Crysler's Farm, Battle of

▪ United States history

      (Nov. 11, 1813), British victory in the War of 1812 that helped to prevent the capture of Montreal by U.S. forces; it was fought between approximately 1,600 U.S. troops under General John Boyd and 600 British troops under Colonel J.W. Morrison.

      In October 1813 a U.S. force of more than 7,000 men set out in ships from Sacketts Harbor, N.Y., to attack Montreal. Encountering rapids on the St. Lawrence River at the Long Sault, now in Ontario, the Americans disembarked on the Canadian shore at that point. They divided into a main body, under General James Wilkinson (Wilkinson, James), which advanced toward Cornwall, and a rear guard commanded by General Boyd. The rear guard made contact with the British force under Colonel Morrison, and Wilkinson ordered Boyd to attack.

      The resulting action was fought on farmlands beside the river. British casualties numbered 200; American losses were more than 400, including 100 taken prisoner. The battle ended with the withdrawal of the Americans. Learning that another U.S. force, under General Wade Hampton, had been turned back at Châteauguay on October 26, Wilkinson retreated across the river to St. Regis, N.Y.

      Crysler's Farm Battlefield Memorial Park was officially opened in 1961.

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