War of 1812 Veteran - Fredericton, NB - War of 1812 on Waymarking.com

In the western suburbs of Fredericton, St. Peter's stands along the south bank of the Saint John River with its cemetery backing on forest which, several metres further, backs on the river.

The parish of Kingsclear was settled by the Loyalists in 1783. St. Peter's Anglican cemetery appears to predate the church by some twenty plus years, as the earliest known burial in the cemetery is that of Thomas B., youngest son of Lawrence Bradshaw Rainsford, Esq., who died October 12, 1815 at the age of 16 years. The next burial for which there is a headstone is that of John Payne, who died in 1837 at the age of 20 years. Another Payne, Rachel died in 1846 at the age of 60 years. The last known burial was that of Charles W. Dymond (1920-1981).

Also interred in the cemetery are the remains of at least thee veterans of the War of 1812, most notably that of Captain Charles Rainsford, the hero of the 104th Regiment of Foot. Captain Rainsford, his wife Deborah and their three children were members of this congregation. At the head of his tomb is a black granite marker acknowledging Captain Rainsford as a War of 1812 Veteran. These markers were placed on the 200th anniversary of the war as a Bicentennial Tribute to the veterans.

Below is the text from the tomb of Captain Charles Rainsford, still relatively easy to read. Further below is a biography of Captain Rainsford, then Lieutenant Rainsford. Rainsford was promoted to Captain on June 6, 1815.

In Memory of
Captain Charles Rainsford
104th Regiment,
Born April 5th, 1788
Died April 24th 1882
In a blinding snowstorm, he
Tramped alone for fifty miles
Returning next day with food
And help to the aid of his
Famished comrades.

Also in memory of
his wife and children.

Lieutenant Charles Rainsford

Born: 5 April 1788 at Kingsclear, New Brunswick
Died: 24 April 1882 at Kingsclear, New Brunswick

I am Lieutenant Charles Rainsford. My two brothers Andrew, Bradshaw and I served in New Brunswick’s 104th Regiment of Foot. I joined the New Brunswick Regiment of Fencible Infantry on 17 July 1806. This regiment became New Brunswick’s 104th Regiment of Foot in 1810.

We were ordered to march to Kingston, Upper Canada (Ontario), I left Fredericton on 21 February 1813 with the Light Company (the smallest and fastest men in the regiment), led by Captain George Shore. After marching through a northwest gale on 5 March 1813, on the southern shore of Lack Témiscouata we came upon another company that had been stuck in the same storm. We were almost out of food so I volunteered to go find more supplies. Privates Peter Patinaude and Jean Baptiste Gaié volunteered to join me. They were from the area and knew the country.

We three set out across Lake Témiscouata in the storm and about halfway to Long’s farm (in Cabano, Quebec) we met up with Philip Long who had been out looking for us. He took us to his farm, fed us and put us on the Grand Portage route to more supplies. We snowshoed over the portage to the St. Lawrence River. We met William Anderson, the Commissariat contractor, whose job it was to refill our supplies. He quickly organized supplies and men to carry them and soon we all set out back towards the Lake. The three of us travelled 144 kilometres in two days on snowshoes in order to help the troops who had been without food for over 30 hours. In the meantime, our men had struggled through the storm to shelter at Long’s farm. They were safe but starving and they all cheered when we arrived with food. We all continued on to Kingston and I fought with my regiment throughout the war.

When New Brunswick’s 104th Regiment of Foot was disbanded in 1817 (the army closed down the regiment because the war was over and they no longer needed as many soldiers) I returned to New Brunswick. My heroic deed on the way to war was never forgotten. In 1847, the New Brunswick Provincial Legislature voted to give me enough money to purchase 500 acres of land in Kingsclear, just north of Fredericton. In 1876, the British government granted me a yearly pension of 100 pounds Sterling. I died at home in 1882, aged 94 years and I am buried at St. Peter’s Anglican cemetery on the Woodstock Road in Fredericton.
From War of 1812 - New Brunswick