During the War of 1812, Crane served on the
Niagara Frontier. He was assigned command of an artillery battery at
Fort Pike, which he helped construct, in
Sackets Harbor, New York, and was involved with the capture on April 27, 1813, of
Fort York, and at the end of May 1813 the capture of
Fort George in Canada. While Crane and the Americans were capturing Fort George, a joint British-Canadian force attacked the American positions at Sacket's Harbor in the
Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor. Crane continued to serve in the Northern Department after the war. In 1820 his company was transferred to
Fort Wolcott in
Newport, Rhode Island where Crane served as the fort's commander. While stationed at Fort Wolcott, his son Charles was born. In 1825 he was
brevetted to major in the 4th Artillery and was transferred to
Fort Monroe,
Virginia. In 1832 Crane led five companies of troops from Fort Monroe in the
Black Hawk War. He received a promotion to lieutenant colonel in the 2nd Artillery in November 1832, and was transferred to the
Buffalo Barracks in
Buffalo, New York. He commanded the 2nd Artillery unit in the
Second Seminole War (1835–1842) and acted as Commander of the U.S. Army District of Northeast
Florida, serving under Col.
Zachary Taylor, who commanded the
1st Infantry Regiment. Ft. Crane, south of Rochelle in
Alachua County, was named after Crane. Built in January 1837, the fort was commanded by Lt.
John H. Winder. After service in Florida, Crane and his unit were transferred back to the Buffalo Barracks. During the
"Patriot War" in 1838, an insurrection against British rule in Canada, he was tasked with the responsibility of preventing U.S. involvement by preventing the smuggling of arms across the border. In mid-1843, he received his final promotion to colonel and was given command of the 1st Artillery. Two companies of the 1st Artillery, Co. L and Co. M were assigned to
Fort Umpqua in southwest
Oregon. During a visit there, Crane employed a young
Umpqua Indian named Juan as a personal valet. Juan died on December 27, 1856, on Staten Island, and is buried with Crane and his wife Charlotte. Crane was stationed in Washington D.C. in 1851 and was given an additional assignment as acting governor of the
Military Asylum at Washington, D.C., a position he held until November 1853. He also served as post commander of
Governors Island, an island in
New York Harbor approximately one-half mile south of lower
Manhattan. Crane and his wife Charlotte (May 25, 1798 – September 25, 1878) had a house built in the
New Springville section of
Staten Island,
New York in 1853, while he was still on active duty. The house was located at 3525
Victory Blvd; it was demolished in the 1990s. The owner had offered it to
Historic Richmond Town, on the condition they move it off its former site; it never transpired due to a lack of funding. Crane died on October 5th, 1857 while still on active duty, and is buried in Asbury Methodist Cemetery, in New Springville Staten Island, not far from his former home. His grave marker bears the inscription: He served his country faithfully 48 years and was much beloved and respected by all who knew him. ==Family==