A Call to the Colours - Kenneth Cox Genealogist's Reference Shelf

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possible. Rank in corps units (artillery, engineers) was often achieved through ability and not always, as in line regiments, through purchase. If he died in India, he could have achieved officer status while serving with the East India Company’s European Regiments. The company recruited extensively among disbanded soldiers shortly following the war with France.

      The second research request offered an interesting all-Canadian element to my research. I would need to access a different set of records to prove a War of 1812 connection. The British Army during this period was divided into line regiments, cavalry regiments, and support corps. Line regiments could be referred to as a regiment of foot (infantry) with grenadier and light companies. Cavalry could be designated as heavy or light while corps units were artillery and engineers. Over the course of history, the artillery could be designated as garrison, horse, or field units. Thus, if your ancestor was in the Royal Horse Artillery you would know that he was part of a gun crew who serviced a field gun (artillery pieces are referred to as guns), drawn by horses. In this period of history the men who “drove” the horses were referred to as members of the Corps of Drivers while those who serviced the gun were recorded as Gunners. Near the end of the war with France, the Corps of Drivers was abolished as a separate unit and amalgamated with gunners as one unit of artillery.

      My first suggestion to anyone searching for military ancestors is to start with the medal rolls. Many of the prominent British awards have been indexed and transcribed. This is certainly the case with both the Military General Service and Waterloo Medal Rolls. So what did a preliminary search show? The Waterloo Medal rolls did record a William Hinds, who had served in the Royal Horse Artillery and was entitled to the Waterloo medal with two bars: Badajoz and Vittoria. A search of the British Military General Service Medal rolls showed that he was also entitled to this medal for service with Ross’s Battery of artillery, serving first as a driver and later as a gunner.

      The Waterloo Medal was engraved with the recipient’s name and was the first medal issued with a ribbon to general enlisted men. The Military General Service Medal presented for service between 1793 and 1814, was issued with several bars/clasps. Private collection.

      Canadians who fought during the War of 1812 were also entitled to the Military General Service Medal. A search of the rolls for this medal did indicate that a Turcott was awarded the medal for service with the Canadian Voltigeurs at the battle of Chateauguay. Further research showed that the Voltigeurs had fought with the 104th Regiment from New Brunswick at the attack on Sackets Harbor. Both the Voltigeurs and New Brunswick Fencibles (104th Regiment) had a Turcott listed in their ranks, although the name on the 104 Muster roll was spelled differently. I already knew the 104th New Brunswick Regiment had recruited extensively in the Province of Quebec before the war. Perhaps they had recruited another Turcott? By consulting a road map, I could see that Sackets Harbor in the United States and Kingston, Ontario, are just across the river from each other. It was possible that Jean Baptiste Turcott had chosen to remain in the Kingston area and settle on Wolfe Island at the end of the war, perhaps applying for a land grant. That he was a member of the militia is indisputable.

      The early militia was divided into sedentary units, which were basically farmers or tradesmen who were expected to serve when called upon and then return to their former occupation after hostilities had ended, and fencible units, which were better trained and expected to serve anywhere within their respective colony but not beyond its borders. Many of these better-trained fencible units applied for and were granted line regiment status. Thus, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment served in Upper Canada, as did the former New Brunswick Fencibles when they were granted status as the 104th Regiment of New Brunswick. The 104th regiment won considerable recognition by marching over land from New Brunswick to Upper Canada during the winter without losing a man.

      So with this basic information in hand how can I prove if there was a Hinds or even a member of the Cox side of the family at the battle of New Orleans, and also a Turcott connection to the war: the former from either Derbyshire or Warwickshire in England and the latter from Lower Canada in British North America? My grandmother’s family were Hinds — my grandfather’s family Cox — both came from England’s Midlands Region.

      You could start your research by spending a few minutes reviewing War of 1812 background information. For instance, www.warof1812.ca/voltigeurs.htm, has some excellent descriptions of the Canadian fencible/militia regiments that were involved in the war. Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_units_of_the_War_of_1812, has information on various British regiments that could provide some historical background to your research. However, the first place to start your search for primary and secondary resources is our own archives. When you visit LAC, the information related to 1812 military records is mostly found in Record Group 9. Nominal rolls are in RG 9, series IB7, vols. 1–39 while discharge certificates and land grant applications are in RG 9, series IB4, vols.18–24. If a militiaman applied for a pension, for whatever reason, these will be found in RG 9, series IB4, vols. 1–17; or RG 9, series IC5, vols. 1, 3–4 and 8–27. You can also order some of this material through interlibrary loan.

      In general, War of 1812 records contain two basic types of information: nominal returns for each unit and monthly pay lists, sometimes with lists related to prisoners of war. Nominal rolls will provide you with the name, rank, and remarks about service. These remarks can tell you about an ancestor’s date of enlistment, period of service, if he was killed in battle or died during service, if he deserted the army or was taken prisoner. Muster rolls or monthly pay lists will provide you with name, rank, and period of service for which he received pay. Be aware that the majority of records are organized according to county so if you know in which county your ancestor lived it might make your search a little easier.[5]

      In 1875, Parliament offered a gratuity to anyone who had fought in the war. A list of names, age, residence, and corps or division in which they served was printed in 1876 with comment on whether or not the individual qualified for the gratuity. This list provides a reference number for each application and can prove useful when verifying an ancestor’s involvement in the war.

      When doing any military research, remember to seek out private collections or visit your local regimental museums and/or archives. For instance, at the Royal Canadian Military Institute, www.rcmi.org, you can find some rare publications that might help in your search. However, while the RCMI is under construction the library is closed. As with any resource, contact the organization by email or phone before you visit.

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      WAR OF 1812 BATTLES

      1812

      • 8 June — War proclaimed by U.S. President James Madison.

      • 11 July–11 August — U.S. General Hull invades Upper Canada with a large force; retreats in panic.

      • 17 July — Capture of Fort Mackinac (on an island in Lake Michigan, near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario).

      • 16 August — Major-General Brock captures Detroit with only 1,300 regulars, militiamen, and Natives.

      • 12 October — Battle of Queenston Heights, death of Brock, defeat of U.S. forces under General Van Rensselaer.

      • 19–20 October — Action at Lacolle (9 kilometres from the border with New York State).

      1813

      • 22 January — Battle of Frenchtown (or River Raisin), major victory for British and Native allies, U.S. battle cry becomes “Remember the Raisin.”

      • 27 April — Capture, pillaging of York, Upper Canada, by U.S. forces, attacked again 31 July.

      • 1 May — Battle of Fort Meigs (Ohio).

      • 25–27 May — Assault on Fort George (near Newark, now Niagara-on-the-Lake).

      • 29 May — Assault at Sackets Harbor (New York State).

      • 6 June — Battle of Stoney Creek.

      • 24 June — Battle of Beaver Dams.

      • 10 September — Battle of Lake Erie,

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