The Glengarry Light Infantry-- Part 3: Action in 1813 and 1814

A company of the Glengarry Light Infantry was at the Battle of York, but didn't play a big part.  They were misdirected by the commander of the Upper Canadian  militia.  Another company  suffered severe losses at the Battle of Fort George trying to prevent American forces landing  on the lake shore from outflanking the fort.

Yet another company was present at the Battle of Sackets Harbor where troops under Prevost and Baynes withdrew after failing to drive American troops from buildings and hastily constructed defenses.

During the latter part of 1813, the entire regiment was concentrated around Fort George and was engaged for several weeks in harassing American outposts  around the captured fort.

They were built back up to full strength during the following winter (1813-1814).  A company took part in the raid on Fort Oswego in the spring of 1814.  During the following summer, the full regiment along with  light infantry companies of four regular line regiments, formed a covering  force on the Niagara Peninsula, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel  Thomas Pearson.

Later, on 25 July, the regiment formed part of a light infantry brigade under Pearson and played a major role in the Battle of Lundy's Lane where they harassed  the left flank of the American Army but suffered casualties when mistaken for Americans by other inexperienced British troops.

--Brock-Perry

'Caroline's Battle' and the War of 1812-- Part 1

Five books were written about the life of American Girl's Caroline Abbott War of 1812 doll.  Two of them was specific to the War of 1812, "Caroline's Battle" and "Changes for Caroline."

"Caroline's Battle" discusses several War of 1812 battles.  Topics covered:

**  Sackets Harbor today

**  The second Battle of Sackets Harbor on May 28, 1813, with the British sending a fleet to take the town and destroy the USS General Pike.

**  Lack of soldiers to defend the town.

**  Lack of wind causing the British fleet to stall, allowing the people of Sackets Harbor to arm and prepare for battle.

**  Lack of any battle or combat experience among the American militiamen against British forces, with haphazard results.

**  Accidental destruction of  supply storehouses in Navy Point at the time of the British defeat.

Well, it would appear that someone has done some research on the topic.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

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

The Marines in the War of 1812-- Part 1: Sackets Harbor

From Wikipedia.

The first land action of the Marines in the War of 1812 was the establishment of an advanced base at Sackets Harbor, New York, by 63 Marines.  This gave the Navy a base on the shores of Lake Ontario.  Sackets Harbor later became the headquarters of the Navy for all action on the Great Lakes..

Marines helped defeat two British attacks on Sackets Harbor (the First and Second Battles of Sackets Harbor.

They later also established a base at Erie, Pennsylvania, where Oliver Hazard Perry's fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie was built.

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812's Ichabod Crane-- Part 2: Sackets Harbor and Black Hawk War

During the War of 1812, Ichabod Crane served on the Northern Frontier and commanded an artillery battery at Fort Pike which he helped construct at Sackets Harbor, New York.  He was involved in the capture of Fort York on April 27, 1813, and Fort George at the end of May.

While he was at Fort George, a joint British-Canadian force attacked Sackets Harbor in the Second Battle of Sackets Harbor, but were unsuccessful.

After the war, he continued to serve in the Northern department.  In 1820, he was made the commander of Fort Wolcott, Rhode Island.  In 1825, he transferred to Fort Monroe in Virginia.  He led five companies during the Black Hawk War and also served in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).

--Brock-Perry