War of 1812 Axe Head, recovered many years ago at Sackets Harbor, NY

This is another nice early piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War/Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 artifacts. Being offered is a very early excavated axe head. It measures 7” x 4 ½” x 1 1/8”.

These axes were a necessity, especially in thick wooded areas. With artillery, there had to be an open area to get caissons and cannons through and a clearing for firing. In “Soldiers of the American Revolution” by Don Troiani, there is a picture of one of this style axe. It was recovered many years ago from Sackets Harbor, New York.

During the War of 1812, Sackets Harbor was the center of United States naval shipbuilding on the Great Lakes and military headquarters of the northern army. On July 19, 1812, the First Battle of Sackets Harbor caused little damage, but the Second Battle of Sackets Harbor on May 29, 1813, was a pivotal event that involved British and Canadian forces with their First Nations allies fighting against United States forces.

The Americans had expected a British attack for months, and had reinforced the town with earthwork fortifications, artillery, and blockhouses. There were about 1,500 soldiers present, about two-thirds volunteer militiamen, and the rest US regulars. Gen. Jacob Brown of the New York militia was the senior American officer present and deployed the regulars in the town’s defenses and the militia outside the perimeter in order to oppose the British landing.

The British attack was initially successful, but in all the confusion their commander ordered a retreat. The U.S. troops, equally confused, burned their own storehouses, and set fire to a warship under construction so they would not fall into enemy hands. Ultimately, the warship was saved and launched.

Though the Crown Forces could not win a decisive battle at Sackets Harbor, neither could the U.S. fleet gain control of Lake Ontario early that summer in their effort to conquer Upper Canada.

The axe remains in very nice condition, having some overall roughness, but no chipping or flaking. Interestingly, the eye of the axe head is still filled with the original wood and dirt, just as found. This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, and from lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with its provenance. His markings were crude at the time, but now they have proved to be very important. Many of the pieces went through electrolysis to remove crusted rust.

This is the first time this axe has been on the open market, and it is truly a great piece of early American History. Recently I was in upstate New York visiting the many forts and museums, and every museum had at least one of these axes. As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included. Sackets Harbor is one of the more difficult sites for excavated artifacts.