The Raid on Gananoque was an action conducted by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

on 21 September 1812 against

Gananoque Gananoque ( ) is a town in the Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Leeds and Grenville area of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer resident ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. The Americans sought to plunder ammunition and stores to resupply their own forces. Gananoque was a key point in the supply chain between

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and Kingston, the main base of the

Provincial Marine Provincial Marine was a coastal protection service in charge of the waters in the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and parts of Lake Champlain under British control. While ships of the Provincial Marine were designated HMS, they were ope ...

on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. Under the command of Captain

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 Americans departed

Ogdensburg, New York Ogdensburg ( moh, Kaniatarahòn:tsi) is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,436 at the 2019 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and de ...

and sailed to Gananoque, where they encountered resistance from the 2nd Regiment of Leeds Militia. The British militia was forced to retreat and the Americans successfully destroyed the storehouse and returned to the United States with captured supplies. As a result of the raid, the British strengthened their defences along the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

Background

is located roughly from Kingston, the principal base of the British

on the

and a key transshipment point. Gananoque served as a depot for ammunition, stores, foodstuffs along the

route between Kingston and

. Furthermore, it was the last

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

-staging point between Montreal and Kingston and a key point for communications between the two cities. The town had been settled in 1789 by

Joel Stone Colonel Joel Stone (1749–1833) was a United Empire Loyalist and the founder of Gananoque in Ontario, Canada. Early life Stone was born in Guilford, Connecticut, to Stephen Stone and Rebecca Bishop. When he was two, his family moved to the grow ...

, an American

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

who had arrived in Upper Canada following the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. On 9 August 1812, General Sir

George Prévost Sir George Prévost, 1st Baronet (19 May 1767 – 5 January 1816) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who is most well known as the "Defender of Canada" during the War of 1812. Born in New Jersey, the eldest son of Genevan Augu ...

, commander of British forces in Canada and Major General

Henry Dearborn Henry Dearborn (February 23, 1751 – June 6, 1829) was an American military officer and politician. In the Revolutionary War, he served under Benedict Arnold in his expedition to Quebec, of which his journal provides an important record ...

commander of the United States forces in the north agree to a cessation of hostilities. President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

repudiated Dearborn's agreement on 15 August. The American garrison at

Sackets Harbor, New York Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augustus Sackett, who ...

under the command of

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Jacob Brown Jacob Jennings Brown (May 9, 1775 – February 24, 1828) was known for his victories as an American army officer in the War of 1812, where he reached the rank of general. His successes on the northern border during that war made him a national ...

of the

New York Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force, state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and ...

was suffering from lack of supply. Brown himself had purchased blankets for his men. The garrison was reinforced by a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

of the US

Regiment of Riflemen The Regiment of Riflemen was a unit of the U.S. Army in the early nineteenth century. Unlike the regular US line infantry units with muskets and bright blue and white uniforms, this regiment was focused on specialist light infantry tactics, an ...

on 14 September, but the reinforcements lacked ammunition. Finding no support from his superiors, Brown authorized a raid on Canadian territory to acquire supplies and ammunition following the termination of the armistice. Based on the intelligence that Brown had, Gananoque was lightly defended.

Attack

Brown ordered the attack on Gananoque to be led by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the Regiment of Riflemen. He was to take his company of 90 men and 20 members of the New York Militia under Captain Samuel McNitt and seize stores and ammunition. The force departed from

on 18 September in boats and sailed to Gananoque, arriving on 21 September 1813. Forsyth landed his men west of Gananoque at Sheriff's Point and moved towards the town. The Americans surprised the 2nd Regiment of the

Leeds Militia Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Joel Stone. The American force was spotted by two British

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

s approaching the town, and fired upon them wounding one, however both were able to escape and alert the town. Upon their arrival the Americans were met by 100 Leeds Militia under the command of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Levi Soper which began firing. Forsyth moved his force to within of the Leeds Militia, and opened fire. He then ordered a charge, which drove the British militia back over a bridge. Forsyth's troops entered Gananoque and commandeered 3,000 ball cartridges and 41

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, while destroying 150 barrels of provisions, ransacking the storehouse and destroying the home of Colonel Stone. The Americans had one killed and ten wounded, while the British suffered eight killed, eight taken as

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

and others wounded, including Colonel Stone's wife. Thirty minutes after landing, the Americans returned to their boats with their plunder and set off for Ogdensburg.

Aftermath

A British party was sent to intercept Forsyth but failed to locate his force. The British party then landed at Burton's Point and burned a

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

and several boats before returning to Canada. Forsyth relocated his command to Ogdensburg and on 7 February 1813, raided again across the border, this time at Elizabethtown. The British replied with their own raid on Ogdensburg. The British acknowledged the threat to their supply lines and began transporting their equipment and troops in escorted

s. Construction of a

began at Ganonoque in January 1813 and was finished later in the year.

Historic plaque

To mark the site, an Ontario provincial plaque was installed on the grounds of the Gananoque Power Company.

Notes

References

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External links

Gananoque Reporter

1000 Islands Life
{{Battles of the War of 1812

Conflicts in 1812 1812 in Canada

September 1812 events History of Leeds and Grenville United Counties