Shadrack Byfield

Last updated

Shadrack Byfield
Shadrack Byfield Narrative Title Page.png
Title page of A Narrative of a Light Company Soldier's Service (1840)
Born16 September 1789
Woolley, near Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
Died17 January 1874 (aged 84) [1]
Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire
Allegiance Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1807 - 1815
RankPrivate
Unit Wiltshire Militia
41st Regiment of Foot
Battles/wars
Awards Military General Service Medal for Fort Detroit [2]
Other workWeaver, Monument keeper

Shadrack Byfield (sometimes Shadrach, 1789-1874) was a British infantryman who served in the 41st Regiment during the War of 1812. He is best known as the author of a memoir of his wartime experiences, A Narrative of a Light Company Soldier's Service, published in his hometown of Bradford on Avon in England in 1840. This work is notable as one of the only accounts of the conflict penned by a common British soldier.

Contents

Early life and military service

Born in Woolley, a suburb of Bradford on Avon to a family of weavers in 1789, Byfield enlisted in the Wiltshire Militia in 1807, aged eighteen. Two years later, he volunteered into the 41st Regiment and was sent to join the regiment in North America, serving in Lower Canada and at Fort George in modern-day Niagara-on-the-Lake prior to the outbreak of war.

As a private in the 41st, Byfield saw heavy action during the Anglo-American War of 1812. In the conflict's western theatre, he served at the Siege of Detroit and the Battle of Frenchtown, where he was wounded in the shoulder, as well as at the Siege of Fort Meigs and the Battle of Fort Stephenson. Byfield narrowly escaped capture after British defeat at the Battle of the Thames and later rejoined elements of his regiment in the Niagara Peninsula. Byfield participated in the Capture of Fort Niagara and the Battle of Lundy's Lane, but his left arm was shattered by a musket ball at the Battle of Conjocta Creek, an unsuccessful British raid on 3 August 1814 preceding the Siege of Fort Erie. Byfield's forearm was subsequently amputated and he was invalided back to England, where he was awarded a pension from the Royal Hospital Chelsea in 1815.

Later life

Byfield returned to Bradford on Avon and married but was prevented from working at his trade because he required use of both hands to operate a loom. However, according to his memoirs, a design for an 'instrument' came to him one night in a dream; this contraption enabled him to work at a loom with just one arm, allowing him to provide for his family.

Byfield published a memoir of his wartime experiences in 1840. Although some sources speculate that he died c.1850, [3] more recent research suggests that Byfield actually died on 17 January 1874 in Bradford on Avon, aged 84. [1] [4]

He also served as keeper of the Lord Edward Somerset Monument at Hawkesbury Upton in Gloucestershire from its completion in 1845 until he was dismissed from the post in 1853. [1]

Significance

Shadrack Byfield's Narrative provides a rare common soldier's perspective of the War of 1812, and as such his account, considered to be a critical source for studying the conflict, [3] has frequently been republished or anthologised. Byfield has often been portrayed as the archetypical 1812-era British soldier by modern historians. John Gellner, who edited Byfield's memoirs in 1963, asserted that his story "could have been told by any one of those humble, patient, iron-hard British regulars who more than made up in discipline, training and bravery for their lack of numbers." [5]

Byfield's account has frequently been referenced in secondary histories of the war, notably in Pierre Berton's popular histories The Invasion of Canada and Flames Across the Border.

Shadrack Byfield's story has commonly been featured in museum exhibits (for instance, at Old Fort Erie) and in documentaries on the War of 1812, including Canada: A People's History (2000) and PBS's The War of 1812 (2011). [6]

Byfield is also the protagonist in a 1985 children's novel, Redcoat, by Canadian author Gregory Sass, which presents a heavily fictionalised account of his military experiences.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Dearborn</span> American politician (1751–1829)

Henry Dearborn was an American military officer and politician. In the Revolutionary War, he served under Benedict Arnold in his expedition to Quebec, of which his journal provides an important record. After being captured and exchanged, he served in George Washington's Continental Army. He was present at the British surrender at Yorktown. Dearborn served on General George Washington's staff in Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Queenston Heights</span> War of 1812 battle

The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812. Resulting in a British victory, it took place on 13 October 1812 near Queenston, Upper Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Lundy's Lane</span> War of 1812 battle near Niagara (1814)

The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara or contemporarily as the Battle of Bridgewater, was fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and one of the deadliest battles fought in Canada, with approximately 1,720 casualties including 258 killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Drummond</span> British army officer

General Sir Gordon Drummond, GCB was a Canadian-born British Army officer and the first official to command the military and the civil government of Canada. As Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Drummond distinguished himself on the Niagara front in the War of 1812 and later became Governor-General and Administrator of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Fort Erie</span> Siege during the War of 1812

The siege of Fort Erie, also known as the Battle of Erie, from 4 August to 21 September 1814, was one of the last engagements of the War of 1812, between British and American forces. It took place during the Niagara campaign, and the Americans successfully defended Fort Erie against a British army. During the siege, the British suffered high casualties in a failed storming attempt; they also suffered casualties from sickness and exposure in their rough encampments. Unaware that the British were about to abandon the siege, the American garrison launched a sortie to destroy the British siege batteries, during which both sides again suffered high losses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fort George</span> 1813 battle of the War of 1812

The Battle of Fort George was fought during the War of 1812, in which the Americans defeated a British force and captured Fort George in Upper Canada. The troops of the United States Army and vessels of the United States Navy cooperated in a very successful amphibious assault, although most of the opposing British force escaped encirclement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Fort Meigs</span> Siege during the War of 1812

The siege of Fort Meigs took place in late April to early May 1813 during the War of 1812 in northwestern Ohio, present-day Perrysburg. A small British Army unit with support from Indians attempted to capture the recently constructed fort to forestall an American offensive against Detroit, and its Fort Detroit in the Great Lakes region which the British from the north in Canada had captured the previous year. An American sortie and relief attempt failed with heavy casualties, but the British failed to capture the fort and were forced to raise the siege.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Detroit</span> Early battle in the War of 1812

The siege of Detroit, also known as the surrender of Detroit or the Battle of Fort Detroit, was an early engagement in the War of 1812. A British force under Major General Isaac Brock with indigenous allies under Shawnee leader Tecumseh used bluff and deception to intimidate U.S. Brigadier General William Hull into surrendering the fort and town of Detroit, Michigan, along with his dispirited army which actually outnumbered the victorious British and Indians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Cook's Mills</span>

The Battle of Cook's Mills was the last engagement between U.S. and British armies in the Niagara, and the penultimate engagement on Canadian soil during the War of 1812. After a battle lasting less than an hour, American forces out-maneuvered the British column, and later destroyed all grain found in the mill.

Major-General Henry Patrick Procter was a British Army officer who served in the Canadas during the War of 1812. He is best known for being decisively defeated in 1813 by American forces, which left the western portion of Upper Canada under U.S. control. Procter is regarded by numerous commentators as an inept leader who relied heavily on textbook procedure. His "going by the book" is attributed to his lack of any combat experience before coming to Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capture of Fort Niagara</span>

The Capture of Fort Niagara took place 18-19 December 1813 during the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States. The American garrison was taken by surprise, and the fort was captured in a night assault by a select force of British regular infantry.

The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1719. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 69th Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scajaquada Creek</span> River in New York, United States

Scajaquada Creek is a stream in Erie County, New York, United States. The name is derived from Philip Kenjockety, a Native American described as the oldest resident of the region upon his death in 1808.

Major Adam Charles Muir was an officer in the British Army, who played a significant but little-known role in the Anglo-American War of 1812.

The Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles were a light infantry unit, raised chiefly in the Glengarry District of Upper Canada shortly before the outbreak of the Anglo-American War of 1812. The unit fought throughout the war, and was disbanded shortly afterwards.

Captain Runchey's Company of Coloured Men was a Canadian militia company of free blacks and indentured black servants, raised in Upper Canada as a small Black corps under a White officer, Robert Reuben Runchey (1759–1819), a tavern keeper from Jordan, Upper Canada. The unit fought in several actions during the early part of the Anglo-American War of 1812. In 1813, Runchey's Company was converted into a unit of the Canadian Corps of Provincial Artificers, attached to the Royal Sappers and Miners, in which sappers and miners performed specialized military operations. They served on the Niagara River front during the war, and were disbanded a few months after the war ended. The Company of Coloured Men's military heritage is perpetuated in the modern Canadian Army by the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of River Canard</span>

Battle of River Canard was the site of an engagement between British and American forces on July 16, 1812, during the War of 1812. Though it is called the "Battle" of River Canard, it should be thought of as a series of skirmishes.

The 103rd Regiment of Foot was a line infantry unit of the British Army. Though only existing for just over 10 years, the regiment would see more action than most of its 100-series regiments.

The Battle of Conjocta Creek was an attempt by British forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Tucker to raid the American supply depots at the towns of Black Rock and Buffalo. The Raid was ordered by British Lieutenant General Gordon Drummond in hopes of causing an early American surrender at Fort Erie. On the morning of August 3, 1814, Tucker and his men met a small force of American riflemen under the command of Major Lodwick Morgan. After fighting for about an hour, Tucker and his men were defeated, and withdrew across the Niagara river to Canada. The battle played a major role in the Siege of Fort Erie's failure, due to the supply post at Black Rock being able to continue supplying the American force defending Fort Erie. This resulted in the British eventually withdrawing from their siege positions around the fort to Chippawa on September 21, 1814.

William Atherton was an American soldier, rifleman and veteran of the War of 1812 from Shelbyville, Kentucky. He was a private in Captain John Simpson's company of the 1st Rifle Regiment. He served under William Henry Harrison. Atherton wrote a journal that detailed his war service within the Kentucky militia, including their defeat and subsequent massacre at River Raisin by opposing forces, and his subsequent capture and imprisonment.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "17th (Service) Battalion, The Welsh Regiment".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. "Dix Noonan MGSM Medal Roll".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. 1 2 Ridler, Jason. "Shadrach Byfield, The Canadian Encyclopedia".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Deaths index (CR) England. Bradford Wilts. 1st Q. 1874. BYFIELD, Shadrack. http://www.gro.gov.uk  : accessed 25 July 2024.
  5. Gellner, John (1963). Recollections of the War of 1812: three eyewitnesses' accounts. Canada: Baxter. pp. iii–v.
  6. "Doc battles ignorance on War of 1812". Toronto Star. 6 October 2011.

Further reading