Abner Hubbard and the War of 1812

Abner Hubbard started the War of 1812--in his own neighborhood, anyway.

Abner was an old Revolutionary soldier who had joined the cause in 1775.  When he heard that a second war had been declared against Great Britain he took it upon himself to capture the British post at Fort Carleton, on Carleton Island.

When war was declared, Abner Hubbard, quite on his own, enlisted the assistance of an unnamed man and boy, and they rowed out to Ft. Carleton to demand the surrender of the inhabitants. This was accomplished--a sergeant, three invalids, and two women gave themselves up. This event was the first seizure of a military post after the declaration of war.

The next day, American forces removed anything of value from the fort and burned it; the prisoners were taken to Sackett's Harbor. The British tried to retaliate; they detained a resident from Brownsville, who happened to be traveling through Kingston (Canada) on business.  Due to a timely warning received by the detainee the previous day, however, he was able to escape to the American side.

Abner Hubbard is a D.A.R. patriot ancestor.

Source material:

Pratt, Elizur H. A historical sketch of the town of Cape Vincent : read at the centennial celebration of the township, July 4, 1876. Cape Vincent, NY: 1846, pg. 5-6.  

Anonymous: "Our County and its People: a descriptive work on Jefferson County, New York", p. 88. 

Hough, Franklin Benjamin A history of Jefferson County in the state of New York : from the earliest period to the present time Albany, NY: J. Munsell, 1854, pg. 462.  

Copyright 2004, 2018, 2023 by Barbara Pahlow. All rights reserved.