Fort Lévis (Ogdensburg, New York)

Ogdensburg · New York · Seven Years' War

Quick BriefFort Lévis was built on Isle Royale in the St. Lawrence River in 1759 by the French, named for Duc de Lévis and positioned 3 miles downstream from Fort de La Présentation. After a devastating bombardment, Captain Pouchot surrendered on August 24, 1760.

Coastal defense

History & Significance

Construction of the fort on Isle Royale began in September 1759, ordered as the French found the defenses of their St. Lawrence River colonies insufficient to resist the British and intended to protect the French and Iroquois inhabitants during the expected invasion route. The original design by Lévis called for stone walls, 200 guns, and 2,500 troops, but Pouchot received only a wooden stockade, five cannon, and 200 soldiers.

During the Battle of the Thousand Islands fought from August 16–24, 1760, at Fort Lévis and nearby waters during the Montreal Campaign, the small French garrison held a much larger British army at bay for over a week, managing to sink two British warships and cripple a third. By August 24, Pouchot was out of ammunition and surrendered.

The British renamed it Fort William Augustus. The fort was abandoned by the British in 1766. During construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the remains of the fort were destroyed and submerged beneath the river.