OGDENSBURG -- Town of De Kalb Municipal Historian Bryan Thompson will present “The Accidental Commander: The North Country’s Forgotten War of 1812 General” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Ogdensburg Public Library during The Battle of Ogdensburg Weekend.

Brigadier-General Thomas Brigdum Benedict of De Kalb commanded the northern frontier from Sackets Harbor to Salmon River from June to December 1812.

Many people have heard of General Jacob Brown and Captain Benjamin Forsyth, but not Benedict.

Thompson and the re-enactors will fill out the picture of this man who commanded at Ogdensburg before Forsyth arrived.

The public and re-enactors can learn about this forgotten general Saturday. There is no charge for this Battle of Ogdensburg Weekend event, part of the River Shiver winter festival.

"We invited Bryan Thompson to speak about Benedict because Bryan knows more about the War of 1812 in the North Country than most people can imagine," said Tim Cryderman, vice president of North Country re-enactors’ group Forsyth’s Rifles. "Brigadier-General Benedict, who dedicated his life to public service in St. Lawrence County, deserves to be remembered."

Historian Thompson is a retired teacher, and he is the descendant of at least four St. Lawrence County veterans of the War of 1812 200 years ago.

Thompson received New York State Archives Hackman Research Fellowship to research General Benedict and other War of 1812 soldiers from De Kalb, Cryderman notes. "For almost 20 years he has chronicled local history in 30 published articles and given many presentations."

In 2009 Mr. Thompson received the Bruce W. Dearstyne Award for excellence in educational use of local government records.

The Battle of Ogdensburg Weekend includes re-enacted battles on Lighthouse Point at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 and Sunday Feb. 26. Saturday events include a 10 a.m. wreath ceremony at Sheriff York’s grave in Riverside Cemetery and the Winter Ball (English Country Dancing) at Centennial Towers at 7:30 p.m.

Sheriff York and his men faced the British alone on Feb. 22. 1813. They fired a brass six-pounder at the invaders. When his men fled, York remained alone at his gun. A British officer said to his soldiers, "There stands too brave a man to shoot." York was taken prisoner.