HISTORY

War on the Genesee, 1813

On the 13th of April, the British captured two ships carrying American supplies. And from the crews identified a depot of supplies at the mouth of the Genesee River. Appearing off the river mouth with six vessels, 150 men where sent ashore to acquire the supplies.

No resistance was encountered. Locals were shut up in a few buildings to prevent them from warning the rest of the community. The prize consisted of four to five hundred barrels of flour and pork and twelve hundred bushels of grain from the warehouse of Frederick Bushnell. Local legend has it that the British gave a receipt to George Latta, Bushnell's clerk (this may be related to the British desire not to alienate their army's suppliers, based in New England.)

The operation was a success. When eighty Penfield militia arrived at Charlotte the morning of the 14th, the ships where nowhere to be found. Later, at Sodus, they captured an additional six hundred barrels of flour and pork.