SACKETT'S HARBOR, a village in Jefferson county, New York, U.S.A., at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, on the south shore of Black River bay, about I m. from its mouth, and about 10 m. W. by S. of Watertown. Pop. (Iwo) 868; (1930) Sackett's Harbor is served by the New York Central railway. It is built on low land, around a small, nearly enclosed harbour, the northern shore of which is formed by Navy Point, a narrow tongue of land extending about 4 m. nearly due eastward from the mainland. In the military cemetery is the grave of Gen. Zebulon M. Pike (q.v.), killed at York (Toronto) on April 27, 1813.
The first settlement was made in 18o1 by Augustus Sackett, and the village was incorporated in 1814. In the War of 1812 Sackett's Harbor was an important strategic point for the Ameri cans, who had here a naval station, Ft. Tompkins, at the base of Navy Point, and Ft. Volunteer, on the eastern side of the harbour.
In July 1812 a British squadron unsuccessfully attempted to cap ture a brig and schooner in the harbour. From Sackett's Harbor American expeditions against York (now Toronto) and Ft.
George respectively set out in April and May 1813. Sackett's Harbor was the starting-point of a force of 70o men under a Pole named von Schultz, who in Nov. 1838,during the uprising in Upper Canada (Ontario) attempted to invade Canada, was taken pris oner near Prescott, was tried at Kingston, being defended by Sir John Macdonald, and with nine of his followers was executed in Kingston in December.
See A. T. Mahan, Sea-Power in its Relation to the War of 1812 (Boston, 1905) ; and W. Kingsford, The History of Canada, vol. viii. (Toronto, 1895).