The Battle of Valcour Island
In the Smithsonian is a remarkably intact gunboat from the Revolutionary War, named the Philadelphia. The museum has an online 3D tour that tells some of her history and lets you see more of what she was like. She was recovered from the bottom of Lake Champlain in 1935, where she had lain for over 150 years after being sunk by a British fleet during an important — though mostly forgotten — battle.
It was the fall of 1776, and British forces in Canada were preparing to strike at the colonies (or rather, states) from the north, at the same time as the main British army was pounding on the rebels in and around New York City. The Americans had started retreating from Canada in May, and had completely pulled out by the end of the summer, with the British hot on their trail; but the logical route for the invasion was by way of Lake Champlain, and the Americans still had a chance of holding that. Under Brigadier General Benedict Arnold’s direction, American carpenters worked hard to build a fleet that would be able to defend the lake. The Philadelphia, a 50-foot gunboat (also known as a gondola) with three cannon, was one of these new vessels.
The British did basically the same thing. They even disassembled a partially-constructed ship at Quebec, transported it to St. John’s, which was near Lake Champlain, and reassembled it there, ready to lead the invasion.
All of this took time — which was key for the Americans, because if they could hold off the British until cold weather came on, then the British would probably stop their invasion and wait until spring, as armies usually did in those days. But if they couldn’t, then the British could sweep down through New York, join up with the other British forces there, and make the odds even worse for General Washington and his men.
Finally, on October 11, the two little fleets came head to head on Lake Champlain. There were 16 vessels on the American side, and more than twice that many on the British side. Many of the vessels on both sides were quite small, so it wasn’t a huge battle in terms of numbers or firepower, but it was a fierce one. General Arnold reported the damage to Major General Horatio Gates the next day:
the Schooner [the Royal Savage] … was first Attacked. One of her Masts was wounded. & her Rigging Shott away. the Capt. thought prudent to run her on the Point of Valcouer [Valcour Island], where all the Men were saved the Enemy boarded her & at Night, Set fire to her — at, half past 11 the engagement, became General, & very warm. Some of the Enemies Ships & all their Gondolas, beat & rowed up within musquet Shott of us. they, Continued a Very hot fire with Round & Grape Shott untill five OClock. when they thought proper to retire to about Six or Seven hundred Yards distance & continued the fire, untill Dark — the Congress & Washington have Sufferd. greatly, the Latter Lost her first Lieut killed, & Capt & Master wounded, the New York lost all her Officers except her Captain. the Philad[elphi]a was hulled in so many Places that She Sank, About One hour after the engagemt was over, the whole, killed & wounded, amounts to abt Sixty … We suffered much for want of Seamen & Gunners, I was obliged myself to Point Most of the Guns on board the Congress which I believe did good execution — the Congress received Seven Shott between Wind & Water, was hulled a doz times, had her Main Mast Wounded in Two places & her Yard in One, The Washington was hulled a Number of times, her Main Mast Shot thro. & must have a New One. both Vessells are very leaky & want repairing.
The American fleet, badly beaten, retreated southward the next day. The British caught up with them on the 13th and beat them again, but part of the fleet made it back to safety at Fort Ticonderoga. And as the Americans had hoped, it was too late in the year for the British to continue the offensive, and they pulled back to wait until the next spring. Although Arnold’s forces had lost the Battle of Valcour Island, they had succeeded in holding back the invasion long enough to buy the United States some more time. The Philadelphia, which is the oldest intact American warship, stands as an excellent monument to this valiant effort.
See what else happened in October 1776
Sources
- Faden, William. The Attack and Defeat of the American Fleet under Benedict Arnold, by the Kings Fleet Commanded by Captn. Thos. Pringle, upon Lake Champlain, the 11th of October. London, 1776. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/gm72002094/.
- Naval Documents of the American Revolution, 6:1235.