Amos Stoddard
Encyclopedia
Amos Stoddard was born on October 26, 1762 to Anthony and Phebe (Reed) Stoddard in Woodbury, Connecticut
. He married Catherine Tallman. He died at Fort Meigs
on May 11, 1813, where he was the artillery commander. Before this, he was commandant of Upper Louisiana.
and The War of 1812
. After the Revolution he represented Hallowell, Maine
in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
. Stoddard County, Missouri
is named in his honor.
for the United States in 1804 during the handover of the Louisiana Purchase
.
Spain ceded the territory Third Treaty of San Ildefonso
in 1800 to Napoleon, ruler of France
and then he turned around and sold it to the United States in 1803. However the transfer from Spain to France had not formally taken place when France sold the territory to the United States. As a result, Spain had continued to govern the territory and refused to give Lewis and Clark permission to explore the territory. This forced Lewis and Clark to spend the winter of 1803-04 at Camp Dubois
in Illinois
.
On November 30, 1803 Spain formally turned the territory over to France, which governed it for 20 days in New Orleans, Louisiana
before turning it over to the United States on December 20, 1803. However, the news could not be conveyed upstream because of the winter navigation season on the Mississippi River
.
France did not deploy an army or any representatives for its brief governance but rather appointed existing leaders to represent it in the mostly ceremonial transfer.
In the Three Flags Day
ceremony on March 9–10, 1804 at Government House, at the southeast corner of Main and Walnut in St. Louis Stoddard represented both the United States and France.
While at the territorial capital in St. Louis, Missouri
, Stoddard noted this about the residents:
Stoddard held the position as a military commander until October 1, 1804 when the territory came under civilian leadership of William Henry Harrison
as part of the Indiana Territory
to the Maumee rapids, where Fort Meigs
was constructed. Major Stoddard was in command of the fort's artillery.
From May 1-9 of 1813, the British (Under Major General Henry Procter) and their Indian Allies (Under Tecumseh
) besieged the structure (see Siege of Fort Meigs
). During the first days of fighting, Major Stoddard was wounded with shrapnel in his leg while commanding the Grand Battery. He lived to see the British leave, but died several days later on May 11 of Lockjaw, today known as tetanus
. After his death, Captain Daniel Cushing of the Second U.S. Artillery Regiment took command of the fort's artillery.
According to a diary entry by Captain Cushing, Major Stoddard was buried in front of the Grand Battery. It is up to some debate if this meant in front of the fort, outside the walls or inside the fort between the battery and the traverse. Nevertheless, there is a small stone monument inside the fort between the battery and the traverse with his name, dates of birth and death and a summary of his life.
Woodbury, Connecticut
Woodbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,198 at the 2000 census. The town center is also designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place . Woodbury was founded in 1672....
. He married Catherine Tallman. He died at Fort Meigs
Fort Meigs
Fort Meigs was a fortification along the Maumee River in Ohio during the War of 1812. It is named in honor of Ohio governor Return J. Meigs, Jr., for his support in providing General William Henry Harrison with militia and supplies for the line of forts along the Old Northwest...
on May 11, 1813, where he was the artillery commander. Before this, he was commandant of Upper Louisiana.
Military and political career
He served in the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and The War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. After the Revolution he represented Hallowell, Maine
Hallowell, Maine
Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census.-History:The city is named for Benjamin Hallowell, a Boston merchant and one of the Kennebec Proprietors, holders of land originally granted to the Plymouth Company by the British monarchy in...
in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
. Stoddard County, Missouri
Stoddard County, Missouri
Stoddard County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 29,705. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 29,537. The county seat is Bloomfield while the largest city in the county is Dexter...
is named in his honor.
Louisiana
Stoddard was the only commandant of Upper Louisiana for the French Republic and the only commandant for the District of LouisianaDistrict of Louisiana
The District of Louisiana, or Louisiana District, was an official, temporary, United States government designation for the portion of the Louisiana Purchase that had not been organized into the Orleans Territory. It officially existed from March 10, 1804 until July 4, 1805, when it was incorporated...
for the United States in 1804 during the handover of the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
.
Spain ceded the territory Third Treaty of San Ildefonso
Third Treaty of San Ildefonso
The Third Treaty of San Ildefonso was a secretly negotiated treaty between France and Spain in which Spain returned the colonial territory of...
in 1800 to Napoleon, ruler of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and then he turned around and sold it to the United States in 1803. However the transfer from Spain to France had not formally taken place when France sold the territory to the United States. As a result, Spain had continued to govern the territory and refused to give Lewis and Clark permission to explore the territory. This forced Lewis and Clark to spend the winter of 1803-04 at Camp Dubois
Camp Dubois
Camp Dubois, near present day Hartford, Illinois, served as the winter camp for the Lewis and Clark Expedition from December 12, 1803, to May 14, 1804.It was located on the east side of the Mississippi River so that it was still in United States territory...
in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
On November 30, 1803 Spain formally turned the territory over to France, which governed it for 20 days in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
before turning it over to the United States on December 20, 1803. However, the news could not be conveyed upstream because of the winter navigation season on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
France did not deploy an army or any representatives for its brief governance but rather appointed existing leaders to represent it in the mostly ceremonial transfer.
In the Three Flags Day
Three Flags Day
Three Flags Day commemorates March 9 and 10, 1804, when Spain officially turned over the Louisiana Territory to France, which in turn ceded the territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.The ceremony in St...
ceremony on March 9–10, 1804 at Government House, at the southeast corner of Main and Walnut in St. Louis Stoddard represented both the United States and France.
While at the territorial capital in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Stoddard noted this about the residents:
- Nothing ever restrains them from amusement which usually commences early in the evening, and is seldom suspended till late the next morning.
Stoddard held the position as a military commander until October 1, 1804 when the territory came under civilian leadership of William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
as part of the Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
Service at Fort Meigs
In the winter of 1812-13, Major Amos Stoddard went with William Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
to the Maumee rapids, where Fort Meigs
Fort Meigs
Fort Meigs was a fortification along the Maumee River in Ohio during the War of 1812. It is named in honor of Ohio governor Return J. Meigs, Jr., for his support in providing General William Henry Harrison with militia and supplies for the line of forts along the Old Northwest...
was constructed. Major Stoddard was in command of the fort's artillery.
From May 1-9 of 1813, the British (Under Major General Henry Procter) and their Indian Allies (Under Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
) besieged the structure (see Siege of Fort Meigs
Siege of Fort Meigs
The Siege of Fort Meigs took place during the War of 1812, in northwestern Ohio. A small British army with support from Indians attempted to capture the recently-constructed fort to forestall an American offensive against Detroit, which the British had captured the previous year...
). During the first days of fighting, Major Stoddard was wounded with shrapnel in his leg while commanding the Grand Battery. He lived to see the British leave, but died several days later on May 11 of Lockjaw, today known as tetanus
Tetanus
Tetanus is a medical condition characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers. The primary symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the Gram-positive, rod-shaped, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani...
. After his death, Captain Daniel Cushing of the Second U.S. Artillery Regiment took command of the fort's artillery.
According to a diary entry by Captain Cushing, Major Stoddard was buried in front of the Grand Battery. It is up to some debate if this meant in front of the fort, outside the walls or inside the fort between the battery and the traverse. Nevertheless, there is a small stone monument inside the fort between the battery and the traverse with his name, dates of birth and death and a summary of his life.