Top left: Author and naturalist Roger Fulton talks about the Battle of Cranberry Creek on Sept. 12 before taking a group of 10th Mountain Division (LI) Soldiers on a kayak trip along the route where Americans and British fought more than two centuries ago on the St. Lawrence River. Bottom left: Capt. Michael McKeon, troop commander with 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, paddles along Cranberry Creek where a battle between Americans and British was fought during the War of 1812. Top right: The Battle of Cranberry Creek Memorial is located just off the shore of Cranberry Creek in Alexandria Bay, within the Cranberry Creek Wildlife Management Area. Members of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) traveled to this site, via kayak, to revisit the battle and explore the possibility of using local military history to enhance leader professional development. (Photos by Mike Strasser, Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs)
10th Mountain Division explores War of 1812 battle, with focus on military leadership, battlefield tactics
Mike Strasser
Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Sept. 20, 2023) – Trading their rucksacks and combat boots for paddles and life vests, members of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) went back over two centuries in North Country military history Sept. 12 to revisit the Battle of Cranberry Creek.
Led by author and naturalist Roger Fulton, the group kayaked along the creek route on the St. Lawrence River where American and British forces fought during the War of 1812. Along the way, Fulton pointed out key terrain features while explaining the strategy American Soldiers employed against a larger British opposition.
The battle was a result of an American privateering expedition that seized a British supply convoy of 15 bateaux and gunboats headed to their headquarters in Kingston, Ontario.
Fulton said the Americans caught the enemy completely by surprise near Goose Bay on July 18, 1813, and without a shot fired.
“Apparently, they arrived at night and when they found them, all the British had gone ashore to sleep – except for one sentry, who was also asleep,” he said.
Under guard of 21st Infantry Regiment Soldiers, roughly 70 prisoners were marched from Alexandria Bay to Sackets Harbor, while a smaller contingent remained to organize the transport of seized goods and to plan for a British counterattack.
“The Americans knew it was only a matter of time, because they couldn’t make it all the way to Sackets Harbor with an extra 15 boats,” Fulton said. “So, they went up Cranberry Creek and set up a defense because they knew the British were coming back.”
The British returned on the morning of July 21 with four gunboats and at least one transport vessel. The American forces, led by Capt. Dimock, had stripped the cannons from captured ships and placed them in strategic locations on the high ground along Cranberry Creek. They also created a logjam across Cranberry Creek, so when the British stopped to break through the barrier the American forces would launch their attack.
Fulton said the British had the Americans outnumbered, 250 against 50, but the Americans used terrain to their advantage.
“Capt. Dimock dispatched 10 of his men on each side of the creek – marksmen – so if the British tried to land, they would be picked off,” he said.
The British took heavy casualties from their poor positioning in the narrow creek, which also disabled them from returning fire with accuracy.
“According to the records, the shell fired from the Americans hit the stern of one of the boats and dumped all of the British men into the water,” Fulton said. “And the battle was on. The British were under heavy cannon and grapeshot fire. They knew they had the Americans way outnumbered, and they sent a demand – under a flag of truce – for the Americans to surrender. They did not agree, and the battle continued to rage.”
The British would eventually retreat after determining that recouping the seized goods was not worth any more lives lost.
“I know one British report that says the commanding officer lost his aide-de-camp, a captain killed, and back in 1813 they didn’t like to lose officers,” Fulton said. “They don’t like to lose them now either, but the point was that it was rare for a British officer to be killed in battle.”
Fulton said the number of Americans killed was estimated between two and seven.
“I dedicated my research to the men who fought in that battle, and those who, unfortunately, died in that battle,” he said.
His writing and advocacy for the preservation of this history led to the establishment of a memorial at the Cranberry Creek Wildlife Management Area in Alexandria Bay.
Fulton, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and retired New York state trooper, said he has enjoyed working with the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to demonstrate how Soldiers can learn from a two-centuries-old battle in the North Country.
“I just feel that young Soldiers could learn a great deal from this history,” Fulton said. “This is preparedness and tactics, thinking on your feet. And this didn’t happen in some foreign country. This happened right here, not too far away from Fort Drum in 1813.”
Lt. Col. Marc Cleveland, 10th Mountain Division (LI) information operations officer, helped to coordinate Fulton’s visit to Fort Drum in August for a presentation on the Battle of Cranberry Creek.
“Roger Fulton has been incredibly helpful to the 10th Mountain Division,” Cleveland said. “His book, ‘The Battle of Cranberry Creek in the War of 1812,’ his presentation, and his guided expedition of Cranberry Creek provided detailed information on a lethal skirmish involving small-unit infantry tactics that happened 30 miles from Fort Drum.”
Cleveland said the information will be made available to 10th Mountain Division (LI) units for staff rides and professional development sessions.
“This presents numerous opportunities to learn about history, think critically, increase proficiency and explore the outdoors,” he said. “And having fun while doing this is also important. If you enjoy what you do – you probably do it well.”
Capt. Michael McKeon, troop commander with 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, said the Battle of Cranberry Creek is a good example of mission command, and he could see how applying this to unit training would be beneficial to 1st BCT Soldiers.
“The kayaking was an excellent way to present the battle from the perspective of the British forces as they would have seen the area over 200 years ago,” he said. “Paddling along the creek and looking up at the high ground along both sides of the river really brought into perspective the planning and preparation that the American forces had undergone prior to the battle.”
The 1st Brigade Combat Team is associated with Alexandria Bay through the 10th Mountain Division’s Snap-Link program, which encourages community outreach and unit engagement with local events and activities.
“This type of leader professional development helps to create ties to the local population and build positive relationships with local leaders,” McKeon said. “It also gives people the chance to participate in an activity, like kayaking, that they may not otherwise partake. It would be a great way to get young Soldiers out and trying new things while also helping connect them to the history of the U.S. Army and the North Country.”
During the Cranberry Creek excursion, McKeon took note of a battlefield strategy that is still viable in modern warfare.
“The strategic importance of supply lines and sustainment are still incredibly relevant today,” he said. “Although transportation has progressed dramatically, the difficulty of sustaining a fighting force for long periods of time is still something that militaries around the world struggle with today.
“The use of terrain to restrict a numerically superior enemy is something that will always be relevant,” McKeon continued. “From the Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae all the way up to present-day Ukraine, outgunned and outnumbered forces have been using local knowledge of the terrain to their advantage to defeat a superior force. This is something that the U.S. has used and had used against us in the last 20 years of the war on terror. Using the terrain to gain a tactical advantage will always be an important lesson for young officers and leaders to learn and understand.”