General Society of the War of 1812

Last updated

General Society of the War of 1812
Named afterThe War of 1812
EstablishedSeptember 14, 1814
(209 years ago)
 (1814-09-14)
Founded at Baltimore
Type Patriotic organization
22-6042718
Legal status Nonprofit corporation
Headquarters Aberdeen, New Jersey
Region served
United States
Official language
English
PublicationThe War Cry
Affiliations Daughters of 1812
Website gswar1812.org

The General Society of the War of 1812, commonly known as the Society of the War of 1812, is a patriotic organization headquartered in Aberdeen, New Jersey. It was organized in 1814 at Baltimore.

Contents

History

Background

The Maryland Society of the War of 1812 was organized at Baltimore on September 14, 1814 (two days after the Battle of North Point), by veterans who had defeated Major-General Robert Ross's forces there. [1]

The Pennsylvania Society of the War of 1812 was organized at Philadelphia on January 9, 1854 (one day after the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans), by a group of veterans who met in general convention at Independence Hall, having responded to a call issued by Joel B. Sutherland (himself a veteran and former member of Congress). Ostensibly called to draft resolutions pertaining to federal bounty land legislation, they acknowledged the need to organize at the national level for mutual support and to perpetuate the history of the War of 1812. They met again a year later in Washington, D.C., where they were received by President Franklin Pierce at the White House and lobbied members of Congress to secure the federal legislation, which was passed into law as the Bounty Land Act of 1855 on March 3. [2]

Amalgamation

On April 14, 1894, [2] the Maryland and the Pennsylvania societies met at Philadelphia to organize a general society. Being a federated society, they opted for the September 14, 1814, establishment date (the date the Maryland Society was first organized). [1] The General Society has since increased to 33 State societies. [2]

Membership

The society admits men who are lineal descendants of American veterans who served on active federal duty during the War of 1812. [3] [4]

Notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiram Cronk</span> Last surviving U.S. veteran of the War of 1812

Hiram Cronk was the last surviving U.S. veteran of the War of 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Baltimore</span> 1814 battle during the War of 1812

The Battle of Baltimore took place between British and American forces in the War of 1812. American forces repulsed sea and land invasions off the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading British forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Hall and Burying Ground</span> Historic site in Baltimore, Maryland, US

Westminster Hall and Burying Ground is a graveyard and former church located at 519 West Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is currently part of the grounds of the University of Maryland's School of Law. It occupies the southeast corner of West Fayette and North Greene Street on the west side of downtown Baltimore. It sits across from the Baltimore VA hospital and is the burial site of Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849). The complex was declared a national historic district in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Smith (Maryland politician)</span> American politician from Maryland (1752–1839)

Samuel Smith was an American Senator and Representative from Maryland, a mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, and a general in the Maryland militia. He was the older brother of cabinet secretary Robert Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bladensburg</span> Battle of the War of 1812

The Battle of Bladensburg, also known as the Bladensburg Races, took place during the Chesapeake Campaign, part of the War of 1812, on 24 August 1814, at Bladensburg, Maryland, 8.6 miles (13.8 km) northeast of Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of North Point</span> Battle of the War of 1812

The Battle of North Point was fought on September 12, 1814, between General John Stricker's Maryland Militia and a British force led by Major General Robert Ross. Although the Americans retreated, they were able to do so in good order having inflicted significant casualties on the British, killing one of the commanders of the invading force, significantly demoralizing the troops under his command and leaving some of his units lost among woods and swampy creeks, with others in confusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Macomb (general)</span> Commanding General of the United States Army from 1828-1841

Alexander Macomb was the Commanding General of the United States Army from May 29, 1828, until his death on June 25, 1841. Macomb was the field commander at the Battle of Plattsburgh during the War of 1812 and, after the stunning victory, was lauded with praise and styled "The Hero of Plattsburgh" by some of the American press. He was promoted to Major General for his conduct, receiving both the Thanks of Congress and a Congressional Gold Medal.

Defenders Day is a longtime legal holiday on September 12, in the U.S. state of Maryland, in the City of Baltimore and surrounding Baltimore County. It commemorates the successful defense of the city of Baltimore on September 12-13-14, 1814 from an invading British force during the War of 1812, an event which led to the writing of the words of a poem, which when set to music a few days later, became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner", which in 1931 was designated as the national anthem of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Stricker</span> United States general (1759–1825)

Brigadier General John Stricker (1758–1825) was a Maryland state militia officer who fought in both the American Revolutionary War in the First Maryland Regiment of the famous "Maryland Line" of the Continental Army and in the War of 1812. He commanded the Third Brigade of the Maryland state militia in the Battle of North Point on Monday, September 12, 1814, which formed a part of the larger Battle of Baltimore, along with the subsequent British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry on September 13-14th, and was a turning point in the later months of the War of 1812 and to the peace negotiators across the Atlantic Ocean for the Treaty of Ghent, in the city of Ghent then in the Austrian Netherlands,, which finally arrived at a peace treaty on Christmas Eve of December 1814, of which news finally reached America in February 1815.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Order of Foreign Wars</span> U.S. veterans and hereditary association

The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Membership is composed of active duty, reserve and retired officers of the United States Armed Services, including the Coast Guard, National Guard, and allied officers, and their descendants, who have served during one of the wars in which the United States has or is engaged with a foreign power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loudon Park Cemetery</span> Historic privately owned cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland

Loudon Park Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. It was incorporated on January 27, 1853, on 100 acres (40 ha) of the site of the "Loudon" estate, previously owned by James Carey, a local merchant and politician. The entrance to the cemetery is located at 3620 Wilkens Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John de Barth Walbach</span> United States Army general

John Baptiste de Barth Walbach was an Alsatian baron who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars, and was one of the few foreign-born senior officers in the United States Army prior to the American Civil War, attaining the rank of brevet brigadier general by brevet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veteran Corps of Artillery</span> Honor guard of the Military Society of the War of 1812

The Veteran Corps of Artillery is a patriotic organization established as an independent artillery unit in 1790 at New York by veterans of the Revolutionary War. In 1848, it consolidated with the Military Society of the War of 1812.

The Adjutant General of Maryland is the head military official of the Maryland National Guard, the Maryland Defense Force, and any other military or paramilitary units that may be maintained by the State of Maryland. The adjutant general is responsible for the military department's budget and maintains all State-owned armories in Maryland.

Twenty-four current units of the Army National Guard perpetuate the lineages of militia units mustered into federal service during the War of 1812. Militia units from nine states that were part of the Union by the end of the War of 1812, plus the District of Columbia, are the predecessors of eighteen units that currently exist in the Army National Guard. Two of the four units derived from Virginia militias are in the West Virginia National Guard; at the time of the War of 1812, West Virginia was still part of Virginia. Only two current units, the 155th Infantry, a component of the Mississippi National Guard derived from militia units organized in the Mississippi Territory and the 130th Infantry, a component of the Illinois National Guard derived from militia units formed in the Illinois Territory, are from states or territories west of the Appalachians. Unfortunately, no militia units from the states of Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio or Tennessee, or from the Indiana, Michigan, Missouri or Louisiana Territories, where militia units played a major role in the fighting, have survived as units in the modern Army National Guard.

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Sterett (1773-1821), also known as Joseph Sterrett, was a Maryland militia officer who served during the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. At the Battle of Bladensberg and the Battle of North Point he commanded the 5th Maryland Regiment, composed largely of volunteers from Baltimore.

Jeptha Vining Harris was a brigadier general in the Georgia militia during the War of 1812. He was a lawyer and wealthy plantation owner, who served in the Georgia General Assembly as both a representative and senator. Harris was also a trustee of the University of Georgia from 1832 to 1856. He was the father of Jeptha Vining Harris, a Mississippi (Confederate) brigadier general during the American Civil War. He was the grandfather of Dr. Jeptha Vining Harris, who served as a doctor with the Confederate States Army and was a doctor, customs collector and school superintendent in Key West, Florida after the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army and Navy Union of the United States of America</span> Organization of U.S. veterans

The Army and Navy Union (A&NU), formally the Army and Navy Union of the United States of America is the oldest veterans' organization in the United States. It was organized on March 31, 1888, in Ohio. Its name changed over time from just a soldier's union to take account for all sailors and soldiers in all branches of the United States Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colden Ruggles</span> U.S. Army general (1869–1933)

Colden L'Hommedieu Ruggles was a career officer in the United States Army. A prominent member of the Ordnance Corps, he attained the rank of brigadier general, and was notable for planning and overseeing construction of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. In addition, he was noteworthy for his service as acting Chief of Ordnance in 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles G. Sawtelle</span> U.S. Army brigadier general

Charles G. Sawtelle was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the American Indian Wars and American Civil War, he served from 1854 to 1897 and attained the rank of brigadier general while serving as Quartermaster General of the United States Army.

References

  1. 1 2 Browning, Charles H., ed. (1896). "The Society of the War of 1812". The American Historicial Register. Philadelphia: The Historical Register Co. pp.  124–125. LCCN   05006240. OCLC   70668222 . Retrieved January 5, 2024 via Internet Archive.
  2. 1 2 3 "General Society of the War of 1812" . Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  3. American Orders & Societies and their Decorations. Philadelphia: Bailey, Banks & Biddle Company. 1917. pp.  22–24. LCCN   17013291 via Internet Archive.
  4. "Constitution". General Society of the War of 1812. September 4, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.

Further reading

Official
General information