Raid on Elizabethtown

Raid on Elizabethtown
Part of War of 1812
Date February 7, 1813 Location Elizabethtown, Upper Canada Result American victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	United States
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Benjamin Forsyth
Strength
Unknown	200 regulars and volunteers
Casualties and losses
1 wounded American prisoners freed 52 British prisoners	1 wounded

The Raid on Elizabethtown occurred on February 7, 1813, when Benjamin Forsyth and 200 regulars and volunteers crossed the frozen St. Lawrence River to occupy Elizabethtown, seize military and public stores, free American prisoners and capture British military prisoners.

Overview

On February 4, 1813, a British detachment from Prescott, Ontario crossed the St. Lawrence River on the ice and took a few prisoners in Ogdensburg, New York. Two days later, Benjamin Forsyth, a major in the United States Rifle Regiment, left Ogdensburg at 22:00 hours at the head of about 200 regulars and volunteers. He marched to Morristown, New York, twelve miles (19 km) up the river, crossed over at 1:00 hours and took Elizabethtown by surprise. He freed the American prisoners from the Elizabethtown jail and took 52 British prisoners at a cost of one man wounded on each side and a 28-mile (45 km) march in the bitter cold. His performance convinced the British commanders that Ogdensburg had to be neutralized.