Macdonnell, George
(August 15, 1780–May 16, 1870)
English Army Officer
MACDONNELL, GEORGE
“R
ed George” was an aggressive offi-
cer from the War of 1812 who se-
cured British communications on
the St. Lawrence River by storming Ogdens-
burg, New York. Afterward, he performed
useful services at the Battle of Chateauguay.
George Richard John Macdonnell was born
in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on August 15,
1780, the son of an army officer. He joined the
British army as an ensign of the 55th Regi-
ment of Foot in September 1796, rose to lieu-
tenant two years later, and transferred as a
captain in the Eighth Regiment in 1805. In ser-
vice Macdonnell became known as “Red
George” on account of his ruddy hair and
complexion.
By 1808, Great Britain’s relations with the
United States had deteriorated to the point
where the government felt it necessary to in-
crease Canadian defenses. Accordingly, Mac-
donnell accompanied his regiment to Nova
Scotia as part of the newly enlarged garrison
there. England also sought to bolster thinly
populated regions of Canada by encouraging
emigration from Scotland. Many of these new-
comers had settled in a predominately
Catholic region called Glengarry, and in 1811
Macdonnell was tasked with organizing them
into a militia force. The resulting unit, the
Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles, were
among Canada’s best formations when the
War of 1812 commenced. In light of his excel-
lent service thus far, Macdonnell was also
granted the brevet rank of major. Recruitment
for the Glengarries proved slow, so they were
not committed to combat for several months.
However, American misbehavior provided
them with ideal conditions for a successful
combat debut.
Throughout the War of 1812, the mighty St.
Lawrence River formed the principal commu-
nications and supply route for British army
garrisons farther west. Had this vital link been
severed, the province of Upper Canada (now
Ontario) would have simply whithered away.
Curiously, U.S. strategy during this conflict
never made a serious attempt to cut the vital
artery, but the British remained highly sensi-
tive to any American presence in the region.
In the fall of 1812, a company of the U.S. Regi-
ment of Riflemen under Capt. Benjamin
Forsyth occupied Ogdensburg, New York,
astride the great waterway. This was no great
development in strictly military terms, but
Forsyth proved himself a highly aggressive
raider. In September 1812, he successfully
stormed the Canadian village of Gananoque,
taking many supplies and prisoners. Forsyth
then took the village of Elizabethville on Feb-
ruary 6, 1813, for the purpose of freeing Amer-
ican civilians imprisoned there. These activi-
ties raised the ire of Macdonnell, now
garrison commander of Fort Wellington in
nearby Prescott, especially when it was
learned that some of Forsyth’s men had stolen
horses from a farmer. He sent a message to
the American commander demanding that the
property be returned. Forsyth denied his men
were responsible for the theft, but before or-
dering the British officer back to Fort Welling-
ton, he challenged Macdonnell to fight it out
on the ice with their respective commands.
The British did not respond immediately to
Forsyth’s suggestion, but Macdonnell began
marshaling his forces together for an attempt.
Around this time Governor-General George
Prevostappeared at Prescott while en route
to Kingston, and Macdonnell formally re-
quested his permission to attack Ogdensburg.
Prevost, a cautious commander unwilling to
upset the status quo, disapproved at first but
eventually granted conditional permission if
the “imbecile conduct of your enemy should
offer you an opportunity for his destruction
and that of the shipping, batteries, and public
stores.” Macdonnell, an enterprising officer