The Battle of Plattsburgh also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain ended the final invasion of the Northern states during the War of 1812. Fought just prior to the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, the American victory denied the British any leverage to demand exclusive control over the Great Lakes and any territorial gains against the New England states. The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and United Kingdom from 1812 to 1815, on land in North America and at sea around the world. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Plattsburgh, New York refers to two locations in Clinton County, New York: City of Plattsburgh Town of Plattsburgh This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Official language(s) English Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... George Prevost Sir George Prévost (Hackensack May 19, 1767 – January 5, 1816 London) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. ... Thomas Macdonough (23 December 1783 - 10 November 1825), was a U.S. naval officer. ... Alexander Macomb, Junior (3 April 1782 – 25 June 1841) was the commanding general of the United States Army from 29 May 1828 to 25 June 1841. ... In this relatively short and fast battle a very small garrison of British troops and Canadian volunteers, with the assistance of Kahnawake Mohawk warriors, defended a blockhouse of Lacolle Mills near the village of Champlain. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Battle of Sacketts Harbor was fought in northwestern New York on May 29, 1813 during the War of 1812. ... The Battle of Chateauguay was a battle of the War of 1812 on October 25, 1813. ... The Battle of Cryslers Farm was a battle of the War of 1812 fought on November 11, 1813. ... In this battle, Major-General James Wilkonson planned another invasion of Canada to make up his huge loss to the British in the Battle of Cryslers Farm. ... The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and United Kingdom from 1812 to 1815, on land in North America and at sea around the world. ... The Treaty of Ghent, signed on December 24, 1814, in Ghent, Belgium, ended the War of 1812 between the United States and United Kingdom. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... First Flag of New England, 1686-c. ...

Background

In 1814 Emperor Napoleon had abdicated the throne of France. This provided England the opportunity to send veteran troops to North America. Governor-General Sir George Prevost now had enough troops to launch an offensive into the U.S. Prevost had about 11,000 regulars with the support of a British fleet under George Downie. In the midst of the peace negotiations between the U.S. and Britain, Prevost wished to gain a significant victory in order to give Britain bargaining power to demand control of the Great Lakes waterway. Prevost chose to move down the Richelieu River to Lake Champlain. Since the Richelieu River was at the time the only waterway connecting Lake Champlain to the ocean, trade on that lake naturally had to be through Canada. 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... George Prevost Sir George Prévost (Hackensack May 19, 1767 – January 5, 1816 London) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. ... The Richelieu River in Quebec, Canada flows about 130 km north to drain Lake Champlain into the St. ... Landsat photo Lake Champlain, named for the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who encountered it 1609, is a large lake in North America, mostly within the borders of the United States (states of Vermont and New York) but partially situated across the US-Canada border in Quebec. ...

General George Izard was the American commander along the Northeast frontier. Just prior to Prevost's invasion, Secretary of War John Armstrong ordered Izard to take the majority of his force, about 4,000 troops, to reinforce Sacket's Harbor. Brigadier General Alexander Macomb was left in command with only 1,500 American regulars at Plattsburg, New York. Thomas Macdonough, who commanded the naval forces on Lake Champlain, had been ordered by Secretary of the Navy William Jones to build a fleet earlier that summer. By the fall of 1814 Macdonough had about 10 gunboats ready for action on the lake. Macomb ordered General Benjamin Mooers to call out the New York militia and appealed to the governor of Vermont for militia. Soon his force numbered over 3,000 regulars and militia. However the militia units were mostly untrained and hundreds more were unfit for duty. Macomb put the militia troops to use digging trenches and building fortifications. He even created an invalid battery on Crab Island that was to be manned by sick or wounded soldiers who were at least fit to fire the cannon. The towns people of Plattsburgh had so little faith in Macomb's efforts to repulse the invasion that by September nearly all 3,000 inhabitants had fled the city. Plattsburgh was left occupied only by the American army. George Izard (21 October 1776 - 22 November 1828) was a General in the United States Army during the War of 1812 and a Governor of the Arkansas Territory. ... John Armstrong, Jr. ... Sackets Harbor is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... Alexander Macomb, Junior (3 April 1782 – 25 June 1841) was the commanding general of the United States Army from 29 May 1828 to 25 June 1841. ... Plattsburgh, New York refers to two locations in Clinton County, New York: City of Plattsburgh Town of Plattsburgh This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Thomas Macdonough (23 December 1783 - 10 November 1825), was a U.S. naval officer. ... Navy collection image of Jones William Jones (1760–September 6, 1831) was an American politician. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... General Benjamin Mooers was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts on April 1, 1758. ... Official language(s) English Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 43th 24,923 km² 130 km 260 km 3. ... Look up September in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Invasion

On September 4 Prevost began marching south. Macomb sent forward advance units to fight a delaying action to buy time for the Plattsburgh defenses. At Chazy the advance units first made contact with the British. Slowly falling back the Americans set up road blocks, burned bridges and mislabeled streets to slow down the British. Meanwhile Macomb's forces worked feverishly to complete a series of forts and blockhouses circling Plattsburgh which were essential to his defensive strategy. Prevost reached Plattsburgh on September 6 but he did not attack. Instead he waited for Captain Downie's fleet to reach Plattsburgh Bay. Several gunboats preceded Downie's main fleet into the lake. Captain Daniel Pring, the commander of the gunboats, set up a battery on Isle le Motte which was Vermont territory. This was the first time a British force had stepped foot onto Vermont soil and now the Vermonters whole heartedly swarmed across the lake to Plattsburg's defenses. September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ... Chazy is a town located in Clinton County, New York. ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... A 19th-century-era block house in Fort York, Toronto In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ...

Naval battle

MacDonough knew his fleet was outmanned and out gunned. He therefore withdrew into Plattsburgh Bay and used the time waiting to drill his sailors. The ships were anchored at the bow and the stern.Finally on September 11 Downie's fleet reached Plattsburgh Bay and at about 9 o'clock in the morning opened fire on MacDonough's fleet. At the same time British land batteries opened fire but Prevost held off the attack. In short time every vessel was engaged in the battle. Shortly after the battle began Downie was killed and MacDonough knocked unconscious but only for a short while. Manned by inexperienced crews, the British fleet had trouble dealing with the winds in the bay. After two hours nearly every vessel had sustained serious damage including both MacDonough's flagship Saratoga and the British flagship Confiance. At this time MacDonough ordered the bow anchors cut and the winds managed to spin Saratoga around. This allowed MacDonough's fleet to present the undamaged ship sides against the British badly damaged side, a new set of cannons and personally taking command of one of the cannon he ordered the unused and undamaged portside guns to open fire. The renewed fire was so devastating that Confiance was unable to return the fire and soon lowered its colors. With most of the British fleet disabled or sinking, the British officers boarded Saratoga to offer their swords to MacDonough. When he saw the officers, MacDonough replied "Gentlemen return your swords to your scabbards, you are worthy of them". September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... The second USS Saratoga was a corvette in the United States Navy, named for the Battle of Saratoga. ... The largest warship ever constructed on Lake Champlain, HMS Confiance was built in answer to the American Commander Thomas Macdonoughs ambitious shipbuilding program, itself designed to thwart British advances into Vermont and New York during the War of 1812. ...

Land battle

When Prevost had reached Plattsburgh on the September 6, he attempted to cross the Saranac River and move in close to the city's defenses. Holding the bridge across the river was a small force of regulars under Major John Ellis Wool. Wool's regulars repulsed each British attempt to cross the river, inflicting heavy losses. On September 7 Prevost abandoned his efforts to cross the river for the time being and instead began constructing batteries. The Americans responded with 'hot-shot', an artillery tactic in which the cannon balls were heated red-hot and quickly fired with the intention to set fire to the target. Macomb succeeded in setting fire to several buildings the British were using as cover and forcing them to withdraw further away. However in the process he did destroy about 16 buildings of Plattsburg. On September 9 a night raid succeeded in destroying a British battery only 500 yards from one of the American fortifications. On September 11 Prevost planned to overrun the city and trap the American fleet between the land batteries and Downie's navy. At 9 o'clock when the naval battle begun, Prevost held back his attack on the city. He didn't order his men forward until 11 o'clock when the naval battle was nearly over and Macdonough was ensured of victory. Prevost decided against a frontal assault and instead attempted to cross the Saranac River and flank the city. Again at the Saranac crossing the British were repulsed several times with heavy losses. To the west another British flanking attack made some headway against the American militia. The militia retreated and the British regulars pushed them back so far that the rear of the American lines became threatened. Macomb sent in reinforcements of Vermont militia which helped to stop the British at the Salmon River. At this time, with the land attacks repulsed a messenger arriver and notified Prevost that his navy had been defeated on the lake. Prevost decided to call off any further attacks and ordered a retreat. September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... Saranac River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. ... John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 - November 10, 1869) was an officer in the United States Army during three consecutive U.S. wars: the War of 1812, the Mexican War and the Civil War. ... In military science, a battery is a group of artillery cannons or rockets, so grouped in order to facilitate battlefield communication and the organization of barrages. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 43th 24,923 km² 130 km 260 km 3. ... A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. ... The Salmon River is the name of several different rivers. ...

Results

The Battle of Plattsburgh proved that under capable leadership raw militia units could stand their own against seasoned regulars. Also Prevost had achieved what the U.S. government had been unable to do for the entire war up to that point, and that was to bring the state of Vermont into the war. Alexander Macomb was promoted to Major General and became commanding general of the U.S. army in 1828. Thomas Macdonough was promoted to Commodore and would be remembered as the "Hero of Lake Champlain", Alexander Macomb, Junior (3 April 1782 – 25 June 1841) was the commanding general of the United States Army from 29 May 1828 to 25 June 1841. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Thomas Macdonough (23 December 1783 - 10 November 1825), was a U.S. naval officer. ... Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a Captain, but is less than that of a flag officer. ...

The British had used their victories at the Battle of Bladensburg and the Burning of Washington to counter any U.S. demands during the peace negotiations up to this point. Now the Americans were able to use the repulse at Plattsburgh to demand exclusive rights to Lake Champlain and deny the British exclusive rights to the Great Lakes. The victory at Plattsburgh and the victory at the Battle of Baltimore which was to come just a few days later would deny the British any advantage for territorial gains in the Treaty of Ghent. The Battle of Bladensburg was a battle fought during the War of 1812. ... Combatants Britain United States Commanders Robert Ross George Cockburn Unknown Strength 4,250 Unknown Casualties {{{notes}}} The Burning of Washington is the name given to the razing of Washington, D.C., by British and Canadian forces during the War of 1812. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... Combatants Britain United States Commanders Robert Ross† Alexander Cochrane Arthur Brooke Samuel Smith John Stricker George Armistead Strength 5,000 15,000 (Baltimore defenses) 1,000 (Fort McHenry garrison) Casualties 46 dead, 300 wounded 310 killed or wounded In the Battle of Baltimore, one of the turning points in the... The Treaty of Ghent, signed on December 24, 1814, in Ghent, Belgium, ended the War of 1812 between the United States and United Kingdom. ...

Notable comments

President Theodore Roosevelt called it the "greatest naval battle of the war" and no less an historian than Sir Winston Churchill termed it the "decisive battle of the war."

Sources and External Links

• "Defense of Plattsburg" painting by Lee Hunt, 1992
• http://www.historiclakes.org/Plattsburg/Plattsburg.html
• http://members.tripod.com/~war1812/allbat.html
• http://www.galafilm.com/1812/e/events/platts.html