The Battle of Valcour Island delayed the British advance down Lake Champlain, buying the Continental Army critical time to prepare defenses for the 1777 campaign.
Key Facts
- Date
- October 11, 1776
- Location
- Lake Champlain, New York
- British army size
- 9,000 men under General Carleton
- Philadelphia raised
- Sank after battle; raised in 1935
- British future admirals
- 4 (Pringle, Dacres, Pellew, Schank)
- Spitfire site discovered
- 1997, National Register of Historic Places
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After the Continental Army retreated from Quebec to Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point in June 1776, British General Guy Carleton assembled a 9,000-man force at Fort Saint-Jean. Control of Lake Champlain was essential for a British advance into the Hudson River valley, requiring both sides to hastily construct competing fleets over the summer of 1776.
On October 11, 1776, Benedict Arnold positioned the American fleet in Valcour Bay to limit British advantages. In the ensuing battle, the heavily outgunned American ships suffered severe damage. That night Arnold slipped the fleet past the British, but unfavorable weather and British pursuit led to more American ships being captured or burned before reaching Crown Point.
Although most of the American fleet was captured or destroyed, the battle delayed the British advance sufficiently that Carleton abandoned plans to reach the upper Hudson River valley before winter. This postponement proved strategically significant, as it gave American forces time to strengthen defenses, contributing to the British defeat at Saratoga the following year.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Benedict Arnold.
Side B
1 belligerent
General Guy Carleton, Thomas Pringle.