Battle of Plattsburgh: Sept. 11, 1814 (War of 1812)
“The defeat at Plattsburgh crippled the British advance and was the most decisive engagement of the war." Thus were the words of noted military historian and British statesman, Winston Churchill, as he described the results of an improbable victory of the American Navy on Lake Champlain on September 11, 1814. Under the command of Thomas Macdonough aboard his flagship, the Saratoga, the smaller American fleet secured the future of our nation. Shortly after, an unknown participant wrote a poetic and poignant letter to his father who was a veteran of another British defeat a generation earlier at the Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolution. Almost 200 years later, Woods Tea Company member, Howard Wooden, put those words to music. Soon after hearing the ballad, Towne Meeting requested and was graciously granted permission to record our rendition of the song, which first appeared on our “Live in Concert” CD. Our newest venture is a combination of the music with historical images and contemporary photographs, many from past Battle of Plattsburgh Bicentennial Commemoration events. We invite you to experience this important piece of America’s past with “On Board the Saratoga.”
