thedrifter
06-22-08, 12:00 PM
Preacher's son fought back British invaders
Imagine, a hazy dawn 195 years ago today.
Midtide, an armada of 20 barges loaded with an overwhelming force of British sailors and marines approaches. Their target is 50 acres of sand and scrub pines at the mouth of the Elizabeth River known as Craney Island.
A merchant sea captain, Arthur Emmerson, once thought to be a natural successor to his father as a man of the cloth, eagerly awaits as the first boats row into the shallows.
"Now, my brave boys, are you ready?" he asks, heart in his throat.
"All ready," they reply.
"Fire!" the order is given.
How has this swashbuckling captain/adventurer found himself at one of the pivotal moments in Hampton Roads - nay, American - history? Let's step back a couple of generations.
Emmerson's grandfather, the Rev. Arthur Emmerson, fetched up on these shores from Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. After marrying Ann Wishart from a prominent Princess Anne County family, they settled in the wilds of Assawoman Creek on the Eastern Shore and founded a church.
Their son, Arthur Emmerson II, started a school in Nansemond County, which, according to a newspaper ad, would teach "reading, writing and declamation," along with a smattering of languages. But he, too, was a man of the cloth and answered a call to a church in Suffolk, and later to Trinity Church in Portsmouth. The papers of his daughter, Louisa, describe him as a "bookish man with strong powers of concentration, and as a consequence, unobserving and absent-minded."
That wouldn't describe his son, Arthur Emmerson III. Born in 1778, he studied both for the ministry and the law but had much stronger taste for life at sea. He signed on with merchant ships and was soon put in command of a Portsmouth schooner, Rebecca, which plied the sugar and rum routes to the West Indies.
In 1798, while heading back to Hampton Roads, his vessel was taken as a prize by a French warship and he ended up as a prisoner in Marseilles. While on parole in that city, he learned the language so well that the Marquis de Lafayette, later visiting Portsmouth, would mistake him for a Frenchman.
Emmerson's career was cut short by trade embargoes, so he bided his time in Portsmouth, trying his hand at business ventures.
He married Mary Ann Herbert at her parents' home at Gosport. Their farm on the Southern Branch was to become part of the Gosport Navy Yard. The newlyweds set about the business of having 12 children - only four lived to maturity.
In the meantime, he played soldier, forming a militia unit known as the Portsmouth Light Artillery Blues and became its captain. It was this group of men he would lead into uncertain battle against foes who were determined to capture Norfolk, Portsmouth, the Navy Yard and perhaps the biggest prize, the frigate Constellation, then hemmed in on the Elizabeth River.
Now, on the morning of June 22, they don't have long to wait. From the west, a party of 700 British soldiers and marines lands near Hoffler's Creek in Portsmouth - a wildlife refuge is there now - and, after tromping through underbrush, attempts to wade across a narrow creek separating the mainland from Craney Island.
The invaders are met by the withering fire of gunners, including several from the Constellation. Stumbling and disordered, they fall back across the creek and into nearby woods.
Emmerson's gunners open up on the second attack from the barges, splintering some of the vessels and spilling Royal Marines into the water. It's over quickly, as the boats retreat to their ships.
At least 60, but perhaps 200, British troops lose their lives. There's not a single American fatality. Amazing how a far inferior force held off the attack. It turns out to be one of the only land victories during the War of 1812.
Today, Hampton Roads celebrates what the General Assembly deems the Battle of Craney Island Day in Virginia, a crucial moment in U.S. history that the rest of the nation has largely ignored, even though the red glare of Congreve Rockets was seen here long before it was at Fort McHenry.
And, fittingly, observers will gather at the modest assembly of graves of the Emmerson family at historic Cedar Grove Cemetery in Portsmouth.
After the battle at Craney Island, Emmerson was a lifelong member of Trinity Church and served on the vestry. He dabbled in politics, accepting the nod of the Whig Party to run for Congress, but he was defeated by the Democratic nominee. He helped found the Portsmouth branch of the Bank of Virginia and, with other investors, the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad Co. It was one of the first in the nation, later becoming Seaboard Airline Railroad.
Emmerson was venerated throughout the rest of his life. A genealogical search found a request by the Light Artillery Blues for the pleasure of his company "at a social glass this afternoon at or near sunset. The company would also be glad to have any other Craney Island patriots who may be in the neighborhood to join them on this occasion."
Here's to you, Captain.
Paul Clancy, paulclancy@msn.com
Blog: www.paulclancystories.com
Ellie
Imagine, a hazy dawn 195 years ago today.
Midtide, an armada of 20 barges loaded with an overwhelming force of British sailors and marines approaches. Their target is 50 acres of sand and scrub pines at the mouth of the Elizabeth River known as Craney Island.
A merchant sea captain, Arthur Emmerson, once thought to be a natural successor to his father as a man of the cloth, eagerly awaits as the first boats row into the shallows.
"Now, my brave boys, are you ready?" he asks, heart in his throat.
"All ready," they reply.
"Fire!" the order is given.
How has this swashbuckling captain/adventurer found himself at one of the pivotal moments in Hampton Roads - nay, American - history? Let's step back a couple of generations.
Emmerson's grandfather, the Rev. Arthur Emmerson, fetched up on these shores from Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. After marrying Ann Wishart from a prominent Princess Anne County family, they settled in the wilds of Assawoman Creek on the Eastern Shore and founded a church.
Their son, Arthur Emmerson II, started a school in Nansemond County, which, according to a newspaper ad, would teach "reading, writing and declamation," along with a smattering of languages. But he, too, was a man of the cloth and answered a call to a church in Suffolk, and later to Trinity Church in Portsmouth. The papers of his daughter, Louisa, describe him as a "bookish man with strong powers of concentration, and as a consequence, unobserving and absent-minded."
That wouldn't describe his son, Arthur Emmerson III. Born in 1778, he studied both for the ministry and the law but had much stronger taste for life at sea. He signed on with merchant ships and was soon put in command of a Portsmouth schooner, Rebecca, which plied the sugar and rum routes to the West Indies.
In 1798, while heading back to Hampton Roads, his vessel was taken as a prize by a French warship and he ended up as a prisoner in Marseilles. While on parole in that city, he learned the language so well that the Marquis de Lafayette, later visiting Portsmouth, would mistake him for a Frenchman.
Emmerson's career was cut short by trade embargoes, so he bided his time in Portsmouth, trying his hand at business ventures.
He married Mary Ann Herbert at her parents' home at Gosport. Their farm on the Southern Branch was to become part of the Gosport Navy Yard. The newlyweds set about the business of having 12 children - only four lived to maturity.
In the meantime, he played soldier, forming a militia unit known as the Portsmouth Light Artillery Blues and became its captain. It was this group of men he would lead into uncertain battle against foes who were determined to capture Norfolk, Portsmouth, the Navy Yard and perhaps the biggest prize, the frigate Constellation, then hemmed in on the Elizabeth River.
Now, on the morning of June 22, they don't have long to wait. From the west, a party of 700 British soldiers and marines lands near Hoffler's Creek in Portsmouth - a wildlife refuge is there now - and, after tromping through underbrush, attempts to wade across a narrow creek separating the mainland from Craney Island.
The invaders are met by the withering fire of gunners, including several from the Constellation. Stumbling and disordered, they fall back across the creek and into nearby woods.
Emmerson's gunners open up on the second attack from the barges, splintering some of the vessels and spilling Royal Marines into the water. It's over quickly, as the boats retreat to their ships.
At least 60, but perhaps 200, British troops lose their lives. There's not a single American fatality. Amazing how a far inferior force held off the attack. It turns out to be one of the only land victories during the War of 1812.
Today, Hampton Roads celebrates what the General Assembly deems the Battle of Craney Island Day in Virginia, a crucial moment in U.S. history that the rest of the nation has largely ignored, even though the red glare of Congreve Rockets was seen here long before it was at Fort McHenry.
And, fittingly, observers will gather at the modest assembly of graves of the Emmerson family at historic Cedar Grove Cemetery in Portsmouth.
After the battle at Craney Island, Emmerson was a lifelong member of Trinity Church and served on the vestry. He dabbled in politics, accepting the nod of the Whig Party to run for Congress, but he was defeated by the Democratic nominee. He helped found the Portsmouth branch of the Bank of Virginia and, with other investors, the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad Co. It was one of the first in the nation, later becoming Seaboard Airline Railroad.
Emmerson was venerated throughout the rest of his life. A genealogical search found a request by the Light Artillery Blues for the pleasure of his company "at a social glass this afternoon at or near sunset. The company would also be glad to have any other Craney Island patriots who may be in the neighborhood to join them on this occasion."
Here's to you, Captain.
Paul Clancy, paulclancy@msn.com
Blog: www.paulclancystories.com
Ellie