U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Faulkner, James (1776-1817) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aler's History of Martinsburg and Berkeley County, West Virginia by F. Vernon Aler, 1888 Printed for the Author by The Mail Publishing Company, Hagerstown, MD. CHAPTER VIII. Historical Pen Sketches of the Early Residents of Berkeley County by the late Hon. Chas. James Faulkner. Pages 168-175, JAMES FAULKNER Son of George and Rebecca Faulkner, was born on the 2nd of April, 1776, in the county of Armagh, Ireland, a few miles from Newry. The family, as the name itself sufficiently indicates, was of English origin, their ancestor having emigrated to Ireland in the reign of William and Mary. Having been left an orphan by the death of both his parents, at the early age of ten years, he accepted the kind offer of Richard McSherry, a friend of the family, to accompany him upon his return to America. They arrived in the port of Baltimore in the latter part of 1786. Richard McSherry had some years before emigrated from that part of Ireland, and had gone to the Island of Jamaica to improve his fortunes. He was a man of energy and enterprise, and soon got occupation as the manager of a large sugar plantation. He remained there for several years, until he succeeded in accumulating quite a respectable fortune. He then visited the United States, and purchased a fine farm in the then County of Berkeley, near to the present village of Leetown. Not being able to get immediate possession of his purchase, he availed himself of the interval to pay a visit to his old home in Ireland. It was upon his return from this visit, that the boy Faulkner accompanied him to America. It is said that Richard McSherry was the first person who introduced from Jamaica into this country, the tomato and okra, as esculents for the table. Young Faulkner was brought to Martinsburg and placed under the charge of Michael McKewan, an Irishman, who then kept a retail store in that town. He remained in his service until he was of age, in 1797, when he purchased the property at the southeastern corner of Burke and Queen streets, and commenced business on his own account. On the 15th of December, 1803, he was married to Sarah Mackey, only daughter of William Mackey, of Martinsburg. He was not, particularly fond of the mercantile business, and from 1804 until 1808, he spent much of his time in correspondence with Hon. James Stephens, and Hon. John Morrow, the representatives in Congress from this district; with Henry Dearborn, the Secretary of War, and President Jefferson, in endeavoring to gratify his military tastes by procuring a commission in the regular army of the United States. But our army was then small — there were few vacancies or promotions, and his efforts in that direction were unsuccessful. Towards the close of Mr. Jefferson's administration in 1809, the relations between this country and Great Britain had become very critical. The affair of the Chesapeake had occurred; the sensibilities of the nation were deeply aroused by the habitual impressment of our seaman; by the contemptuous deportment of England to our representatives, and by the destruction of our commerce, and an intense war spirit prevaded the land, which was alone held in check by the extraordinary influence of Mr. Jefferson, and by his determined peace policy. It nevertheless became apparent to all men, that unless Great Britain altered her conduct to this county, which was hardly anticipated, war would be inevitable in a year or two. It was under these circumstances that Mr. Faulkner, unable to procure a position in the regular army, determined to organize a volunteer artillery company in Berkeley County, to meet any of the probable demands of war. This was promptly accomplished. James Faulkner was elected Captain, Robert Wilson 1st Lieutenant and William Long 2nd Lieutenant. Among the names familiar to our people who thus volunteered as privates, were John R. Cooke, Edward Colston, John Alburtis, Alexander Stephen, William Campbell, James Newkirk, Tillotson Fryatt, Adam Young, Jacob Snyder, John Mathews, Jacob Poisal, Chas. Pendleton, James Shearer, Nicholas Orrick, and some fifty others. It will be conceded that no other volunteer company in the State was better drilled; was composed of more reliable material, or could boast of men more determined to stand by their country in any hour of difficulty or trial. On the 18th of June 1812, war was declared by the United States against Great Britain. During that year and the earlier part of 1813, the fighting was mainly confined to the Canada frontier, where notwitstanding some brilliant victories upon our part, the British, aided by the Northwestern Indians under Tecumseh, inflicted some severe defeats upon our armies. In the Martinsburg Gazette of the 7th of February, 1812, is found the following extract from an address to the artillery company: "You have upon two former occasions, volunteered your services to the government, the commander hopes your patriotic and military pride will not be damped by the circumstance that you have not been ordered into actual service. He flatters himself that as there is now every probability of a war that you will authorize him to offer your services to march wherever you may be require ed. He returns his thanks to those patriotic young men not belonging to the company, who enrolled themselves to march with him on a former occasion, and flatters himself that they, and others who feel a desire to serve their country in the ranks of its defenders, will come forward and join the parade on Saturday, the 22nd inst., the anniversary of the birth of the immortal Washington. James Faulkner, Feb. 7th, 1812 Captain 1st M. Artillery. As early as March, 1812, there were satisfactory reasons to believe that a formidable military and naval demonstration of the enemy would, in the course of the summer, if not earlier, be made upon Norfolk and Portsmouth, in Virginia. Accordingly general orders were issued on the 24th of March, for the assembling of a considerable portion of the State militia at those points. Among the companies so ordered into service was Captain Wilson's Berkeley Artillery, for such it then was. Captain Faulkner had been, early in March, promoted to the rank of Major of Artillery, was thus separated from his company; and was ordered by Governor Barbour to report to him at Richmond, and to take command of all the artillery companies then assembled at the capital. He reported to the Governor on the 10th of April, and taking command of these companies he proceeded with them to the seat of war. Early in June Admiral Warren with a large naval and military force arrived in the Chesapeake Bay; the land force being under the command of Gen. Sir Sidney Beckwith. The appearance of this formidable force in the Chesapeake Bay created much uneasiness in the more considerable cities situated upon its waters. Baltimore, Annapolis and Norfolk were threatened. But the fleet directed its course toward Hampton Roads, and it was evident that the cities of Virginia were to receive the blow. About four miles west of Norfolk and commanding the approach to that city, lay Craney Island. This was the exposed outpost of our military line — the nearest in contact with the enemy— a position of great importance as the key to the harbor, and which it was indispensable that the enemy should possess before they could reach the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth. Among the general orders issued by Major General Taylor, Commander- in-Chief, on the 13th of June, are the following: "Major Faulkner of the regiment of Artillery will tomorrow take the command of all the artillery and fortifications of Craney Island. The commander of artillery will direct Capt. Wilson's company of artillery to some place near the entrenchments in the rear of Fort Norfolk." On the 22nd of June occurred the battle of Craney Island. I am not disposed to repeat the details of that battle. They can be seen in the various histories of the late war with Great Britain, and in the recently illustrated history of that war by Benson J. Lossing, which contains a portrait and autograph signature of Major Faulkner. It can also be seen in the elaborate report of a Committee of the House of Delegates of Virginia, who were appointed to take testimony, and to make a thorough examination into the details of that battle, and which report, with the resolutions and evidences accompanying it. unanimously concurred in by the House, is the proudest monument that could be erected to the memory of Major Faulkner. It is sufficient to say the battle of Craney Island was won; that it was won exclusively by the artillery engaged in its defence; that a force of near 3,000 British soldiers were signally repulsed; that the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth were saved and that the results of that battle were hailed throughout the country as a National balm for our defeats on the northwestern frontier. On the 5th of July Major Faulkner was placed in command of Forts Barbour and Tar and a mile of breastwork extending between the two forts, with his headquarters at Norfolk. Major Faulkner was not a man of robust constitution, but rather of delicate physical organization, and the effect of that low-land summer climate, with the fatigues and exposures of the service, gave a shock to his system from which he never recovered. He was an invalid from the close of the war until his death, which occurred on the 11th of April, 1817, in the 41st year of his age. He was buried with military and masonic honors in the Norborne cemetery, where a granite monument now stands erected to his memory. Postscript. — When the facts connected with the battle of Craney Island were under examination by the Legislature of Virginia, Major Faulkner's official report of that battle was not before the committee. Indeed, it was not known that any copy of it had been preserved! or was in existence, as the substance of it had been incorporated into the account of the battle as given by Major- General Robt. B. Taylor, then Commander-in-Chief. Since that time a copy of it has been found, in the hand-writing of the author, inclosed in a letter to Col. Elisha Boyd under date of the 6th of July, 1813. It is deemed unnecessary to publish it in full, as in all its prominent facts it is in harmony with the received histories of that battle and in accord with the conclusions of the legislature. Had it been before the committee it would have removed all doubt upon one point upon which the committee expressly refrained from announcing any opinion; that was to whom the credit was due for the successful shot which sunk Admiral Warren's barge. The committee say: "Scarcely had the enemy been driven, by our well directed fire, from their assailing position on the land, when fifty of their largest barges, filled with men from the ships supposed to contain about 1,500 sailors and marines, begun to approach within the range of our artillery. They were advancing towards the island, in column order, in two distinct divisions, one following the channel between the island and the main land, led on by Admiral Warren's barge, the Centipede, a boat upwards of fifty feet in length, rowing twenty- four oars, with a brass three pounder in her bow, under the command of Capt. Hanchett, of his Majesty's ship Diadem; the other directing its course to some point on the north of the island. Whilst the barges were approaching, Captain Emerson observed to Major Faulkner 'Are they near enough to fire?' 'No, sir,' replied the commander of artillery, 'let them approach a little nearer.' In a few moments afterwards the word 'fire' was given, when our whole battery, except the disabled pieces, opened upon the nearest division of boats a brisk and heavy discharge of grape and canister. The barges, however, continued to advance in the face of this destructive fire until they could no longer maintain themselves under it, when the Centipede and the boats immediately following her were observed to change their direction toward the division of barges aiming at the north of the island, at which moment the Centipede was sunk by a shot from one of the guns passing through the boat, in the wake of the afterthwart, wounding several, and among them Capt. Hanchett, the commanding officer of the division, severely in the thigh. At this time, so quick and galling was our fire, that the enemy were thrown into the greatest confusion, and the order was soon after given for a hasty retreat to the ships." Again the committee say: "Much of the eclat which attached to the guns under the immediate command of Lieut. Neale, resulted from the general impression and belief that it was a shot from the 18-pounder which passed through and sunk the Centipede. Whether that result was produced by a shot from the eighteen, or one of the six-pounders, this committee will not undertake to determine. There are strong and confident statements and opinions sustaining either view, which will be found in the appendix accompanying this report." Had this report been before that body there could have been no doubt announced on this point, for Major Faulkner expressly states in his report: "Captain Emerson and Lieutenant Neale informed me that their guns were pointed and in readiness to bear upon the leading boat, which proved to be the Admiral's barge. I immediately ordered them to fire, when the second fire of Lieut. Neale had the desired effect and sunk the barge." He concludes his report as follows: "The officers principally engaged in the action were Captain Rook, of the ship Manhattan; Lieut. Neale, of the frigate Constitution; Capt. Emerson, Lieuts. Howie and Godwin and Sergeants Young and Butt, of the Portsmouth Artillery, who, for their skill and bravery in repelling so large a force of the enemy, deserve the thanks of the country. Lieuts. Shubrick, Saunders and Breckenridge, of the Constellation, with their crews, as brave and determined a set of men as I ever saw, gave substantial aid and assistance in the defense." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tombstone in Norbourne Parish Cemetery, Martinsburg, Berkeley Co. WV James Faulkner born April 2, 1776 died April 11, 1817 ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Berkeley County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/berkeley/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------