Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh was founded in 1784 by Zephaniah Platt, a native of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County. This city on the shores of Lake Champlain has been of military and commercial importance for more than 200 years. Plattsburgh's waterways provided access to the St. Lawrence Seaway and Canada to the north and the Hudson Valley to the south. This location served to make the American victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814 critical to the young nation's independence and allowed commerce to flourish during the 19th century. In addition to a military history that spans from the Revolutionary War to the Cold War, Plattsburgh has a cultural history that includes serving as Pres. William McKinley's summer White House and hosting the Catholic Summer School of America. Notables and philanthropists, such as William H. Miner and Smith M. Weed, further developed Plattsburgh by promoting the railroad and mining industries and working toward the creation of Physician's Hospital and Plattsburgh Normal School.

Both Roosevelt and Churchill recognized the importance of the land and naval battles of Plattsburgh. Many other, more famous, engagements were ruses meant to divert U.S. troops away from the prize Plattsburgh would afford: a clear pathway into New England. If not for the exemplary skills of two young military officers, Commodore Macdonough and General Macomb, and the force they commanded, regular army and naval personnel, New York and Vermont Militia, Native Americans, Veteran Exempts and boys from the local school, the war and the nation would have been lost. Using original source documents, author Keith Herkalo retells the battles at Plattsburgh, the key battles of the War of 1812.