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The Plattsburgh Boys (Also known as Aitkin's Volunteers)

Overview

On September 11th, 1814, a handful of children from the town of Plattsburgh, New York, armed themselves with rifles and helped turn the tide of the war against England. They forted up a strategic sawmill overlooking the Bridge Street Bridge on the Saranac River. From that vantage point, they managed to prevent the British army from crossing the bridge and overrunning the town of Plattsburgh. After the war, Congress awarded the boys presentation rifles for courage under fire. This award was an early version of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Boys

The boys were residents of the town of Plattsburgh. All were too young to enlist in the Army or New York Militia. The oldest was just 16 years old. The youngest was around 10. In all, 15 boys were awarded presentation rifles, though according to some accounts there may have been as many as 30 children who participated. By most accounts, only one of the boys died in the battle. Peters died on the first day. All the rest survived the battle. None of the boys involved went on to have a military career, though several went on to become lawyers, businessmen, and politicians. Many went on to become important figures in Plattsburgh.

Duke of Wellington's Army

The Duke of Wellington's Army had recently defeated Napoleon. England's King George, emboldened by this victory (and perhaps not eager to have boisterous soldiers return to their home villages just yet) sent these battle-tested men to Canada. There they regrouped and and headed South to reclaim the colonies for the King. Wellington expected to defeat the Americans easily. If Napoleon was no match for them, the ragtag colonists should stand no chance.

The Strategic Importance of the Sawmill

The boys succeeded in holding off the British army long enough for Thomas MacDonough to defeat the British navy in Plattsburgh Bay and Alexander Macomb to finish the job on land shortly after. The sawmill was positioned above the bridge, allowing the boys a clear line of sight to shoot British soldiers as they crossed the bridge. The bridge

Crossing the Saranac

The boys managed to cross the Saranac River themselves in order to outmaneuver the British army on the way to the sawmill.

The Girl

Macomb and MacDonough new the American forces were outnumbered. The British had tricked the bulk of the American Army into heading to Buffalo. MacDonough hoped to pull a similar trick, by allowing a fake letter to fall into British hands. Getting Wellington to believe such an obvious ruse would have been difficult. MacDonough enlisted the help of a teenage Irish girl living in Cumberland Head. She managed to get the letter to the British army and convince them it was real. The ruse worked.

The Martin Aitkin Debate

The Plattsburgh Boys are often referred to as Aitkin's Volunteers. Captain Martin Aitkin, who after the war became involved in politics, was instrumental in pushing for Congress to award rifles to the boys. He was awarded on himself, as was Captain Azariah Flagg. Aitkin served as the sponsor for the boys to enlist. This was required since they were all underage. According to local lore in the town of Plattsburh, Aitkin led the boys at the mill. However there is no evidence, either in war records or in the diaries of the boys who fought, that Aitkin or Flagg did anything more than sponsor the boys. After the first day, the boys separated from Aitkin's company and fought under their own command.