Battle of Plattsburgh Celebration
By 
Donald McBrayer
The Battle of Plattsburgh, which ended the final invasion by Britain during the War of 1812, was celebrated this Saturday with a very impressive reenactment & parade.
The streets were lined with families, coming together to celebrate a very important day in America’s history. On September 11th 1814 a British army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadron under Captain George Downie converged in Plattsburgh with plans of conquest, but were defeated by American troops under Brigadier General Alexander Macomb and ships commanded by Master Commandant Thomas MacDonough. This hard fought battle prevented a British foothold that would have resulted in American defeat. The Battle of Plattsburgh did nothing short of saving the nation.
This year the battle was more about finding parking, and a good spot to see the naval reenactment.
We were fortunate enough to reserve a table at Irises, enjoying a beer as the parade marched past.
This year’s parade had the customary mix of marching bands, antique cars, and fire trucks, but also featured some new unique entries like a Chinese Dragon, and a rather impressive helicopter and fly-over by the Plattsburgh Air Branch.
It was a great day – in 1814 and 2009.
Posted: September 13th, 2009 under Arts and Entertainment, General News.