Published in the Colborne Chronicle February 20 2001
Cramahe Township was raided during the War of 1812 on the 31st August 1814. This information has been unearthed during research of a Cobourg Museum project. During a search of artifacts in the National Archives, in Ottawa, researchers came across a document that described the raid.
The document, a letter written by Lt. Col. Peters of the 1st Regiment of the Northumberland Militia to a Lt. Col. Nathaniel Coffin, the Deputy Adjutant General in Kingston, tells the tale of seven men in a boat that came from the "American Shore". The letter describes the episode, "They landed in Cramahe in the District of Newcastle and destroyed thirty barrels of flour which was contracted by a man of the name of John McGraw for the use of the government. That about 12 o'clock at night the same party came to my house and took Twenty stands of English Musquites, Cartridges Boxes and Bayonets for the same, with Nine Rounds of Musquite Ball Cartridges, one Fusil and Two Swords."
This letter was part of a collection of papers in the 'Northumberland File' in the National Archives. It was uncovered by students of the Cobourg West High School who have been working under the guidance of history teacher Chris Robins. They have been studying practical research by looking for anything to do with the 'Barracks Project'. This project is being undertaken by the Cobourg Museum Foundation who plan to restore a building, believed to be a military store house used during the war of 1812. Mr. Robins said, "these students got really excited to discover that not only were there documents from that time but also those documents spoke about areas of the County they knew."
Mr. Colin Caldwell a Cobourg historian, who has been working in the period between 1790 and 1841 for many years, got very excited about the document and the discovery as it confirmed what he had suspected for many years. "The Americans, under Admiral Chauncy had 10 gunboats that cruised Lake Ontario in the years of the war. These gunboats preyed upon the British vessels transporting goods between Toronto and Kingston. Raiding parties were put ashore all along the coast all the time." Attesting to the authenticity of the document he said, "I see no reason not to believe it; it's a great letter and a great find, I love it!"