Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-01-10
His Lake Champlain Victory
Helps Defeat Great
Britain.
AtOned For the Mismanagemen
and Inefficiency of Land
Campaigns.
DEFEATS Overwhelming ODDS

| lOLI luC ShlCdEO lilDuut VI ldS1
Sunday we take the following, which
will prove opportune redaing at this
time, when the former enemy of this
country would enveigle us into a
peace celebration while refusing to
take any part in the Panama-Pacific
Exposition at San Francisco next
year:
Several years ago preparation was
begun to give to the centennial of
Perry's victory in Lake Erie the rec
ognition it deserved from the nation,
particularly from the West. This
year the centennial of a more ad-
venturous and not less important
victory may receive scant attention,
even in the East. Possibly IL was
Thomas Macdonough's misfortune
not to have a phrase or a phrase
maker. His memory deserves more
than may be granted to it. 1t was
late in the war when the British,
assembled under Sir George Provost,
undertook the invasion of New
York by the route taken by Bur-
| goyne thirty-seven years before, tho
natural route through the gateway
from Canada. For it the control
of Lake Champlain was essential.
Provost had command of 1000
men. 1t is easily forgotten that this
was numerically the most formidable
expedition dispatched by Great
Britain against the United States.
Ross burned Washington with 1000
men.
The strategy was that of earlier
| years, unsuccessful before, when the
farmers boys came pouring out of
the New England States and stopped
Burgoyne first at the important en-
gagement at Bennington and later,
lat the climax, at SARATOGA. They
saved the republic then, but they
were not saving it when Provost
with his larger force. threatened to
drive a wedge down into the heart
of the country. New England was
passive. Massachusetts,, with her
$4,000 trained State troops, said:
ut is Mr.. Madison's war. Let him
fight it," Gen. Macomb, in COM
mand of the troops at Plattsburg,
had 1000 effectives with whom to
oppose Prevost's 1000. On the
lake, to clear the way for the ex
pedition and maintain its line OF
communication, was a fleet of one
brig, two sloops and a dozen gun
boats. The construction of thirty
seven gun frigate had been begun.
The Americans had on the lake a
heavy corvette, two smaller vessels,
and ten gunboats, and under con
struction a brig. Capt. Macdonough
| L.. -
his vessels met the British in Sep
tember, 1914, he was inferior in
metal and men. Perry on Lake
Erie was superior in both to the
enemy. Even as happened to Perry,
Macdonough's chief vessel, the Sara
toga, became disabled, but Mac
donough did not desert 1t. He sue
cessfully performed the operation
of winding ship" presented an
unscarred and effective side to the
foe already in Imagination vic
torious, and in the following half
hour forced the enemy's flagship to
strike colors. The other ships of
the British squadron then lowered
their flags and the Americans had
control of the lake. Provost marched
back into Canada without having
the opportunity to strike at the
vitals of nation weakened by the
virtual New England secession and
by scarcity of trained and disci-
plined soldiers.
Again the navy, which the JEFF
fersonians had refused to support
because II was a "Federalist insti-
tuition" had saved American terri
tory and atoned for the mismanage-
ment and inefficiency of land cam
paigns. II was late in the war, and
possibly the disaster of a reversal on
Lake Champlain could be exagger-
ated now, but Provost, successful,
would have given geographical
isolation to the New England States,
already isolated politically from the
rest of the nation. Massachusetts at
. the time Macdonough was stopping
the formidable expedition was lead
ing the other New England States
to a frank consideration OF seces
sion. The union was not cemented
New England had much to complain
Of the other States, and the other
States more to complain OF II. II
had the specie of the country; II had
, sound banks and manufacturers; the
| aggressions of France and England
had stifled it's commerce, but II wai
trading In foodstuffs even with the
enemy and was holding military sup
; port from the Union.
When the Hartford convention
met in December, 1914, TO "obtair
such amendments and explanations
of the constitution as will secure
them (the different States) from
, further evils" II was prepared e
4 pronounce In favor OF separation
4 and the bearers OF its resolutions b
4 Washington carried virtually al
: ultimatum to President Madison ans
! Congress. They were hushed by thu
/ opportune arrival OF new from New
Orleans and from ohent. Peace wa