i'i.inton County 205 



few settlements Bcattered along the lake shore were broken up, 

 but within ten years after its close settlements were made at all 

 the principal places bordering the lake. 



On October 11, 1776, the first naval battle of the Revolution 

 fought in the channel between Valcour Island and the shore 

 of what is now the town of Peru. 



I hiring the War of 1312 this county was the seat of many mili- 

 tary transactions, and along its borders many engagements took 

 place. Those on Lake Champlain were considered among the 

 most brilliant of the war, and Pittsburgh was made memorable 

 by the rictory of Commodore McDonough and General McComb 

 over the British naval and land forces on September 11, 1814. 

 The immense sums of money expended within this county during 

 the war greatly stimulated its industry; and, although Plattsburgh 

 was twice in the hands of the enemy and partly burned, business 

 still prospered. At the close of the war business was destroyed 

 by the commercial reaction that followed, but it was resumed upon 

 the completion of the Champlain Canal in 1823. 



The Canadian rebellion in 1837, commonly known as "the 

 Patriot War," found many sympathizers on this side of the line 

 and active attempts were made to establish communication between 

 Canada and the United States at Rouses Point. The success of 

 the plot was prevented, however, by a garrison of United States 

 troops stationed at that point. 



The building of the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain rail- 

 road, now the Rutland, and the New York and Canada, now 

 known as the Delaware and Hudson railroad, opened a new era 

 in the history of the county, as each offered greater facilities for 

 marketing produce. To Clinton County belongs the distinction 

 of having the first steamboat in the world after Fulton had demon- 

 strated the success of the " Clermont " on the Hudson. This was 

 the " Vermont," whose first voyage was made on Lake Champlain 

 in 1809. The development of Clinton County has been largely 

 due to the establishment of steamboat transportation along its 

 border. 



Clinton prison was established in 1846 with the idea of employ- 

 ing convict labor in mining and smelting iron. As the plan proved 

 to be a heavy loss to the state, however, it was later abandoned. 



