Carleton Island
Encyclopedia
Carleton Island is located in the St Lawrence River in upstate New York
. It was the location of Fort Haldimand, controlled by the British during the American Revolution, and of great strategic importance, as well as being a center of shipbuilding. The ruins of the fort can still be seen at the southwest end of the island. Projecting from the location of the fort is Government Point, notched by two small bays. Houses on the island are serviced by ferry from the mainland, the nearest town being Cape Vincent
, New York.
, in 1720. He called it Isle aux Chevreuils, the Island of Roe Bucks, and wrote in 1721 that its bays could be useful. In 1778 British General Frederick Haldimand
ordered a fort built on the island to protect Kingston, Ontario
in Canada and as a forward base. The island was renamed Carleton Island after Sir Guy Carleton, who had preceded Haldimand as Governor of the Province of Quebec, and the fort was named after Haldimand. Many ships for the war were built at the island, including the recently discovered HMS Ontario
. At the close of the war, under the terms of Jay's Treaty, the British were supposed to cede Carleton Island along with other forts to the Americans, but in the case of Carleton, never did.
During the War of 1812
, Carleton Island was captured without bloodshed by three freelancing Americans. In 1817, the State Legislature of New York annexed the island to Jefferson County, and granted 500 acres (2 km²) of its land to the local New York postmaster, one Charles Smyth. The island had been a haven for smugglers, and later that year a Canadian tax collector seized some tobacco from the island. This dispute escalated, and Governor DeWitt Clinton
of New York threatened hostilities. Soon Secretary of State John Quincy Adams
was called upon to sort the matter out. After contentious negotiations, the island was retained by the United States, becoming the only territorial gain made by either party to the War of 1812, and was turned over to peaceful pursuits of farming (now abandoned), sport-fishing, and summer tourism. A few people live on the island year-round.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It was the location of Fort Haldimand, controlled by the British during the American Revolution, and of great strategic importance, as well as being a center of shipbuilding. The ruins of the fort can still be seen at the southwest end of the island. Projecting from the location of the fort is Government Point, notched by two small bays. Houses on the island are serviced by ferry from the mainland, the nearest town being Cape Vincent
Cape Vincent (town), New York
Cape Vincent is a town in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 2,777 at the 2010 census.The Town of Cape Vincent is located in the northwest part of the county. In the town is a village also called Cape Vincent. Both town and village are northwest of Watertown.- History :The town...
, New York.
History
Originally held by the Iroquois, the first European to take notice of the island was Pierre François Xavier de CharlevoixPierre François Xavier de Charlevoix
Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix was a French Jesuit traveller and historian distinguished as the first historian of New France....
, in 1720. He called it Isle aux Chevreuils, the Island of Roe Bucks, and wrote in 1721 that its bays could be useful. In 1778 British General Frederick Haldimand
Frederick Haldimand
Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
ordered a fort built on the island to protect Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
in Canada and as a forward base. The island was renamed Carleton Island after Sir Guy Carleton, who had preceded Haldimand as Governor of the Province of Quebec, and the fort was named after Haldimand. Many ships for the war were built at the island, including the recently discovered HMS Ontario
HMS Ontario (1780)
HMS Ontario was a British warship that sank in a storm in Lake Ontario on October 31, 1780, during the American Revolutionary War. She was a 22-gun snow, and, at in length, the largest British warship on the Great Lakes at the time. The shipwreck was discovered in 2008 by Jim Kennard and Dan...
. At the close of the war, under the terms of Jay's Treaty, the British were supposed to cede Carleton Island along with other forts to the Americans, but in the case of Carleton, never did.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Carleton Island was captured without bloodshed by three freelancing Americans. In 1817, the State Legislature of New York annexed the island to Jefferson County, and granted 500 acres (2 km²) of its land to the local New York postmaster, one Charles Smyth. The island had been a haven for smugglers, and later that year a Canadian tax collector seized some tobacco from the island. This dispute escalated, and Governor DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton was an early American politician and naturalist who served as United States Senator and the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal...
of New York threatened hostilities. Soon Secretary of State John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
was called upon to sort the matter out. After contentious negotiations, the island was retained by the United States, becoming the only territorial gain made by either party to the War of 1812, and was turned over to peaceful pursuits of farming (now abandoned), sport-fishing, and summer tourism. A few people live on the island year-round.