The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-10-28
The Battle of Valcour.

wednesday, Oot0Der L, was the one
hundrcdth anniversary Of naval engage.
ment on Lake Champlain, between an
American feet under Benedict Arnold
and more formidable British armament
under the command Of Sir Guy Carlton,
but in the immediate command Of Capt.
Thomas Pringle. The American feet
had been previously constructed under
great difficulties at the southern extrem-
ity Of the lake, and the British notila
had been fitted out OF St. Johns. The
place for the engagement of the 11th Of
October, l776, was chosen by General
Arnold, end was just west Of Valcour
Island, the spot recently rendered notori.
GUS by the "Free Love- experiment Of
the Dawn Valcour community. In the
preliminary hostilities the schooner Royal
Savage, on board of which Arnold was,
received much damage and run aground
on the southwest corner Of Vnlcour Is
land whore her upper timbers can still be
seen in the low water. Arnold escaped
to the galley Congress, and throughout
the engagement, which became general q
little past noon and lasted until five
o'clock, demeaned himself 'like lion at
bay, pointing almost every gun with his
own hands and cheering his men with
voice and gesture"
ellis vessel" said Peter Palmer, the
narrator just quoted, twas hulled twelve
times, and received seven shots between
wind and water; the mainmast was in.
jured in two places, the rigging cut to
pieces, and many Of the men killed and
wounded" The galley Washington had
her first lieutenant killed, her captain and
master badly wounded, her mainmast
damaged and her sails torn to shreds.
General Waterbury, who fought on her
quarter deck throughout the engagement,
was at its close the only officer on board
not disabled, yet he succeeded in bring.
ing her off. One gondola, the New York,
lost all her officers but the captain, and
another, the Philadelphia, sunk an hour
after the battle from injuries received
while under fire. The American loss was
about sixty in killed and wounded. The
British had one gunboat sunk, another
blown up with its crew on board, and
acknowledged the loss of forty men.
The story of the days engagement has
sequel of striking interest. When with
the approach Of winter there was cessa.
tion of hostilities, the British commander
anchored his feet in line from the New
York shore to Valcour and thence to
North Hero, thus, as he supposed, com.
pletely cutting off the retreat Of the "reb.
els" who were to the north of him, and
rendering certain the capture Of their en-.
tire armament in the morning. But he
was doomed to the disappointment which
during the revolution 60 often befell the
astute English officers who could never
understand the Irregularities of the pro.
vincial mode Of warfare, for in the night
Arnold run the blockade. The night was
favorable to the attempt, as there was q
hazy atmosphere and the moon was new,
giving little light. The galley Trumbull
silently hoisted anchor and led the way.
The rest Of tho vessels followed one by
one at considerable intervals, the Con.
gress, which carried Arnold, bringing up
rear. In the order in which they passed
the enomy's line, the whole feet moved
steadily sovthward, during the night, with
q light at the stern of each vessel, and at
daybreak was nine miles from the aston.
ished Captain Pringle.
On the 18th the British overlook the
Americans and we're again baffled. Ar
mold in the Congress, made desperate re.
sistance for two hours, which enabled
part of the fleet to escape to Ticonderoga
safety, aud then ran five of his vessels on
shore near the mouth Of Otter Creek Oh
the Vermont side, and blew them up with
their colors flying. Like the battle of
Bunker Hill. the engagements of October
III and 13 resulted in immediate defeat
to the Americans, but by that action they
served also to demonstrate in an inspiring
manner the pluck and intrepidity Of the
colonists. 1t particularly added lustre
to the reputation Of General Arnold,
which was destined to gain such extraor.
dinary brilliancy before suffering its sad
eclipse