To all interested Woolsey researchers: >From the New York Woolseys comes Lt. Melancthon T. Woolsey, noted during the War of 1812. Didn't someone send a post about a restaurant named after him? Was that in Sackets Harbor?? >From ON-LINE: American Lieutenant Woolsey and the War of 1812. http://www.hamilton-scourge.city.hamilton.on.ca/woolsey.htm United State Navy Lieutenant Melancthon T. Woolsey was sent from Washington to Oswego in 1808 to construct ships for the enforcement of the "Embargo Act" of 1807, and prevent the widespread smuggling across the American-Canadian border. Woolsey set about his work at once, constructing the "Oneida" in less than a year, and stationing militia groups at points along the southern shores of Lake Ontario (including Sackets Harbor) to watch for smugglers. As war seemed to loom on the horizon, Woolsey began preparations for the provisioning of the southern shores of Lake Ontario. He drew up a list of schooners that could be pressed into military service; among these vessels was the "Diana", an American merchant ship that was later renamed the "Hamilton". Woolsey was also present at the capture of the "Lord Nelson", later renamed the "Scourge", and suspected of being involved in smuggling activities. Based on these suspicions, the "Lord Nelson" was taken into custody by Woolsey and the U.S. Navy, and the ship's owner, James Crooks, spent the rest of his life trying to claim reparation for his vessel's 'theft', which occurred 13 days before the official declaration of war. Woolsey, however, had a gallant streak, and invested much time and money in attempting to return some trunks found aboard the "Lord Nelson' to a Mrs. McCormick. THE CAPTURE OF THE "LORD NELSON" ["SCOURGE"] AND MRS. McCORMICK'S TRUNKS When American Lieutenant-Commander Woolsey captured the "Lord Nelson", he also laid claim to all of her contents. Among the trunks containing dry goods, sugar, liquors and the like, were six or seven large trunks containing women's apparel. These last items belonged to Mrs. McCormick of Queenston, a daughter of British Secretary William Jarvis, who had recently married. Woolsey, in a show of gallantry, made efforts to get these goods returned to the lady. In October, 1812, four months after her capture, the goods from the "Lord Nelson" were put up for auction. Woolsey did not expect anyone to bid for Mrs. McCormick's trunks, since it was widely known that he planned to return them. However, by the end of the auction, Woolsey was forced to bid $5,000 for them (by contrast, the ship itself was valued at $2,999.25!). A later appraisal set the value of the trunk's contents at $380.00. Woolsey had to write to the secretary of the Navy, William Jones, in hopes that his bid would be paid by the Navy in a show of "support [for] your officers in all acts of justice or patriotism and valor." The issue of the trunks still had not been settled by 11 May 1813 when Woolsey returned to Sackets harbor after Chauncey's attack on York to find that Mrs. McCormick's possessions were up at auction once again. Woolsey did not manage to return any of the trunks until after the War; and even then all he could manage for all his gallantry was a single trunk "containing a variety of articles which have been saved from the general wreck," delivered to Montreal in 1816. Thus ends this interesting article, accompanied by a photo of the navy lieutenant. Sincerely, Wilford W. Whitaker