James Ragen Gower
I has been reading through various message boards and stumbled across something. One of my great grandfather's James Ragen Gower was said to be a soldier (TN) in the War of 1812; taken prisoner at Fort Niagra. One night he and another prisoner managed to escape and ended up in New Brunswick. From here James R. Gower ended up living at Plantation 21 in Maine, and the family grew from there. It is said that there is actually a journal of James R. Gower kept of his escape and how close he came a few times to being recaptured.
I am looking for anyhting to verify this claim of James being a war of 1812 Soldier.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Fredrick A. Adams on -
All I have is circumstantial evidence. James was born near Nashville. Not all War of 1812 vets of Tennessee joined the militia of the Volunteer State. Regular army recruited there also. The 25th U.S. Infantry Regiment actively recruited in the Nashville area. There was a contingent of the 25th at the Battle of Fort Niagara. So the regiment was in the two places at the right time.
Niagara is a long way from New Brunswick, but there was a major POW camp at Halifax. Maybe James was being marched to Halifax when he made his escape.
I recently started to correspond with the cousin who made the post alluding to the journal. I'll ask her.
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Permalink Reply by Scott Morgan on -
I heard about a journal that told the story of his escape.That would be good reading.
Are you related to his line? My Gower line made there way to Sherman Maine in Aroostook County.
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