New York Buys Land By Sackets Harbor

From the February 6, 2019, WWNY TV 7.

A historically significant 24 acres on Horse Island will become part of the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site.  This takes in nearly the whole island.

During the War of 1812 it was a major U.S. naval shipyard and home port of the American Lake Ontario Squadron.

On May 29, 1813, a joint British-Canadian force attacked Horse Island but American forces on it held their ground but eventually were forced to retreat across a causeway to the mainland where they rallied and recaptured the island.

The newly added acreage also includes an 1870s lighthouse.

New York State Parks partnered with the American Battlefield Trust to make this acquisition.  The site draws 80,000 visitors a year and has re-enactors on site.

--Brock-Perry

Horse Island Light

Earlier this month I wrote about Horse Island by Sackets Harbor, New York, and then wrote about the First Battle of Sackets Harbor.

From Wikipedia.

In July 2017, the 24-acre Horse Island was acquired by the Civil War Trust, which has enlarged its efforts to include War of 1812 and American Revolution site preservation.  This was the first grant in the United States made for a War of 1812 site under the National Park Service battlefield grants program.

During the War of 1812, the British used the island as a staging area and the Second Battle of Sackets Harbor took place here.  (I guess I'll have to write about this battle next.)

Because of its location by Sackets Harbor, on March 3, 1831, Congress authorized $4,000 for a lighthouse on Horse Island.  A new one was built in 1870.

--Brock-Perry

Civil War Trust Purchases War of 1812 Historic Land in Sackets Harbor

It is great that this organization, which, of course, does so much to preserve Civil War battlefields has expanded its objective to preserving American revolution and War of 1812 ones as well.

Their latest success in the War of 1812 has been to purchase the 24 acres of Horse Island, near Sackets Harbor.

To read more about it, go to my Saw the Elephant Civil War blog for today.  You can get to it by clicking on the My Blog List area to the right of this.

--Brock-Perry