On March 8, 1813, Asa
Hastings enlisted in the 21st Regiment, United States Infantry, as a
private in Captain S. Toby’s Company. He
was honorably discharged from Captain Ira Drew’s Company at Sacket’s Harbor, NY
on May 24, 1815.
Asa was involved in the
major Battle of Little York (present day Toronto). The original intentions were to attack
Kingston, Ontario in the spring of 1813 but ice in that harbor prevented an
early attack and plans were changed and York became the target. The American troops were commanded by Major
General Henry Dearborn. Dearborn chose
to lead the battle from aboard his ship in Lake Ontario and delegated the
on-shore leadership to Brigadier General Zebulon Pike.
The American soldiers
landed from the west of York and rapidly drove the English army, Canadian
militia, and about 100 Native Americans through the city. The English army retreated east leaving the
militia to make the best terms they could.
To prevent the Americans from capturing their magazine containing over 300
barrels of powder the magazine was blown up.
When the explosion occurred, the underground magazine propelled rocks
and stones into the air in a mass of flying missiles. General Pike was sitting nearby interviewing
a prisoner at the time of the explosion. He was struck in the head and shoulder by
flying rocks. He was returned to his
ship in Lake Ontario where he died. Asa
Hastings was also struck in the abdomen by a flying rock. Thirty-eight Americans were killed by this
explosion and another two hundred were wounded.
Asa Hastings spent
several months in hospital recovering from his injuries before returning to
duty at Fort Niagara. This information
was difficult to uncover until I came across a record in The Congressional
Record of June of 1860 which follows.
General Zebulon Pike is
buried in Sacket’s Harbor, NY;
“House of
Representatives, 36th Congress, 1st Session, Report No. 624. June 13, 1860. Mr. Fenton from the Committee on Invalid
Pensions, made the following Report: The
Committee on Invalid Pensions to whom was referred the petition of Asa
Hastings, of Horicon, New York, report:
That from the petition
and evidence in this case it appears that petitioner was a private in Captain
Charles S. Toby's company, 21st regiment United States infantry, enlisted March
8, 1813, for during the war, and was honorably discharged from Captain Ira
Drew's company, at Socket Harbor, New York, on the 24th of May, 1815; that while he was in said service, under
Captain Loring and General Pike, at the blowing up of Little York, about the
27th of April, 1813, he received an injury by means of a stone, which struck
him in the abdomen and threw him on his face to the ground, and that on or
about the 27th of May following, while carrying turf to build batteries at Fort
Niagara, he received another injury in the same place, in addition to the one
above mentioned, which has remained upon him ever since. After his first injury he was able to perform
light garrison duty only; but after the second he was sent to the hospital, and
remained there about eighteen months.
His company roll for December, 1813 shows that he was "sick at Sacket's
Harbor;" and on said roll to June 30, 1814, he is noted "sick at
Brownsville general hospital."
Since his discharge from the army he has been more than three-fourths
disabled from obtaining his subsistence by manual labor in consequence of said
injuries; and for the last ten years he has been and now is almost wholly
disabled, and his present disability is the result of the aforesaid
injuries. He applied for a pension in
1851, but failed to make the strict proof required at the Pension office. The evidence consists of the affidavits of
Joseph Pike, David Fowler, and Thomas D. Morrison, soldiers in the War of 1812,
who were in a situation to know the facts to which they have testified, and
although there is some discrepancy in the statements of the witnesses and
petitioner as to the cause of the second injury, they all agree in the main
point that he was injured while in the service, as above stated. Twelve citizens of Warren County, New York,
where petitioner resides, testify that they believe him to be a man of truth
and veracity, and a member of the Wesleyan Methodist church, in good
standing. Isaac Hill, Rufus Davis, Homer
Davis, Milo Davis, and Horace B. Taylor, also corroborate the petitioner's statements;
prove him to be a man of temperate habits and a worthy citizen. Mr. Taylor (in 1857) states that since his
acquaintance with petitioner, and for more than twenty years, he has been
afflicted with a hernia of large size and has worn a truss; and Surgeons Alfred
Mallory and Mrs. M. W. Prichard, of Warren county, New York , regular
practicing physicians and surgeons, and reputable in their profession, certify,
under date of November 27, 1851, that petitioner "is affected with an
inguinal or scrotal hernia, the contents of which seem to be principally a
portion of bowel called hernia intestinal, and is not able to get his living by
labor, but his disability amounts to three-fourths." The committee report a bill allowing a
pension of six dollars per month from the date of his petition, and recommend
its passage.”
In 1818 Asa received
160 acres of land in Hancock County, Illinois for his service in the War of
1812.
No comments:
Post a Comment