The first USS ''Oneida'' was a

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

of war in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

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 be ...

. ''Oneida'' was built at

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of Syracuse. It promotes itself as "The Port ...

1808–1809, under contract awarded by her first commanding officer, Lieutenant M. T. Woolsey, to Henry Eckford and

Christian Bergh Christian Bergh (April 30, 1763June 24, 1843), was the oldest and one of the first American shipbuilders in New York. He was known for not allowing drinking and was the first shipbuilder to employ African Americans at his shipyard. He contributed ...

. Although her displacement was 243 tons by carpenter's measurement, her draft could compare with a

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

of 80 tons. This enabled her to enter the rivers feeding

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

without fear of grounding. She was delivered by the contractors in the spring of 1809, but was not equipped and sent upon the lake until the fall of 1810.

War of 1812

''Oneida'' operated principally from

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 ...

, not far from the commencement of the St. Lawrence, while the British port of Kingston lay nearly opposite in Canada.

First Battle of Sacket's Harbor

On 5 June 1812, ''Oneida'' captured the British

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...

''Lord Nelson'', while enforcing the

Embargo Act of 1807 The Embargo Act of 1807 was a general trade embargo on all foreign nations that was enacted by the United States Congress. As a successor or replacement law for the 1806 Non-importation Act and passed as the Napoleonic Wars continued, it repr ...

. On 19 July, the British squadron sailed on Sackets Harbor where ''Oneida'' and her prize were anchored. After failing to gain the open lake, ''Oneida'' anchored again near a bank in a position to rake the harbor entrance. She mounted the guns from her off side ashore and presented a full battery. After an exchange of cannonade, of two hours duration, the British squadron broke off the engagement and sailed for Kingston, Canada.

USS ''Oneida'' vs HMS ''Royal George''

Depiction of the engagement of the ''Oneida'' and ''Royal George'' in Kingston harbour, 10 November 1812. On 8 November, ''Oneida'', flying the broad pennant of

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

Isaac Chauncey, sailed from Sackets Harbor to intercept British ships conveying supplies to the Army at Kingston. The sloop was sighted and chased into the

Bay of Quinte The Bay of Quinte () is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of ...

and lost sight of during the night. Sighted again the following morning, the chase was resumed. ''Oneida'' brought up the rear of the squadron to allow the heavy guns of her schooners to open way for a close attack. ''Royal George'' cut her mooring cables and attempted to make further headway up the channel, finally making fast to a wharf under the protection of troop muskets. ''Royal George'' suffered extensive damage, and ''Oneida'' had some damage aloft with one seaman killed and three wounded, but a gale ended the engagement and the Americans returned to Sackets Harbor.

Battle of York

On 25 April 1813, along with other ships of the American squadron, ''Oneida'' set sail from Sackets Harbor and arrived off York, Canada (now

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

) on 27 April with troops under General

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado was named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions under authority of President Thomas Jefferson ...

embarked. Boats were hoisted out and within two hours the brigade was ashore, soon capturing York despite the loss of General Pike. On the night of 26 May she again embarked troops and artillery and set sail with the squadron for Fort George, Canada. A landing was made about 9 a.m. on 27 May, and by noon the town and fort were taken. ''Oneida'' made a second unopposed landing at York on 27 July liberating prisoners and seizing provisions. On 31 July 1814, ''Oneida'' made for the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York in the United States (on the east). There are diffe ...

to blockade British ships anchored there. She was assisted by the brig and the schooner , while the remainder of the American Squadron blockaded Kingston. The blockade was lifted in September 1814, and ''Oneida'' returned to Sackets Harbor. Ice closed the lake in November, and peace was declared the following month.

Postwar

''Oneida'' was sold 15 May 1815, but afterwards was repurchased by the Navy, laid up at Sackets Harbor, and finally sold in 1825 to a timber company in the village of Clayton, New York. ''Oneida'' worked as a timber ship for several years before sinking in French Creek Bay near Clayton sometime in the 1830s. One of the ship's cannons is currently in Clayton's Memorial Park, while one of its anchors is in the possession of French Creek Bay Marina.

References