Oswego in Oswego County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Post Cemetery
Dedicated on July 1, 1906, Fort Ontario’s post cemetery contains the graves of 77 British and American soldiers, as well as some of their wives, mothers, and children. The original cemetery was established 300 yards southeast of the fort in 1759 and was used from the period of the French and Indian War until its closure in 1815. It was reopened in 1839 and remained an active burial ground until the post closed in 1901. Two years later, the bodies were moved from their original location and re-buried in the present post cemetery.
Several hundred British and Provincial soldiers and civilian artisans died of disease, accident, and Native American attacks during the year leading up to the French capture and destruction of Oswego in 1756. Unmarked graves discovered during the rebuilding of Fort Ontario in 1903 may be associated with the British 51st Regiment of Foot and the Jersey Blues, which were two of the units stationed at the fort in 1755-56.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1813.
Location. 43° 28.097′ N, 76° 30.352′ W. Marker is in Oswego, New York, in Oswego County. Marker is on E 4th Street. Marker is located at the Fort Ontario Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oswego NY 13126, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Those Buried At Fort Ontario (here, next to this marker); From the Hearth of America Come the Heart of America (within shouting distance of this marker); Revolutionary War Patriots Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); 12 Unknown Revolutionary Soldiers (within shouting distance of this marker); British Invasion (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Ontario State Historic Site (about 300 feet away); Holocaust Survivors (about 400 feet away); African Troops at Fort Ontario (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oswego.
More about this marker. A ca. 1903 photograph of the original post cemetery (Image courtesy of the Oswego Daily Palladium) appears at the top of the marker.
Other pictures on the marker depict “British 50th and 51st Regiments of Foot. (Image courtesy of the Company of Military Historians. Original illustrations by Eric I. Manders)” and “The New Jersey Regiment. (Image courtesy of the Company of Military Historians. Original illustrations by H. Chsrles McBarron, Jr.)
Pictures of flags are at the lower middle of the marker, and has a caption of “Flying together over the cemetery are a 48-star American flag, representing the number of states when the last interment was made in 1943, and a pre-1801 British flag, symbolizing a time when British and colonial American troops fought together during the French and Indian War.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2014, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 513 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 2, 2014, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.