by James Yaworsky
[Extract from] A List of Killed and Wounded in His Majestys Ships and Vessels under mentioned in Action with an American Squadron on Lake Erie Upper Canada 10th. Septr. 1813.
H.M.S. DETROIT
KILLED - 0
WOUNDED - 8
David Green Private - slightly
James Bolman Private - severely
William Liversley Private - severely
William Young Private - slightly
William Hart Private - severely
Miles Wermesley Private - slightly
Patrick Boyle Private - slightly
Robert Dunamore Private - slightly
H.M.S. QUEEN CHARLOTTE
KILLED 7
John Linard Private
Samuel Freath Private
Cornelius Coackley Private
James Barter Private
Thomas Watkins Private
John Ratcliff Private
William Boxman Private
WOUNDED - 8
John Breach Private - dangerously
William Smith Private - dangerously
George Wearham Private - dangerously
John Bucket Private - severely
John Locket Private - severely
Edward White Private - dangerously
Rol. Selway Private - dangerously
George Staff Private - severely
H.M.S. LADY PREVOST
KILLED - 0
WOUNDED - 5
James Taylor Private - severely
William Jackson Private - severely
William Webber Private - slightly
John Norris (2) Private - slightly
____ Davis Private - slightly
H.M.S. GENERAL HUNTER
KILLED - 0
WOUNDED - 1
John Blacker Private - severely
Total Casualties in the Squadron:
killed wounded
officers 3 9
men 38 85
total 41 94
(signed) R.H. Barclay
Commander & late Senr.Officer
NOTES:
It appears that the transcription by Knopf contains several typographical errors as well as omissions and/or errors in reading the original documents. I have not seen the original myself.
I have included only information pertinent to the 41st.
Total casualties for the 41st amounted to 7 privates killed, 22 wounded.
Total casualties for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment were: killed: 16 - 1 Lieutenant, 1 sergeant, 14 privates; wounded: 25 - 3 sergeants, 2 corporals, 20 privates.
A Return of British prisoners of War at Chillicothe Ohio ending on 31 March 1814 lists the following numbers taken captive September 10 1813:
Royal Navy: 104
41st Regiment: 141
Royal Newfoundland Regiment: 65
Indians: 65 (!)
Officers of the fleet: 17
Presumably these figures include the wounded.
The official Morning State Report, 41st Regiment, 5 October 1813, lists "prisoners on board fleet, 10 September, 1813" as:
1 lieutenant
3 sergeants
5 corporals
143 privates (from Lomax's History of the 41st Regiment, P. 88.)
This adds up to 152 members of the Regiment. Adding up the dead (7); plus "officer of the fleet"(presumably the Lieutenant) (1); plus the "rank and file" (141); produces a total of 149. The British and American tallies therefore appear to be off by 3 for the 41st. Or 4 if the Lieutenant shouldn't be included. Perhaps 3 or 4 of the wounded died between Barclay's report, and the arrival of the prisoners at Chillicothe. This would appear to be the most likely conclusion, given that Regimental records are presumably quite accurate for the number of members detached for duty with the fleet.
But note the Return of Prisoners of War, landed at Camp Portage on the 15th & 16th September, 1813, reproduced below, lists 119 members of the 41st. Adding on the 22 wounded produces 141 names which tallies with the Chillicothe return.
The other possibilities appear to be:
1) 3 or 4 members of the Regiment were able to escape capture in some way (unlikely);
2) 3 or 4 members of the Regiment in fact never boarded the ships (not as likely as wounded dying);
3) 3 or 4 members were killed in the action, their bodies thrown overboard, then missed in Barclay's report (the most unlikely).
Note that the total of 1 commissioned officer (and only a lieutenant), 3 sergeants, and 5 corporals seems a niggardly provision to supervise 143 privates who were evidently spread over at least the listed 3 of the 5 ships of the fleet.
The Royal Newfoundland Regiment had 16 killed plus 65 prisoner (of whom 25 were wounded) for a total of 81 members present at the battle. Half the members present were casualties -slightly over 50%! The 41st had 29 casualties out of 152 which translates in to roughly a 20% casualty rate. Were the Royal Newfoundland soldiers, having a proportion of "sailors" in their ranks, taking on more hazardous duties i.e. stationed in fighting tops, acting as sailors clearing damaged rigging, etc.? Or was this mere chance?
Figures for the "Royal Navy" apparently include everyone else. Adding the "officers of the fleet" to this total produces 104 + 17; further adding killed of 18 produces a grand total of 139, of whom 18 + 47 were casualties for a total of 65 - once again, running close to the 50% level.
The combined "Royal Navy" and "Royal Newfoundland" casualty rates would suggest that the 41st were acting purely as "marines" - i.e. on ships, but still primarily footsoldiers - and were perhaps able to shelter somewhat from the cannon fire, or at least were not stationed in as exposed positions as those who had to work the ships were.
[Extract from] RETURN OF PRISONERS OF WAR, LANDED AT CAMP PORTAGE ON THE 15TH & 16TH SEPTEMBER 1813.
NO. NAME RANK
41st REGIMENT
1 Arthur O'Kieffe Lieutenant
2 Richard Forrestal Sergeant
3 William Lane "
4 Charles Jones "
5 George Brooks Corporal
6 John Rashill "
7 William Simms "
8 Joseph ? "
9 William Matthews "
10 Patrick Power Private [as are all that follow]
11 Noah Clarke
12 George Trowbridge[Troubridge]
13 Daniel Dolley[Dolby?]
14 Robert Dollimore
15 Robert Kilmister
16 Patrick Sheehan
17 Joseph Newman
18 Patrick Boyle
19 Charles Jeskins[Perkins?]
20 Peter Tracy
21 William Jones
22 John ?
23 John Hood
24 William ?
25 John Norris
26 Samuel ?
27 Richard G ?
28 Samuel Mumford
29 William ?
30 John Blacker
32 John ?
33 Daniel Price
34 Zachariah Windale
35 William Baxter
36 Robert Tyson
37 William Hooke
38 James Morgan
39 Michael Myers
40 William Mathew
41 John McGrath
42 William Williamson
43 John Watts (?)
44 Jacob Broadway
45 William Sheldon
46 Thomas Jones
47 Thomas Glass
48 Robert Gilchrist
49 James Nowland
50 James Clarke
51 Daniel Enwright
52 John Shields
53 John Bellenger
54 Thomas Steffes
55 Michael Toole
56 Thomas Watson
57 Nathaniel Beasley
58 Charles Cooper
59 James Grist
60 William Pike
61 William Hawley
62 Robert Mullens
63 John Ward (?)
64 Mathew Birtwistle
65 Robert Giles
66 Andrew Connill
67 Thomas Tolboy
68 Benjamin Whitehouse
69 John Hodge
70 Isaac Goddard
71 William Teadon(?)
72 Adam Wild
73 Peter Carrington
74 Henry Hull
75 Robert Smith
76 William Plummer
77 Michael O'Bryan
78 John O'Bryan
79 John White
80 Michael Broyle
81 John Whiteley
82 Francis Beagon
83 Thomas Cooling
84 Miles Wormsley
85 John Farrell
86 Jacob Hall
87 George Taylor
88 James Mullett
89 Thomas Forth
90 John Walter
91 John Rowe
92 Daniel Newport
93 John Stone
94 A(?) Davies
95 James Kemp
96 George Meach
97 Richard Finnimou(?)
98 James Hopkins
99 Benjamin Garlick
100 John Faulkner
101 James Connack (Cormack?)
102 Thomas Ashby
103 John Sumner(?)
104 William Rawlings
105 John Chapman
106 John Browne(?)
107 John Norris
108 John McCreary
109 John Collins
110 Joseph Pimlett(?)
111 Robert Nelson
112 William Thomas
113 Thomas Clancy(Clarey?)
114 Timothy Sullivan
115 George Stagg
116 Hugh (?)
117 William Wesley(?)
118 John Prichard
119 William Levesby
from photostat of original in William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan
Note the extent to which this list tallies with the Morning State quoted in Lomax: 1 officer, 3 sergeants, 5 corporals, but only 29(killed & wounded) + 110(on this list) = 139 privates, instead of 142 as on the Morning State.
PRINCIPAL SOURCE:
Document Transcriptions
of the War of 1812 in the Northwest Vol. IV, Anecdotes
of the Lake Erie Area, War of 1812
Transcribed from
Original Sources by Richard C. Knopf
published by The
Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio, 1957
(in collection Perry's
Victory and International Peace Memorial, Put-In-Bay, Ohio 43456
Version
1 - 06/2003