This Day in History: Escape at Valcour Island
On this day in 1776, Benedict Arnold prepares to take on the British. He is badly outgunned. His sailors are inexperienced. His ships are inferior. Naturally, he went anyway.
After all, back then, he was still a good guy, fighting valiantly for the American cause!
Arnold had no intention of letting George Washington’s army fall victim to the latest British plot: A fleet was being prepared to push through Lake Champlain toward the Hudson Valley, joining Howe’s forces near New York and cutting off Washington, then in Harlem Heights.
Arnold had only four ships, but he’d been authorized to build more. Could he stop the British before they seized Lake Champlain? He and his men worked hard through August and September, but there just wasn’t enough time.
Early in October, Arnold learned that British General Guy Carleton was headed his way with a large British fleet. Arnold would have to be creative. He decided to hide his fleet between Valcour Island and the New York shore of Lake Champlain. The British fleet would hopefully go by without seeing him. While they turned their large, cumbersome warships around, he’d launch an attack.
Perhaps he could sufficiently injure them before they were at full fighting strength.
It worked! Carleton sailed right past Arnold on the morning of October 11. By the time the British saw Arnold, they were at a disadvantage. “[T]he engagement became general,” Arnold later wrote, “and very warm. . . . They continued a very hot fire with round and grape shot until five o’clock when they thought proper to retire about 6 or 7 hundred yards distance . . . .”
The relatively inexperienced American seamen had hung tough, but now their ships were badly damaged, and they were low on ammunition. The British thought they had Arnold trapped in a channel. They retired for the night, thinking they’d finish him off in the morning.
Big mistake!
Arnold knew the area better than the British. Thus, he knew of a small gap (barely) deep enough for his fleet. He would attempt a midnight escape.
He had the ships’ oars muffled. Lights on decks were extinguished, except for one small lantern that was covered so as to make the light visible only to a ship directly behind it. The ships would follow each other, single-file. Slowly and carefully, the American fleet left.
You can imagine the British surprise the next morning! Unfortunately, Arnold’s men weren’t out of danger yet.
They aimed for Crown Point, where that American fort could provide protection. Arnold had a head start, but his badly damaged ships were moving too slowly. Worse, some were leaking and had to be scuttled.
The British fleet caught up to Arnold around noon on October 13. As the British took shots at the battered little fleet, the American ships continued to struggle. One ship was forced to surrender, but Arnold steered the rest toward a bay that was too shallow for the larger British warships.
The Americans purposefully crashed their ships, then set them afire.
Did I forget to mention that the ships had been bearing “Don’t Tread on Me” flags? Those yellow flags flapped above the flames as the ships were consumed. In the meantime, Arnold’s men took off overland, finally finding safety at Fort Ticonderoga early on October 14.
No British attack ever came because the British commander was leery of attacking so late in the year. Winter was coming, and he decided to retreat.
Ironically, the lost battle was a raging success. Arnold and his men had sufficiently delayed the British, forcing them to abandon the plan to go after Washington.
Another little-known story of American perseverance and determination, so critical in our fight for freedom.
A note for those who are interested: Some of you might know I am running an experiment in history reels. If you are so inclined, check out my YouTube channel and/or subscribe to those HERE. Don’t miss the reel I created about the Father of Flag Day, posted over the weekend.
Primary Sources:
Nathaniel Philbrick, Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution (2016)
Paul David Nelson, General Sir Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester: Soldier-Statesman of Early British Canada (2000)
Steve Sheinkin, The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery (2010)
Willard Sterne Randall, Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor (1990)
Comments