William Perkins (abt. 1794)

Born about 1794 in Massfield

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Biography

William Perkins served in the War of 1812
Service started:
Unit(s): Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Niagara, Canada
Service ended:

Very little has (yet) been determined of his origin or family.

A William Perkins is listed on a Muster Roll of a Detachment of the 1st & 3d York Regiments of York Militia intje Garrison at York, under the direction of the Chief Engineer (Payment Order of 5 Sept) between 25 Nov and 10 Dec 1814 (inclusive), he was with the 3d Regiment.^[1]

A Nominal Roll, 9 March 1815, lists William Perkins, 19 years old [likely his age when he enlisted two years earlier, thus born 1794], born [hard to read] "Majorfield" ^[2] or it might be read as "Malorfield" or " Massfield' (no other information); height 6'.^[3] [Very cryptic.]

On 28 March 1813, he enrolled in the "Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada."^[4]

He was in the Company of Captain William Jarvie; the other officers were Lieutenant Thomas Humberstone and Ensign Daniel Brooke. In the Return for 25 March to 24 April 1813, he was present for all 31 day, with the added comment, "Command to Hamilton",^[5][6]

On 27 April 1813 the Americans attacked and captured the town of York, Upper Canada. ^[7] While it is not known what he did at this time, he was among those was among those who claimed the loss of the whole of their baggage.(privates 2.2.0).^[8]

Present in Returns, 26 April - 24 May 1813.^[9]; on 24 Dec 1814, "on command"; present 25 Dec 1813 through 24 Feb 1814.^[10] In Muster Roll, York, 18 Feb 1814 (not among those paroled).

In March of 1814 the scattered detachments of the incorporated Militia (Kingston and Prescott) were gathered at York to be formed into a single battalion. Captain William Robinson of the 8th (King’s) Regiment was chosen to bring their training up to level of Regular soldiers. April saw the shuffling of personnel to better balance the units.

He is listed among those who were due Bounty on 23 May 1814, at 2/10/0.^[11]

Garrison Order, York, 27 May 1814: "William Perkins of Captain Jarvis's company is appointed Corporal in the same since 15th Instant."^[12]

The Battalion was at the bloody battle of Lundy’s Lane, fought on the night of 25 July 1814.^[13]

The Incorporated Militia next took part in the Siege of Fort Erie. The I.M. were often used as pickets with some engagements in the woods. His company was involved in the repulse of the American sally 12 Aug 1814, that was aimed at disrupting one of the batteries bombarding the fort. The 2nd company. was involved in the counter-attack in which Capt. Edward Walker was killed, and Major Kerby wounded. The besiegers suffered through a wet summer, but the I.M. used their settler skills to build snug huts for themselves.

When the siege was lifted in late September the British army retired to the Chippewa, there the I.M. worked building defensive works which the enemy deemed to strong to attack directly. The I.M. were also employed in gathering the crops and threshing out the grain. Winter Quarters for the I.M. was first at Butler's Barracks (Newark) and the marched back to York.

At some point he was promoted to sergeant, and appears in a list of NCOs, York, 19 Feb 1815.^[14]

With the declaration of peace, the regiment was discharged 24 March 1814, with one month's extra pay free of deductions. William Perkins' name was entered in the Incorporated Roll, entitling him to a future Land Grant.

His life afterwards not yet determined.

[This profile is part of the WikiTree "War of 1812" project. Some general knowledge of that conflict may be necessary; focus is on the individual. A reading of the officer's involved may provide the context needed to get a fuller picture. The individual here is not related to the profile manager.]

Sources

1. ↑ Library & Archives of Canada (LAC) RG9 IB7 v0l 18-19, pp 1110-1113 - Fred Blair finding aid
2. ↑ Genealogical Research Library, Ontario, Canada. Canadian Genealogy Index, 1600s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. citing Richard Feltoe, Redcoated Ploughboys, (extracts of the Incorporated Militia Muster Listings from 1813-1815), 1994.
3. ↑ LAC RG9 1B7, v 2, 841; microfilm t10379-
4. ↑ Created by the Upper Canadian Parliament in early 1813, it was composed of men volunteering for the duration of the war, equipped, trained, and otherwise treated as Regulars, but under Militia Law (eg no flogging). Officers' rank based upon number of recruits the enlisted. Recruits received a $10 Bounty upon being accepted, with a possible Land Grant afterwards.
5. ↑ Along with Capt. Jarvie, one sergeant, and 8 other privates. LAC, RG9 1B7, v 2; microfilm t-86376-945
6. ↑ "On Command used in Returns to show a man was on duty, but away from the company on an assigned duty.
7. ↑ At that time Jarvie, with part of his company, were in boats bringing supplies up from Kingston. They landed the supplies and hurried to the fighting, where they joined the militia and Indians in the woods, where Jarvie was wounded and left behind. They retreated by a back route and were in the ravine to the north of the fort when the Main Magazine blew up. They suffered some injuries from concussion and falling debris. In the aftermath, many of the I.M were compelled to give their Parole (a promise not to fight until exchanged).
8. ↑ Library and Archives of Canada> RG9 1B7 v 2
9. ↑ LAC t83676-983
10. ↑ RG9 1B7, v 2, 72
11. ↑ RG9 !B7, v 2, 75
12. ↑ Library & Archives Canada, MG19/A39: Duncan Clark Papers
13. ↑ The Incorporated Militia was one of the first units on the field, taking position on extreme left of the line. As darkness fell the US 25th Infantry was able to sneak through and outflank them. Casualties were suffered, some became prisoner, others fled, but the line was reformed to face this threat. As the fight in the centre, over the guns, became more desperate some of the companies of the I.M. were sent there. The battle ended with both exhausted armies falling back. The US retreated back to Fort Erie. The Incorporated Militia, with about 430 all ranks, suffered 17 killed, 43 wounded, 44 wounded, 37 prisoners; about another 40 went missing but later returned to the ranks
14. ↑ RG( 1B7, v 4

• Public Archives of Canada (PAC) [Hand-written notes from original documents made by J. Everett, Ottawa, c. 1992):
• Digital copies of Library and Archives of Canada RG9 1B7, vol. 2 (reel t-10379) available on line: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-119.01-e.php?q2=35&q3=2840&tt=1244&sqn=628; vol. 18 (reel t-10384): http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-119.01-e.php?&q2=35&q3=2831&tt=1204&sqn=933. For Jarvie, see t-10379, vol 2, pp 878-899; also some in t-10385, pp 254-
• LAC, MG19/A39: Duncan Clark Papers

• Cruikshank, Ernest A. ‘’Record of the Services of Canadian Regiments in the War of 1812: XI. The Militia of Norfolk, Oxford and Middlesex”. ‘’Selected Papers, Canadian Military Institute’’. 15 (1907), 47-71

* Feltoe, Richard. ‘’Red Coated Ploughboys: The Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1812-15’’. Toronto: Dundurn, 2012.

• _____. “Red Coated Ploughboys”,’’War of 1812 Website’’: http://www.warof1812.ca/imuc.htm.
• Gray, William.’’Soldiers of the King: The Upper Canadian Militia, 1812-1815’’. Toronto: Stoddart, 1995.

See also:

• Graves, Donald E, ‘’The Battle of Lundy’s Lane, On The Niagara in 1814’’, Baltimore: Nautical & Ba Aviation Publishing Company of America, 1993
• Malcomson, Robert. Capital in Flames: The American Attack on York, 1813. Montreal: Robin Brass, 2008
• Whitehorne, Joseph, ‘’While Washington Burned, The Battle for Fort Erie’’, Baltimore: Nautical & Ba Aviation Publishing Company of America, 1992

• Fred Blair blogspot, many useful facts & links: https://warof1812cdnstories.blogspot.com/