuing the usual occupation of the first set.
tiers of this County. For many years he fol.
lowed " lumbering" in winter and farming in
the summer seafons, but beirg trustworthy,
intelligent, and of a kindly disposition, his
services were frequently sought after for
various purposes. Several years ago the
farm which he drew for his military service,
and which for many years afforded him a home
and a support, he sold for the sum of $1,900,
thus enjoying in his old age the well earned
reward of the loyalty and courage of hie
youth. He died at his home, in the 2nd Con
Rawdon, on the 15th February, 1868, and was
interred in the Wesleyan Methodist burying
,ground, at the chapel in the 5th Con. Sidney
Printed at the Chronicle Office, Belleville;