Called out by the Governor of Massachusetts to suppress a Threatened
Invasion during the War of 1812-1814
Published by
Brig. Genl. Gardner W. Pearson
The Adjutant General of Massachusetts
1913
Under a Resolve of the General Court
Resolves of 1912, Chapter 81.
Resolve to prove for Publication of certain State Military Records of the War of Eighteen Hundred and Twelve.
Resolved, That the adjutant general is authorized and directed to prepare a compilation of the records of the militia who responded to the call of the governor of the commonwealth to repel a threatened invasion during the war of eighteen hundred and twelve, as the same are found in the archives in the office of the adjutant general. The said work shall be done solely under the direction of the adjutant general and shall be completed within one year after the passage of this resolve. (Approved April 27 1912.)
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Adjutant General's Office, State House, Boston, April 5, 1913.
Brig. Genl. Gardner W. Pearson, The Adjutant General of Massachusetts.
GENERAL:--In accordance with the forgoing resolve I received instructions to plan and compile, in proper form for publication, the records of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia who responded to the call of the Governor of Massachusetts to suppress a threatened invasion during the War of 1812-14.
In the early part of May, 1912, I submitted for your approval the plan that was to be adopted in completing the work, and received final instructions to commence. The work being especially of a laborious kind, with your consent I called to my assistance Mrs. Ruth M. Bruce, clerk for the Service Schools, M. V. M., and Miss Mabel L. Cook, clerk in the indexing division of the archives of this office. The work during the whole year was done entirely outside of office hours, for the reason that the numerous interruptions that fall to my lot in my duties made it absolutely essential that correctness could only be assured in that way. No attempt has been made to make records or correct them, such as spelling, etc., except in cases where the ink is fading and the names are almost obliterated; then efforts were made to supply the missing letters in accordance with what the names might have been; for example, the name Abbott, Abott, Abbot; the same with Barrett, Barret, Barett; also Clap, Clapp; Prescott, Prescot, etc.
The sources from which the records were obtained are unknown to this office other than that they were furnished during the term of office of Gen. A. Hun Berry, Adjutant General of Massachusetts in 1881, and accepted by him as coming from "reliable sources," the party furnishing them being Mr. Z. K. Harmon of Portland, Me.
Annexed will be found extracts pertaining to the actions of the British along the Massachusetts coast, from B. J. Lossing's "Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812," pages 888 to 904; Williamson's "History of Maine;" Wheeler's "Castine, Past and Present;" Akin's "History of Halifax City," and Murdoch's "History of Nova Scotia."
Respectfully,
JOHN BAKER, Custodian of Military Archives.
Retyped and reformatted by Kathy Leigh, June 21, 2001
