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The 41st Regiment of Foot at the Battle of Lake Erie (Sep. 10, 1813): An Analysis of Casualty Rates 
​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 SEPTEMBER 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. Lady Prevost

KILLED - 0
WOUNDED - 5
David Green Private - slightly
James Bolman 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

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

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.

41st Regiment

No. Name Rank
1 Arthur O'Kieffe Lieutenant
2 Richard Forrestal Sergeant
3 William Lane Sergeant
4 Charles Jones Sergeant
5 George Brooks Corporal
6 John Rashill Corporal
7 William Simms Corporal
8 Joseph ? Corporal
9 William Matthews Corporal
10 Patrick Power Private
12George Trowbridge[Troubridge]Private
13Daniel Dolley[Dolby?]Private
14Robert DollimorePrivate
15Robert KilmisterPrivate
16Patrick SheehanPrivate
17Joseph NewmanPrivate
18Patrick BoylePrivate
19Charles Jeskins[Perkins?]Private
20Peter TracyPrivate
21William JonesPrivate
22John ?Private
23John HoodPrivate
24William ?Private
25John NorrisPrivate
26Samuel ?Private
27Richard G ?Private
28Samuel MumfordPrivate
29William ?Private
30John BlackerPrivate
31John ?Private
32Daniel PricePrivate
33Zachariah WindalePrivate
34William BaxterPrivate
35Robert TysonPrivate
36William HookePrivate
37James MorganPrivate
38Michael MyersPrivate
39William MathewPrivate
40John McGrathPrivate
41William WilliamsonPrivate
42John Watts (?)Private
43Jacob BroadwayPrivate
44William SheldonPrivate
45Thomas JonesPrivate
46Thomas GlassPrivate
47Robert GilchristPrivate
48James NowlandPrivate
49James ClarkePrivate
50Daniel EnwrightPrivate
51John ShieldsPrivate
52John BellengerPrivate
53Thomas SteffesPrivate
54Michael ToolePrivate
55Thomas WatsonPrivate
56Nathaniel BeasleyPrivate
57Charles CooperPrivate
58James GristPrivate
59William PikePrivate
60William HawleyPrivate
61Robert MullensPrivate
62John Ward (?)Private
63Mathew BirtwistlePrivate
64Robert GilesPrivate
65Andrew ConnillPrivate
66Thomas TolboyPrivate
67Benjamin WhitehousePrivate
68John HodgePrivate
69Isaac GoddardPrivate
70William Teadon(?)Private
71Adam WildPrivate
72Peter CarringtonPrivate
73Henry HullPrivate
74Robert SmithPrivate
75William PlummerPrivate
76Michael O'BryanPrivate
77John O'BryanPrivate
78John WhitePrivate
79Michael BroylePrivate
80John WhiteleyPrivate
81Francis BeagonPrivate
82Thomas CoolingPrivate
83Miles WormsleyPrivate
84John FarrellPrivate
85Jacob HallPrivate
86George TaylorPrivate
87James MullettPrivate
88Thomas ForthPrivate
89John WalterPrivate
90John RowePrivate
91Daniel NewportPrivate
92John StonePrivate
93A(?) DaviesPrivate
94James KempPrivate
95George MeachPrivate
96Richard Finnimou(?)Private
97James HopkinsPrivate
98Benjamin GarlickPrivate
99John FaulknerPrivate
100James Connack (Cormack?)Private
101Thomas AshbyPrivate
102John Sumner(?)Private
103William RawlingsPrivate
104John ChapmanPrivate
105John Browne(?)Private
106John NorrisPrivate
107John McCrearyPrivate
108John CollinsPrivate
109Joseph Pimlett(?)Private
110Robert NelsonPrivate
111William ThomasPrivate
112Thomas Clancy(Clarey?)Private
113Timothy SullivanPrivate
114George StaggPrivate
115Hugh (?)Private
116William Wesley(?)Private
117John PrichardPrivate
118William LevesbyPrivate
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).
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