The Raid on Elizabethtown occurred on February 7, 1813, when Major
Benjamin Forsyth
Benjamin Forsyth (c. 1760June 28, 1814) was an American officer of rifle troops in the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. Born in North Carolina, Forsyth joined the United States Army in 1800 as an officer and was a captain of th ...
and 200 regulars and
militia crossed the frozen
St. Lawrence River to occupy Elizabethtown,
Upper Canada (present day
Brockville,
Ontario), seize military and public stores, free American prisoners and capture British military prisoners. This was the second successful raid by Forsyth along the St. Lawrence River, having previously attacked
Gananoque. The success of the two raids prompted a response by the British, which culminated in the
Battle of Ogdensburg
The Battle of Ogdensburg was a battle of the War of 1812. The British gained a victory over the Americans and captured the village of Ogdensburg, New York. Although small in scale, it removed the American threat to British supply lines for the re ...
.
Background
Following the termination of the armistice between British General
George Prevost and American General
Henry Dearborn, the Americans, suffering from a lack of supply in northern
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
raided the last British
convoy-staging point along the
St. Lawrence River at
Gananoque between the large British bases of
Montreal,
Lower Canada and
Kingston
Kingston may refer to:
Places
* List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated:
** Kingston, Jamaica
** Kingston upon Hull, England
** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia
** Kingston, Ontario, Canada
** Kingston upon Thames, ...
,
Upper Canada. Led by
Benjamin Forsyth
Benjamin Forsyth (c. 1760June 28, 1814) was an American officer of rifle troops in the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. Born in North Carolina, Forsyth joined the United States Army in 1800 as an officer and was a captain of th ...
, the raid was successful and the British did little in retaliation beyond increasing fortifications at Gananoque. The Americans celebrated Forsyth's success and he transferred his command from
Sackets Harbor to
Ogdensburg. On February 4, 1813, a British detachment from
Prescott, Upper Canada crossed the St. Lawrence River on the ice and took a few prisoners at Ogdensburg.
Raid
On February 6, Major Benjamin Forsyth of the
United States Rifle Regiment, left Ogdensburg at 22:00 hours at the head of about 200 regulars and
militia. He moved his troops to
Morristown, New York by sleigh, up the river and across from
Elizabethtown. Under the cover of darkness, Forsyth and his men crossed over to Elizabethtown on the ice at 01:00 hours on February 7, and took the town by surprise. He left a small cannon on the ice to cover his retreat if necessary.
As Forsyth moved through Elizabethtown, he set
pickets to guard streets and moved to occupy the courthouse square. One American sentry was wounded and one British, but Forsyth met minimal resistance and captured 52 members of the garrison. One, a doctor, was
paroled immediately. After capturing the courthouse, Forsyth freed the American prisoners from the jail and took stores,
musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...
s and rifles. Forsyth set fire to the barracks and then began a march, returning to Ogdensburg without further action.
Aftermath
Following his second successful raid, Forsyth was promoted to
brevet
Brevet may refer to:
Military
* Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay
* Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college
* Aircre ...
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
. His performance convinced the British commanders that Ogdensburg had to be neutralized. Later that month on February 22, a British force led by Lieutenant Colonel
George MacDonnell attacked Ogdensburg, driving Forsyth and the American garrison from the town. Forsyth's superior refused to retake the town, forcing Forsyth to relocate back to Sackets Harbor. Forsyth was later transferred to a different combat area altogether in a political move to appease the local population. The British assault on Ogdesnburg would mark the end of significant land battles in the region, though
gunboats operating from Sackets Harbor attacking convoys would later force the British to station naval forces in the area with their own gunboats.
Citations
References
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{{coord, 44.600, N, 75.678, W, display=title
Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown
Battles and conflicts without fatalities
Conflicts in 1813
1813 in Upper Canada
Elizabethtown
February 1813 events
History of Leeds and Grenville United Counties