William Atherton (soldier)

William Atherton (January 10, 1793 – September 11, 1863) was an American soldier, rifleman and veteran of the War of 1812 from Shelbyville, Kentucky.[1] He was a private in Captain John Simpson's company [2] of the 1st Rifle Regiment.[3][4] He served under William Henry Harrison. Atherton wrote a journal that detailed his war service within the Kentucky militia, including the defeat and the subsequent massacre at River Raisin by opposing forces.[5][6]

Battle of Frenchtown

He was an eighteen year old soldier during the Battle of Frenchtown, which took place in Michigan during January 1813.[7]

Atherton's experiences being held captive by the Potawatomi, a Native American tribe, followed by internment in Quebec, is taught today at schools in the United States.[8] His journal includes his personal observations of many Native American customs. When describing his months of captivity, he found the British officers much more savage than their native allies.[9]

In contrast to John O'Fallon, who less than three months after Frenchtown was at Fort Meigs, as Harrison's acting assistant adjutant general, Atherton was held prisoner until June 1814, when he was released in a prisoner exchange.[10]

Location of Frenchtown and other settlements near the west coast of Lake Erie during the period.

His narrative provides a rare common soldier's perspective of the War of 1812, and as such his account, considered to be a critical source for studying the conflict. It also gives a gruesome testimony to how adept the opposing forces were at bush fighting.[11] Atherton stated:

“the fight now became very close, and extremely hot ... I received a wound in my right shoulder”

[12]

Personal

He returned to Kentucky after the war and became a farmer. He married Mary “Polly” Lyons and moved to Indiana. He eventually became an ordained minister and was known as Reverend William Atherton, a Methodist minister.[13]

Later life

In 1842, Atherton reluctantly published his account [14] of the suffering & defeat of the North-Western Army, under General James Winchester,[15] the massacre of the U.S. prisoners and his own sixteen months imprisonment, with the following goal:

“I think it is proper that the rising generation should know what their fathers suffered, and how they acted in the hour of danger; that they sustained the double character of “Americans and Kentuckians”

Death and legacy

Atherton died on September 11, 1863 . He is buried at Greencastle City Cemetery in Greencastle, Indiana.

Atherton's account has frequently been referenced in secondary histories of the war, notably in Pierre Berton's popular histories “The Invasion of Canada and Flames Across the Border”.[16]

Atherton's story has commonly been featured in museum exhibits and in documentaries on the War of 1812, including PBS's “The War of 1812“ (2011).[17]

The American public broadcaster PBS,[18] reviewed Atherton's narrative [19] as follows:

“The substantial first-person record of the war comes primarily from the educated classes – officers and their wives. Two exceptions to this are the excellent memoirs written by of the British foot soldier, Shadrach Byfield, and the American militiaman, William Atherton. Their experiences encompass the full experience of war – battles, injuries, imprisonment and aftermath”

An audio recording of his historical narrative has been produced, Read by James E. Carson.[20]

Biography
  • Narrative of the suffering & defeat of the north-western army, under General Winchester: massacre of the prisoners: sixteen months imprisonment [21] of the writer and others with the Indians and British by William Atherton. Printed for the author by A. G. Hodges, of Frankfort, KY in 1842.[22][23][24]
  • "The Men Were Sick of the Place" : Soldier Illness and Environment in the War of 1812. Miller, Joseph R.University of Maine.[25]
  • Herrera, R. (2013). TOWARD AN AMERICAN ARMY: U.S. SOLDIERS, THE WAR OF 1812, AND NATIONAL IDENTITY. Army History, (88), 42–57. Retrieved October 5, 2020,[26]

See also

References
  1. "W Atherton - 1 Rifle (Allen's), Kentucky Volunteers".
  2. Kentucky Adjutant-General's Office (1969). Kentucky Soldiers of the War of 1812 - With an Added Index. ISBN 9780806302003.
  3. "River Raising Battlefield Organization. Reference to W Atherton's rank and regiment".
  4. "War of 1818. Pension and Bounty".
  5. "Canada Channel's War of 1812 Online portal - William Atherton - American Soldier".
  6. Atherton, William (1842). "Narrative of the suffering and defeat of the North-Western Army, under General Winchester: massacre of the prisoners: sixteen months imprisonment of the writer and others with the Indians and British". Hodges, A.G.
  7. Various (4 April 2013). The War of 1812: Writings from America's Second War of Independence. ISBN 9781598532647.
  8. "Educational Material relating to the story of William Atherton" (PDF).
  9. "Indiana University Factsheet: PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF A PRISONER OF WAR by William Atherton".
  10. Morris, Larry E. (2018). In the Wake of Lewis and Clark: The Expedition and the Making of Antebellum. p. 198. ISBN 9781442266117.
  11. Henderson, Robert. "The American Attack at Frenchtown on the River Raisin, January 18, 1813". The War of 1812 Website. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  12. "War of 1816 - extracts from Atherton's narrative describing the battle".
  13. "National Park Services - River Raisin National Battlefield Park" (PDF). p. 61.
  14. "Canada Channel - War of 1812 - William Atherton is listed amongst the key American Documents".
  15. Atherton, William (1842). "Narrative of the suffering and defeat of the North-Western Army, under General Winchester: massacre of the prisoners: sixteen months imprisonment of the writer and others with the Indians and British". Hodges, A.G.
  16. Berton, Pierre Francis de Marigny (November 2011). Pierre Berton's War of 1812. ISBN 9780385676502.
  17. "Doc battles ignorance on War of 1812". Toronto Star.
  18. "PBS describe Atherton in their documentary as a sharpshooter from Kentucky".
  19. "PBS review of Atherton narrative".
  20. Atherton, William. "Recording of Narrative of the Suffering and Defeat of the North-Western Army, Under General Winchester".
  21. "PBS re-enactor, William White, portrayed William Atherton during Atherton's imprisonment in Quebec".
  22. Atherton, William (1842). "Narrative of the suffering and defeat of the North-Western Army, under General Winchester: massacre of the prisoners: sixteen months imprisonment of the writer and others with the Indians and British". Hodges, A.G.
  23. Atherton, William (1842). "Narrative of the suffering and defeat of the North-Western Army, under General Winchester: massacre of the prisoners: sixteen months imprisonment of the writer and others with the Indians and British". Hodges, A.G.
  24. Open Library of William Atherton's real life narrative of the War of 1812. OL 23321133M.
  25. Miller, Joseph R. (2020). "The Men Were Sick of the Place" : Soldier Illness and Environment in the War of 1812".
  26. "Toward an American Army: U.S. soldiers, the war of 1812, and national identity". JSTOR 26376099. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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