Celebrating the 4th of July in 1813 at Fort Amanda

                               

July at Fort Amanda

1813

What was it like celebrating the 4th of July at Fort Amanda in 1813?

IT WAS AWFUL

 When one visits historic sites, particularly those where the only thing remaining is a marker, it’s often easy to get lost in the beauty and serenity of the place and lose sight of what the place actually looked like at the time of the event. In the case of Fort Amanda, it’s easy to stand at the obelisk and visualize a John Wayne western fort and all the Hollywood hoopla that goes with that but the truth is, Fort Amanda was not the quiet picturesque site we see today but was in fact a noisy, ugly and smelly place. 

Fortunately for us, an ensign stationed at Amanda (William Schillinger) kept a daily journal of daily activities at Fort Amanda from February until August 1813.   

From his writings we have a very good idea of what the site looked like at the time.  

A Tour of Fort Amnda in 1813

July 4th, 1813

It's Sunday, the 4th of July 1813. The first thing you notice upon entering the fort is the unpleasant smell, a combination of smoke from the chimneys and campfires, manure from the corrals and animal pens southwest of the fort, not to mention a latrine that was not properly closed. The next thing you notice is the noise. Ft. Amanda is a busy place so the air is filled with the sounds of men barking orders, singing, yelling and cursing at one another. Add to this the sounds of blacksmith shop, the boat building area across the river and the animal sounds emanating from the animal pens on the outside of the walls.

There is very little grass remaining inside the enclosure the result of the high foot traffic and construction work and with all the recent rains, the dirt has turned into a muddy quagmire with potholes everywhere filled with water. 

The trail from St. Marys rising up from the southwest (near the houses across the road) and leading to the new gate opening (at the concrete post at the edge of the grass area) is also a muddy mess and slippery because of all the wagon traffic and one has to be especially careful walking down the ramp to the river.

The blockhouses have been repaired and are now functional. Unlike the perfectly round logs like those seen in movies, they’re rough hewn timbers stacked upon each other with horsehair and mud stuck in between the logs to prevent draft and keep out the weather, bugs, squirrels rats and other creepy crawlers. They’re built for functionality not beauty. There are several sheds lining the walls where materials are stored, some open and some with sides to protect them from the weather.   Standing at the monument looking toward the river you'd have seen cabins for the soldiers.  The largest building is at the corner of the stockade was originally officers quarters.

   

  

There is also a woodpile inside the walls for the men to gather and use for heating and cooking.

Walking out the gate to the southeast, the first thing you see are the corrals and building where the butchering is done. There is absolutely no grass in this area either and the smell is overpowering. This is a large corral area as hundreds of animals are kept there at any given time. It’s almost spring so there are fewer hogs waiting to be slaughtered now that the summer months are approaching and beef will be the main meat source. The animals are brought to Amanda “on the hoof” because it’s cheaper than paying a contractor to transport the meat. You are surprised to see chickens and ducks running loose.  No, Fort Amanda was not the most pleasant place to live but it was home for the time being. 

How Did the Men at Fort Amanda Celebrate  July 4, 1813

The answer, they didn't.  Unfortunately things weren't quite as festive for the men at Fort Amanda that year or at the other forts along the Auglaize River for that matter.  The week before, a measles epidemic struck Fort Amanda with a vengeance. The company had just returned from Fort Winchester and because of the large numbers of sick men there, some of Hosbrook's company apparently contacted the disease while they were there and brought it back to Amanda with them.   Many of the men, including Schillinger, were complaining of flu like symptoms (diarrhea ad stomach cramps).

On July 4th: Schillinger wrote "Our men many of them sick prevented us from Celebrating the Day in the usual way"  Schillinger wrote in his journal that at one point less than a dozen men of his company were fit for duty.  So many of the men were sick with the measles in 1813 it was decided to cancel any kind of celebrations.  It must have been a very depressing place.   That didn't stop Captain Benaugh, the forts Forage Master . He took a horse and rode to St. Marys so he could join in the festivities there.

Notice the weather fluctuations at Fort Amanda in 1813:

Of the 180 days the soldiers were on active duty, 80% (144) were either cool, rainy or cold. Only 20% (36) of the days were warm or pleasant. No wonder sickness was a constant problem at Fort Amanda.

Frontier Medicine for Measles

Measles can affect the eyes, causing them to become red and swollen, which creates extreme sensitivity to light. In 1812, the common treatment was a potion called “eye water.” In the field, soldiers made eye water by taking the scrapings from a green ozier root, mixing it with water and dropping it into the patient’s eyes several times a day. Seriously ill soldiers at Amanda were placed in darkened cabins to protect their eyes from the sunlight..

On June 20th, Schillinger wrote "took a walk out with Sergant Bradbury this afternoon to get some root to make Eye water, Got some, found A Bee Tree or swarm of bees in a tree - A number of our men sickening. for the meazels." The 2 men made rounds administering the "eye water" to the sick soldiers.

Have the Brits Gotten over all this?

As I was writing this blog I began to wonder if sentiments in Britain had changed any over the past 208 years.   What I found was "Yes and No."

In 2019 The Sun newspaper in London wrote:
The Anglo-American "Special Relationship" is much celebrated, at least on this side of the pond. So if you find yourself in the Mother Country on Independence Day, while Americans worldwide celebrate their separation from Britain, there are several places where you can, eat, boogie and drown your sorrows over loosing the colonies.

You don’t need to be in the US to celebrate Independence Day, here are some of the events going on to mark the day.

The American Museum in Bath will be hosting an Independence Day celebration on July 6 which will include a barbecue, live music and a picnic

Balthazar restaurant in Covent Garden will host a week-long celebration from June 29 to July 6, serving up their famous American menu and cocktails

Unico Lounge in Manchester is hosting a cocktails night on the Fourth of July itself

The Courtyard Cinema in Edinburgh is showing three films over the weekend, as well as hosting an American barbecue and selling US themed drinks

Of Course There Will Always Be Sore Losers

While they might raise a pint with you to join the celebration, you can bet behind those British laughs and smiles, some are thinking to themselves, "good riddance mate." :-)  Somemay even be wearing T-shirts like this on;

Fair enough because behind your laughs and smiles you're probsbly thinking, "That's OK, not only did we beat you guys, "WE DID IT TWICE."




 

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If you would like learn more about Fort Amanda and the patriots who served there, these books can be purchased locally, on the net or by contacting me at djohnson43@att.net
 
        $20                                                                $15

Available at;
Readmore's Hallmark stores in Lima, Ohio (E. Elm st., Eastgate and Flanders ave.
Casa Chic (109 W. Auglaize st) in Wapakoneta, Ohio
The Allen County Museum (620 W. Market st) in Lima, Ohio
Amazon.com

If you'd like a signed copy email me at djohnson43@att.net and I'll send you the details.