| Raid on Elizabethtown | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofWar of 1812 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |  United States | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | Benjamin Forsyth | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 200 regulars and militia | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 wounded 16 American prisoners freed 52 British prisoners[1][2] | 1 wounded | ||||||
TheRaid on Elizabethtown occurred on February 7, 1813, when MajorBenjamin Forsyth and 200 regulars andmilitia crossed the frozenSt. Lawrence River to occupy Elizabethtown,Upper Canada (present dayBrockville,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 attackedGananoque. The success of the two raids prompted a response by the British, which culminated in theBattle of Ogdensburg.
Following the termination of the armistice between British GeneralGeorge Prevost and American GeneralHenry Dearborn, the Americans, suffering from a lack of supply in northernNew York,raided the last Britishconvoy-staging point along theSt. Lawrence River atGananoque between the large British bases ofMontreal,Lower Canada andKingston,Upper Canada.[3] Led byBenjamin Forsyth, the raid was successful and the British did little in retaliation beyond increasing fortifications at Gananoque.[4] The Americans celebrated Forsyth's success and he transferred his command fromSackets Harbor toOgdensburg.[5] On February 4, 1813, a British detachment fromPrescott, Upper Canada crossed the St. Lawrence River on the ice and took a few prisoners at Ogdensburg.[6]
On February 6, Major Benjamin Forsyth of theUnited States Rifle Regiment, left Ogdensburg at 22:00 hours at the head of about 200 regulars andmilitia. He moved his troops toMorristown, New York by sleigh, twelve miles (19 km) up the river and across fromElizabethtown.[6][7] 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.[6][8] He left a small cannon on the ice to cover his retreat if necessary.[7]
As Forsyth moved through Elizabethtown, he setpickets 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, wasparoled immediately. After capturing the courthouse, Forsyth freed the American prisoners from the jail and took stores,muskets and rifles.[6][8] Forsyth set fire to the barracks and then began a 28-mile (45 km) march, returning to Ogdensburg without further action.[6][7]
Following his second successful raid, Forsyth was promoted tobrevetlieutenant colonel.[5] His performance convinced the British commanders that Ogdensburg had to be neutralized.[6] Later that month on February 22, a British force led by Lieutenant ColonelGeorge MacDonnellattacked 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.[5] Forsyth was later transferred to a different combat area altogether in a political move to appease the local population.[7] The British assault on Ogdensburg would mark the end of significant land battles in the region, thoughgunboats operating from Sackets Harbor attacking convoys would later force the British to station naval forces in the area with their own gunboats.[9]
44°36′00″N75°40′41″W / 44.600°N 75.678°W /44.600; -75.678
