The Triumph at Plattsburg

Triumph at Plattsburg, The (1830), a play by Richard Penn Smith. [ Chestnut Street Theatre (Philadelphia), in repertory.] In order both to elude the British and to find his missing daughter, Elinor (Mrs. Roper), Major McCrea (Mr. Foot) dons the clothes of André Macklegraith (Mr. Maywood) and poses as the half‐wit son of Mrs. Macklegraith (Mrs. Turner). Elinor has fled after marrying British Captain Stanley (Mr. Rowbotham), whom she now believes has deserted her. Her arrival at the mill threatens to expose her father, but he escapes. He encounters Stanley, who proves his affections for Elinor are genuine. Set against the background of the War of 1812, this well‐constructed but extremely short comedy‐drama was turned into a full evening's entertainment by the inclusion of such spectacular scenes as “a view of the Arrival and Capture of the British Fleet.” For all its brevity, many scholars consider it the best of Smith's historical plays.