The Expeditionists: U.S.D. 1812 Qualifying Service
Gift from the Texas Society
Ella Guaqueta
2020-2022 State President
References in this article are to websites with details about scientific and military expeditions. It is a guide for locating additional patriots from the close of the American Revolution in 1783 to the ratification of Treaty of Ghent in 1815. Applications for membership require accepted proof documents.
Return to N.S.U.S.D.1812 Public Website
The Louisiana Purchase of April 30, 1803, during President Thomas Jefferson's Administration, brought 828,000 square miles of land into the Federal Soil Reserve. Expeditions for scientific purposes and to gather details about inhabitants were sent and were soon followed by military expeditions to claim additional land. President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) sent five expeditions to explore, map, and claim the lands. Under President James Madison (1809-1817), there were four expeditions. N.S.U.S.D. 1812 recognizes qualifying service for each of the expeditions.
TEXAS DURING THE WAR OF 1812 RESEARCH GROUP
The Texas During the War of 1812 Research Group formed in 2020 has contributed greatly to deepening the understanding of Texas history during the era of U.S.D. 1812. This research includes neighboring states and the expeditions that provided vital information to the government during the years 1784-1815. Members and genealogists are eager to see if they can trace family lines from the expeditionists.
There is surely an ancestor who was born in Spanish Texas and supported the United States. Members look forward to seeing what other states find and to sharing ideas on how to heighten awareness of the expeditionists’ service. The Texas Society thanks President National Dianne Cannestra and the National Executive Board for encouraging promotion of this service.
Return to N.S.U.S.D.1812 Public Website
EXPEDITIONS DURING THE TERM OF PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON (1801-1809)
SCIENTIFIC:
- The Corps of Discovery or The Lewis and Clark Expedition (Aug 1803-Sep 1806)
- The William Dunbar and George Hunter Expedition (1804-1805)
- Zebulon Pike Expeditions (1805-1807)
- Red River Expedition aka Thomas Freeman and Peter Custis Expedition with Capt. Richard Sparks (1806)
MILITARY:
THE CORPS OF DISCOVERY OR THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION (AUG 1803-SEPT 1806)
- Purpose: To find a western passage to Pacific Ocean
- Spanish troops failed to intercept the expedition.
- The National Park Service shows the historic trail through 16 states from Pittsburgh, PA, to the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon.
- Members were mentioned in the correspondence and expedition notes. Members and the attached party (guides, interpreters, contract boatmen) were mentioned by name, rank or position, and state. Resource for participants.
In the U.S.D. 1812 Known Ancestor database:
- John Coulter ID 26521 Rank Pvt. Service: Lewis and Clark Expedition, discharged 1803-1806.
Spouse: Sally. Ch: Hiram m. Margaret Davis. B.c. 1775 prob. VA-1813 MO.
- Sgt. Patrick Gass ID 1255 Served PA. Milita.
Spouse: m. Marie Hamilton. Ch: Rachel Maria Gass m. Geo. Brierly. B. 12 June 1771-d.12 April 1870 WV.
Researched and Not in the 1812 Known Ancestor Database:
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Not researched and Not in the 1812 Known Ancestor database:
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THE WILLIAM DUNBAR AND GEORGE HUNTER EXPEDITION (1804-1805)
- Purpose: To explore the Red and Arkansas rivers.
- Deterred by threats from Osage Indians and the Spanish.
- Explored Ouachita River to its headwaters and Hot Springs.
- Furnished practical information for future explorations.
- Participants: 13 enlisted men garrisoned in New Orleans and George Hunter’s son, George, with 2 Dunbar slaves, 1 Dunbar servant and a guide, Samuel Blazier.
Researched and Not in the 1812 Known Ancestor Database:
- William Dunbar
- Dr. George Hunter
- George Hunter, the son
Not researched and Not in the 1812 Known Ancestor Database:
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ZEBULON PIKE EXPEDITIONS (1805-1806) AND (1806-1807)
- Purpose: To explore the upper northern reaches of the Mississippi River (1805-1806)
- Purpose: To the Southwest to find source of Red River (1806-1807)
- They were in Colorado (1806-1807) when Spanish troops escorted them back through New Mexico and Texas to Natchitoches.
- Zebulon Pike (1779-1813) is not on the 1812 Known Ancestor database. Brigadier General Zebulon Pike died at York (present Toronto, Ontario) during the War of 1812. Pike’s Journals were recovered from Mexico in the 20th century. He published in 1810 an account entitled, The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike to Headwaters of the Mississippi River, through Louisiana Territory, and in New Spain, during the Years 1805-6-7. His daughter, Clarissa Brown Pike, married John Cleves Symmes Harrison, the son of President William Henry Harrison.
- Resources: Zebulon Pike National Historic Trail Association
Not researched and Not known if in the 1812 Known Ancestor Database:
| First Expedition 1805-1806 | Bold also on Second Expedition |
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| Second Expedition 1806-1807 | Additional men on this expedition |
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RED RIVER EXPEDITION AKA THOMAS FREEMAN AND PETER CUSTIS EXPEDITION WITH CAPT. RICHARD SPARKS (1806)
- Purpose: To explore the Red and Arkansas rivers.
- Reached the point on Red River where Little River meet at present day Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma.
- They were intercepted by Spanish troops at now New Boston, TX. Unable to defend themselves, they returned.
- Provided details about the terrain, its natural history, animals and Native American villages.
- Participants number as many as 40 men.
- Background:
Researched and Not on the 1812 Known Ancestor Database:
- Thomas Freeman, Surveyor
- Dr. Peter Custis, botanist
- Capt. Richard Sparks
- Andrew Ellicott b. Bucks Co. PA d. West Point, NY, Surveyor of Territory of Columbia (DC), 4 years in Florida, Gulf Coast for the Treaty of San Lorenzo, Treaty of Ghent. M. Sarah Brown. Tutored Meriweather Lewis and Thomas Freeman.
SABINE EXPEDITION OF 1806
- The President’s Proclamation about Rumors of Army assembly against Spain
- 08Nov1806 Communication from James Madison to James Wilkinson
- Newspaper article from New Orleans.
- Establishing Neutral Ground
- Purpose:
- To protect the Sabine River, as the boundary between Spanish Texas and Louisiana Territory was undecided
- After Wilkinson agreed to not engage and to receive payment from Spanish, Wilkinson sent details about his plan with Aaron Burr to engage with the Spanish for a land grab. Wilkinson Deposition 26Dec1806
- To raise an army against the alleged conspiracy regarding Aaron Burr
- Major General Edmund Pendleton Gaines captured Aaron Burr in 1807 for alleged treason.
- Details for the case and trial of Aaron Burr
- Major General Edmund Pendleton Gaines is not in the 1812 Known Ancestor database.
- General James Wilkinson is on the 1812 Known Ancestor database.
- Additional Possible Participants
Return to N.S.U.S.D.1812 Public Website
MILITARY EXPEDITIONS DURING THE TERM OF PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON (1809-1817)
- West Florida Annexation, Oct 1810 by Madison’s Proclamation
- The East Florida Expedition, 1812
- The Gutierrez-Magee Expedition, 1812-1813
- Expedition against Lafitte Pirates, 1814
WEST FLORIDA ANNEXATION, OCT 1810 BY MADISON’S PROCLAMATION
- In West Florida—which extended from Baton Rouge, on the east bank of the Mississippi River in modern-day Louisiana, to Pensacola, in the panhandle of modern-day Florida—U.S. settlers became the majority population from 1805 to 1810.
- The settlers resisted weakened Spanish rule and advocated for American sovereignty. In 1804, Congress passed the Mobile Act, which extended U.S. federal revenue laws to all territories ceded by France, including West Florida. The act also granted the President “discretionary authority” to take possession of the Mobile area.
- There was a failed attempt in 1804, known as the Kemper Rebellion, to take West Florida from Spain.
- In 1810, the pattern was to have a local population form an uprising from Spain (with some government support), declare independence (as Venezuela in South America had declared independence from Spain in 1810), and then ask the U.S. to annex the area.
- In 1811, Madison asserted U.S. jurisdiction over the area and had incorporated West Florida into Louisiana. The United States annexed Mobile during the War of 1812.
- The Annexation of West Florida set a precedent for Western Expansion, including for East Florida, Texas, and later California.
Researched and on the 1812 Known Ancestor Database:
- Reuban Hogan. ID 13373. Service: Adherent to cause of US in FL rebellion. State served: FL. Death FL
- Yell, Archibald Hunter. ID 29930. Rank. Sgt Militia. State served: FL/LA. Spouse: Ann Jordan/Nancy Moore. CH Elizabeth Lawson Yell m. Joel Bateman Smith. B. 9 Aug 1797 TN-d. 23 Feb. 1847 Buena Vista, NM
- General James Wilkinson
Not on the 1812 Known Ancestor Database:
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THE EAST FLORIDA EXPEDITION (1812)
- Following the model of the West Florida Annexation, the Patriot Army rose against Spanish rule and declared a republic.
- George Mathews is said to have started with 79 men.
- In July 1812, while under the occupation of U.S. forces, they wrote a constitution. Ultimately, the actions failed. There are a dozen ancestors on our database listed with Florida service.
- In 1812, General George Mathews and Colonel John McKee were commissioned by President James Madison as agents "with secret instructions ‘to repair to that quarter with all possible expedition,’ for the purpose of carrying out the intentions of the act..." (Secret Act of Congress on January 15, 1811) and to approach the Spanish governor in an attempt to acquire East Florida.
- Their instructions were to take possession of any part of the territory of the Floridas upon making "arrangement" with the "local authority" to deliver possession to the U.S.
- Barring that and an attempted occupation by any foreign government, they were not to take possession of any part of Florida.
THE GUTIERREZ-MAGEE EXPEDITION (1812-1813)
- The U.S. did not relinquish its claim to Texas until the Adams-Onis Treaty in 1819.
- President Thomas Jefferson claimed the land to the Rio Grande from the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
- On Dec 11, 1811, Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara, a resident of Revilla, Nuevo Santander, Rio Grande Valley, was in DC and spoke with President James Madison about the wish for U.S. support for a rebellion against Spain.
- James Monroe (Secretary of State) and William Eustis (Secretary of War) were not unsympathetic, but they informed José Bernardo Maximiliano Gutiérrez de Lara that before his coming “they had thought about taking possession of the limits of Louisiana. They said that these limits should extend to the Rio Grande, because they had bought all the lands which belonged to this province from France.” In that context Eustis declared that “it would be easy to send an army to the banks of the Rio Grande.”
- Gutierrez took a letter of introduction to Governor William C. C. Claiborne in New Orleans.
- On 28 April 1812, he was with William Shaler, an agent of President Madison’s, at Natchitoches where he met Lt. Augustus Magee of Boston, a graduate of Philips Exeter Academy and West Point, who was stationed at Fort Claiborne.
- Those involved were Governor Claiborne, General James Wilkinson, William Shaler, Samuel and Reuben Kemper.
- The estimated number of men involved is about 1,000.
- The War of 1812 began on June 8, 1812, when the U.S. declared war against the British.
- In June 1812 in Natchitoches, at the age of 24, Augustus W. Magee resigned from the U.S. Army.
- On August 8, 1812, the Republican Army was in Nacogdoches with headquarters at the Old Stone Fort. They prepared the first newspaper written in Texas, La Gaceta de Tejas, and sent it to Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky to recruit volunteers, who signed on for differing reasons.
- In November 1812, they took La Bahia (Goliad). Magee died February 6, 1813, and Samuel Kemper, who had taken part in the West Florida Annexation, took command.
- The Green Flag Army succeeded at Rosillo and took San Antonio on April 1, 1813. On April 6, 1813, a declaration of independence was promulgated and on April 17, 1813, a constitution was written for the First Republic in Texas. Disagreements followed and a contingent with Kemper returned to Natchitoches.
- In August, Gutierrez was replaced by Jose Alvarez de Toledo y Dubois, a Cuban.
- The Green Flag Army left San Antonio to meet the Spanish Army. The Battle of Medina on August 18, 1813, was a resounding defeat for the Republican Army of the North, with losses of over 900 men, whose bodies were left on the field for 20 years.
- Many of those who survived the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition fought at the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815.
- One of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836 was a Native Texan: Jose Antonio Navarro. He was an early supporter of Texas independence and supported the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition.
- Gutierrez-Magee Expedition participants with thumbnail sketches for some can be found online at these sites:
- Tejano/Mexican fighters in the Republican Army
- Anglo/French participants in the Republican Army of the North
- Genealogy research of the early families that settled in and around La Villa de Béxar, which has become the modern city of San Antonio, Bexar Co., Texas, including Canary Islanders.
JAMES BERNSEN LIST CROSS-REFERENCED WITH MARY SMITH FAY’S BOOK, WAR OF 1812 VETERANS IN TEXAS:
- Barber, Samuel B. Born: 1790 in Hagerstown, MD. Died: 9 April 1864, Liberty County, Texas. Parents Samuel Barber and his wife Elizabeth Burroughs. Buried Barber-Hill Cemetery, Mont Belview, Chambers County, Texas. Spouse Elizabeth Barrow (1790-1863) married 24 Nov 1813 in Opelousas, LA. P. 21
- Brown, James. [?] Born: 8 Aug 1796/7, Granville District, North Carolina. Died: 15 April 1863, DeWitt County, Texas. Spouse 3) Mary McDaniel (1820-1903) married 4 Dec 1836 in Lewisburg, Arkansas, by Esquire Simmons. Known children: Mary Louise married James Rivers. She was a Real Daughter of the U.S.D. 1812. She was a member of a chapter in San Antonio, Texas.
- Brown, William [?] Born: age 80 on 3 July 1858. Died: Coryell Co, Texas. Parents: Joseph Brown and Mary Porter (dau. of Hugh Porter and Violet Mackey). Service: Private in Captain J. Standerford’s Company, Colonel John Brown’s Tennessee Volunteers. Also fought at Horse Shoe with Creek Indians. Bounty Land 292,605- 055 Rejected.
- Delgado, Jose Antonio. Born: 1796, San Antonio, Texas. Died: 12 September 1857 in Karnes County, Texas. Residences: Texas. Service: At Battle of New Orleans. Comments: Served under Albarez de Toledo; fled to Louisiana; was at the Battle of New Orleans; returned to Texas 1830. Was killed during the Mexican border incident called the “Cart War.” Delgado is said to be the only Texas-born soldier in the War of 1812. Sources: Houston Weekly Telegraph, 30 September 1857, p. I, column 5. Note: James A. Bernsen’s list of Tejano Rebels gives a Jose Delgado and an Antonio Delgado.
- Eoses mentioned in La Gaceta de Tejas. Possible Fay’s Eades, Jesse. Born: age 60 in 3 July 1855. Died: Denton, Co, Texas. Service: In Captain Hunt’s Company of Missouri Militia. Volunteered Franklin County, Missouri. Bounty Land: 69,198-160-55. Comments: National Archives service records: 1855, Denton County, Texas, veteran appeared before S.A. Venters, J.P., witnesses were William Gibson and J.T. Steward. He appointed Charles C. Tucker his attorney. 1857, Eades before S.A. Venters, J.P., certified by A.P. Gloyd, Clerk of Denton County Court; witnesses were J.T. Steward and James Foster.
- Evans, William. Born: 56 on 15 March 1856. Died: 1865 Marshall, Harrison County, TX. Residence: Harrison County, TX. Service: Private in Captain Bethel Allen’s mounted gunnery men of Tennessee Volunteers. Enlisted at Liberty, Smith County, Tennessee and Fayetteville, Lincoln County, Tennessee. Bounty Land: 34,401-80-50. Comments: Dr. William Evans was a physicianand is said to have been the first medical doctor in Marshall, TX. National Archives service records: 1851, Harrison County, Texas, veteran appeared before Edwin Cater, N.P. 1852, Edward Clark (later Governor of Texas) wrote to Secretary of Interior that Evans had his discharge but didn’t want to send it. 1856, Harrison County, Dr. Evans appeared before E.B. Blalock, J.P. and George G. Gregg and William E. Miller vouched for Evans’s character. Other Sources: Barker History Archives, University of Texas, Austin.
- Hall, John “Jack” W. Born: ca 1786, South Carolina. Died: 1 January 1845. Spouse: Patsy Robinson, dau. of Andrew Robinson. Residences: Louisiana; Washington County, Texas. Service: Was at Battle of New Orleans. Comments: With his brother, Warren D.C. Hall, was in Gutierrez-Magee Expedition of 1812. Was known as “Captain Jack” of Austin’s “300”. Established the ferry at Washington-on-the-Brazos. Buried with Masonic rites, and both Houses of Congress adjoined as a mark of respect and gratitude for all he had done for the Republic. Sources: Handbook of Texas, I, 756.
- Hall, Warren D.C. Born: age 61 on 27 March 1856. Guilford County, North Carolina. Died: 1868 at his place known as “Three Trees” on Galveston Island. Spouse: Mary A. Moore, m. 23 May 1843. Known Children: Robert Williamson. Residences: Natchitoches, Louisiana; Brazoria, Harris and Galveston Counties, Texas. Service: Private in Captain James H. Gordon’s Company of Louisiana Volunteers later was a Corporal. Bounty Land: 51,204-160-55. Comments: With his brother, John W. Hall, was in Gutierrez-Magee Expedition in 1812. Commenced practice of law at Natchitoches, Louisiana, in 1812. Was a member of the Committee of Safety at Columbia in 1835. Was commandant of the post at Velasco with the rank of Colonel in 1836. Was Acting Secretary of War with Burnet at Galveston. Hall County is named in honor of him and his brother, “Captain Jack” John W. Hall. National Archives service records: 1856, Galveston County, Texas, veteran appeared before J.E. Rump, J.P. certified by Oscar Farish, County Clerk. 1857, Galveston County, Texas, Hall appeared before J.E. Rump, J.P., assigned Warrant No. 51,204 to Henry Tuttle of New Haven, CT. Other Sources: Thrall, Pictorial History of Texas, pp. 548-9; Ray, Austin Colony Pioneers; 1850 U.S. Census, Brazoria County, Texas, No. 242, page 398; Handbook of Texas, I, 757; Pierson, Louisiana Soldiers in the War of 1812, p. 56.
- Holmes (?). possible Holmes, James Lewis (?). Born: 1785, Virginia. Died: 1836, Texas. Nany or Ann Griffith. Known Children: George N. married Sarah Layton Jones; James M. married Elizabeth Ewens. Service: Captain in Kentucky Militia. Service: 1812 Ancestor Index, p. 253.
- Kemper, Samuel. Born: Fauquier County, Virginia. Died: 7 November 1814 of Measles, St. Francisville, Louisiana. Service: Private in Captain Jedediah Smith’s Company of Mississippi Militia. Comments: He was a major in the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition; and when Augustus W. Magee died at La Bahia in 1813, Kemper became commander of the American contingent. National Archives service records; 1815, Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, Reuben Kemperwas confirmed as one of the testamentary executors of Samuel Kemper’s estate by Llewellyn C. Griffith, J.P. Other Sources: Handbook of Texas, I, 944-5; Thrall, Pictorial History of Texas, pp. 578-9; Gulick, et al. Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, I, 286.
- King, John G. (Gladden?). Died: 15 March 1856, Gonzalez County, Texas. Spouse: Parmelia “Milly” Parchman, married 7 April 1818 by Rev. Hicks in Giles County, TN. Known Children: Thomas D. b. Louisiana, d. 1873; James CSA Captain; WILLIAM PHILIP, b. 8 October 1820, d. 6 March 1836 Alamo; John G. Residences: TN; MS; LA; Gonzales County, Texas (P.O. Belmont). Service: In Captain Mosely (or Moseby) Company of Tennessee Militia. Pension: W.O. 24,593 Rejected (unable to prove service). Comments: National Archives service records: 1875, Gonzalez County, Texas, N.S. Miller and T.J. Pilgrim, Sr. attested to widow’s character. Also in 1875, H.H. Aymett, Clerk of Giles County, Pulaski, TN, wrote that he had searched for record of this King marriage, but it had been destroyed during the late war between the states. 1878, Gonzalez County, TX, widow appointed John H. Reed her attorney. A. S. Miller swore on her behalf before B.R. Abernathy, Clerk of the District Court. Other Sources: Encyclopedia of the New West, pp. 351-2; Bynum, The Alamo Heroes and Their Revolutionary Ancestor (Ancestors), pp. 47-8.
- Noah, Samuel. Born: 9 July 1779, London, England. Died 10 March 1871, Mount Pulaski, Logan County, Illinois. Service: Volunteer in defense of Brooklyn and Harlem Heights, New York Harbor (1814-1815). Private in Captain Dunnings’s Company of New York Militia. Bounty Land: 16,349-160-55. Comments: Graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1807, Noah served on frontier duty in the Gulf States 1808-1811. He resigned his commission as First Lieutenant in the Army, joined the Magee-Gutierrez Expedition in Texas, and returned to New York when he heard about the War of 1812. Following the war, he spent two years in London during which time he attended the Coronation of George IV. He taught in various academies in Virginia before moving to Illinois. National Archives service records: 1855, Logan County, Illinois, veteran before John T. Jenkins, County Clerk. He gave power of attorney to Clement W. Bennett of Washington, DC when he appeared before T.R. Skinner, Acting J.P. Subscribing witnesses were Robert Carlisle, age 55, and P.J. Larison. 1862, Senator O.H. Browning wrote to Hon. James Barrett, Commissioner of Pensions, on behalf of Noah. Other Sources: Cullem, Biographical Register of Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, pp. 78-80; Heitman, I, p. 749.
- Perry, Henry. Born: Connecticut. Died: 19 June 1817, Nacogdoches, Texas. Service: Captain and Deputy Quartermaster General. Enlisted Louisiana. Was at the Battle of New Orleans. Comments: Was an officer in the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition. He died in one of his many schemes to invade Texas. Sources: Thrall, History of Texas for Schools, pp. 28-33; Heitman, I, 785; Handbook of Texas, II, 364.
Note: Perry, Henry. From James A. Bernsen list of participants in Gutierrez-Magee Expedition: Henry Perry – The Commander of the Republican Army at the Battle of Alazán. Survived the Battle of Medina and commanded a battery of cannon at the Battle of New Orleans. Joined the Anaya and Perry Expeditions into Texas in 1816 and 1817 and was surrounded by Spanish forces outside La Bahía, where he committed suicide rather than be captured.
- Roberts, Elisha. Born: 1775 on the Holston River in East Tennessee, (or in 1774 at the Watauga Settlement, Tennessee). Died: 4 October 1844 about 4 miles from San Augustine, Texas. Spouse: Martha “Patsy” Gill (1780-1845) b. Bedford County, Virginia, m. 1800 in Kentucky. Known Children: Annie m. Bryan Daughterty; Elizabeth m. William D. Smith; Easter J. m. Philip A. Sublett; Matilda F. m. 2) Sam T. Allen; William G. d. at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; Noel G. m. Maria Thomas; Mahala L. m. 1) Mr. Sharp and 2) Mr. Hall; Felix G. m. Elizabeth K. Layton; Margaret S. m. Alexander S. McDonald. Residences: Barren County, Kentucky; Washington Parish, Louisiana; San Augustine, Texas. Service: First Lieutenant and Quarter Master under Brig. General Isaac Robert’s Brigade of West Tennessee Militia. Lieutenant on Washington Parish, Louisiana, muster rolls of Captain Bickham’s Company. Marker: Centennial marker erected at his plantation home in 1936. Comments: National Archives service records: 1814, Roberts signed receipts for reimbursement of losses and subsistence from Alpha Kingsley, District Paymaster. Served as alcalde for Mexican government after coming to Texas. Elisha’s two brothers, Redding and William followed him to Texas. Other Sources: Brown, Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, pp. 437-8; 1812 Ancestor Index p. 429; Handbook of Texas, II, p. 483-4.
Note: Roberts, Elisha. From James A. Bernsen list of participants in Gutierrez-Magee Expedition: Elisha Roberts – Was a messenger for the Republican Army. Possibly had lived on Edmund Quirk’s land before the war.
EXPEDITION AGAINST LAFITTE PIRATES, 1814
Jean Lafitte’s image changed from pirate to patriot during the War of 1812. Britain and the United States declared war in June 1812, but until 1814, most of the fighting took place on the east coast or northern border of the United States. In September 1814, British military officials sought Lafitte’s help in their campaign to attack the U.S. from the Gulf of Mexico. Lafitte decided to warn American authorities and offered to help defend New Orleans in exchange for a pardon for his men. His warnings were not believed at first and the U.S. Army and Navy went ahead with a planned attack on Lafitte’s base at Grand Terre. Daniel Todd Patterson was commissioned Master Commandant under confirmation of the Senate on July 24, 1813, and on October 18 ordered to succeed Commodore John Shaw in command of the Naval Station at New Orleans. In September 1814, Patterson commanded the flotilla of gunboats that destroyed the fortifications of the pirate Jean Lafitte at Barataria Bay, La. The pirates fled without putting up any resistance, having left behind many guns, six schooners and several smaller craft.