President James Madison signs a declaration of war against Britain . Both the House of Representatives and Congress were divided on the issue, however ultimately voted in favor of war due to the Britain's attempts to restrict U.S. trade, Britain's violation of maritime rights and the impressment of U.S. merchant seamen, and Britain's encouragement of Indian hostility towards Americans trying to expand West.
Corkonians begin what is known as "The Irish War" by assaulting Longford laborers on the C&O Canal line. During the assault, Longford man John Irons was killed.
In response to the Corkonian assault a few days earlier, Longford men overtake unsuspecting Corkonians on the canal line 6 miles below Williamsport. This battle ended with 5 or 6 Corkonians wounded, and over 50 prisoners taken by mounted citizens and contractors.
600 or 700 Farndowners marched to Middlekauff’s Dam in an army formation, armed with guns, clubs, and heives. There, 300 Corkonians awaited them, armed in part by military-grade weapons. The Corkonians were funneled through the woods where they were picked off like wild game. This battle marks the first time the Federal government was used to settle a labor dispute.
The Shepherdstown Register reports that due to the breaking of the ice on the Potomac River, 80 to 100 feet of the old dam was washed away.
After much tension, the Civil War broke out when Confederate forces bombarded the Union controlled Fort Sumter in Charleston Bay.
The newspaper reports boating on the canal as "very discouraging". Many are not making enough to cover expenses.
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