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{{Infobox Military Conflict
|conflict=Raid on Elizabethtown
|image=
|caption=
|partof=[[War of 1812]]
|date=February 7, 1813
|place=[[Brockville|Elizabethtown]], [[Leeds County]],<br />[[Upper Canada]]
|result=American victory
|combatant1={{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom]]
|combatant2={{flagicon|United States|1795}} [[United States]]
|commander1={{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Unknown
|commander2={{flagicon|United States|1795}} [[Benjamin Forsyth]]
|strength1=Unknown
|strength2=200 regulars and militia
|defectings1=
|defectings2=
|casualties1=1 wounded<br>16 American prisoners freed<br>52 British prisoners{{sfn|Malcomson|2009|p=58}}<ref>{{citation |title=St. Lawrence County in the War of 1812: Folly and Mischief |first=John M. |last=Austin |chapter=Chapter 1}}</ref>
|casualties2=1 wounded
}}
{{Campaignbox War of 1812}}

The '''Raid on Elizabethtown''' occurred on February 7, 1813, when Major [[Benjamin Forsyth]] and 200 regulars and [[militia]] crossed the frozen [[St. Lawrence River]] to occupy Elizabethtown, [[Upper Canada]] (present day [[Brockville]], [[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 attacked [[Raid on Gananoque|Gananoque]]. The success of the two raids prompted a response by the British, which culminated in the [[Battle of Ogdensburg]].

==Background==
Following the termination of the armistice between British General [[George Prevost]] and American General [[Henry Dearborn]], the Americans, suffering from a lack of supply in northern [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Raid on Gananoque|raided]] the last British [[convoy]]-staging point along the [[St. Lawrence River]] at [[Gananoque]] between the large British bases of [[Montreal]], [[Lower Canada]] and [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]], [[Upper Canada]].{{sfn|Stanley|1983|p=87}} Led by [[Benjamin Forsyth]], the raid was successful and the British did little in retaliation beyond increasing fortifications at Gananoque.{{sfn|Malcomson|2009|p=204}} The Americans celebrated Forsyth's success and he transferred his command from [[Sackets Harbor, New York|Sackets Harbor]] to [[Ogdensburg, New York|Ogdensburg]].{{sfn|Tucker|2012|p=247}} On February 4, 1813, a British detachment from [[Prescott, Ontario|Prescott, Upper Canada]] crossed the St. Lawrence River on the ice and took a few prisoners at Ogdensburg.{{sfn|Mahon|1972|p=140}}

==Raid==
On February 6, Major Benjamin Forsyth of the [[Regiment of Riflemen (United States)|United States Rifle Regiment]], left Ogdensburg at 22:00 hours at the head of about 200 regulars and [[militia]]. He moved his troops to [[Morristown (town), New York|Morristown, New York]] by sleigh, {{convert|12|mi|km|spell=in}} up the river and across from [[Brockville, Ontario|Elizabethtown]].{{sfn|Mahon|1972|p=140}}{{sfn|Collins|2006|p=207}} 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.{{sfn|Mahon|1972|p=140}}{{sfn|Stanley|1983|p=229}} He left a small cannon on the ice to cover his retreat if necessary.{{sfn|Collins|2006|p=207}}

As Forsyth moved through Elizabethtown, he set [[Picket (military)|pickets]] 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, was [[Parole#Prisoners of war|paroled]] immediately. After capturing the courthouse, Forsyth freed the American prisoners from the jail and took stores, [[musket]]s and rifles.{{sfn|Mahon|1972|p=140}}{{sfn|Stanley|1983|p=229}} Forsyth set fire to the barracks and then began a {{convert|28|mi|adj=on|0}} march, returning to Ogdensburg without further action.{{sfn|Mahon|1972|p=140}}{{sfn|Collins|2006|p=207}}

==Aftermath==
Following his second successful raid, Forsyth was promoted to [[Brevet (military)|brevet]] [[lieutenant colonel]].{{sfn|Tucker|2012|p=247}} His performance convinced the British commanders that Ogdensburg had to be neutralized.{{sfn|Mahon|1972|p=140}} Later that month on February 22, a British force led by Lieutenant Colonel [[George Macdonell (British Army officer)|George MacDonnell]] [[Battle of Ogdensburg|attacked 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.{{sfn|Tucker|2012|p=247}} Forsyth was later transferred to a different combat area altogether in a political move to appease the local population.{{sfn|Collins|2006|p=207}} The British assault on Ogdensburg would mark the end of significant land battles in the region, though [[gunboat]]s operating from Sackets Harbor attacking convoys would later force the British to station naval forces in the area with their own gunboats.{{sfn|Stanley|1983|pp=232–233}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Collins |first=Gilbert |orig-year=1998 |year=2006 |title=Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812 |edition=Second |publisher=The Dundurn Group |location=Toronto |isbn=1-55002-626-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Mahon |first= J. |year=1972 |title=The War of 1812 |publisher=Da Capo Press |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-306-80429-8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Malcomson |first=Robert |year=2009 |title=The A to Z of the War of 1812 |publisher= Scarecrow Press |location=Plymouth, United Kingdom |isbn=978-0-8108-6838-0 }}
* {{cite book |last=Stanley |first=George F. G. |year=1983 |title=The War of 1812 Land Operations |url=https://archive.org/details/warof1812landope0000stan |url-access=registration |publisher=Macmillan of Canada in collaboration with the National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada |location=Toronto |isbn=0-7715-9859-9 }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Tucker |editor-first=Spencer C.|year=2012 |title=The Encyclopedia of the War of 1812: A Political, Social and Military History |publisher=ABC-Clio |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-85109-956-6 }}

{{Battles of the War of 1812}}
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[[Category:Battles of the War of 1812]]
[[Category:Military history of Ontario]]
[[Category:Battles on the St. Lawrence/Lake Ontario frontier|Elizabethtown]]
[[Category:Battles and conflicts without fatalities]]
[[Category:Battles in 1813]]
[[Category:1813 in Upper Canada]]
[[Category:Military raids|Elizabethtown]]
[[Category:February 1813]]
[[Category:History of Leeds and Grenville United Counties]]