On October 11, 1776, the Battle of Valcour was fought on Lake Champlain. The Americans, under the command of Benedict Arnold, seemed to destined to lose this early naval battle. Not only did Guy Carleton's British fleet vastly outnumber them, but the British desperately needed this avenue south, into the heart of the colonies. However, despite losses that included 60 human casualties and damage of varying degrees to most of their ships, the Americans were able to turn the tide that night. Under cover of darkness, the Americans retreated to Crown Point. 

Their journey through a mile-wide gap between the British fleet and Valcour Island was remarkable, and General Carleton was forced to send his fleet around the island in search of the Americans. During the chase, Arnold and his men ran several boats aground and burned then to prevent them from falling into the hands of the British. Eventually, the remaining small crafts sailed into a small bay on the Vermont shore, where the waters were too shallow for the larger British fleet to follow. Again, these boats were run aground and burned, allowing the remaining crew of about 200 to travel over land to Crown Point.

Unable to pursue the Americans by water and facing the onset of the winter, Carleton chose to return to Canada. Thus, despite the loss of the fleet and of the battle, Arnold and his American troops were able to stop the British in 1776, allowing time for the Americans to rally the next year and, ultimately, to win the war. 

Other sources related to this tract of land may be found at:

• "The Battle of Valcour Island," by Arthur E. Gilligan
• "The Battle of Valcour Island and the Fight for Independence"
• "Benedict Arnold fights valiantly at Valcour Island"
• "Buying Time: The Battle of Valcour Island," by Matthew Seelinger
• "Naval Battle at Valcour Island"
• "New York--Saving Spitfire: Shedding Light on the Battle of Valcour Bay from the Depths of Lake Champlain"
• The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 1, by Benson J. Lossing
• "Valcour Island -- October 11, 1776" map
• "Valcour Island, Valcour Bay"

Research by Logan M. Lavallee, as part of the Gardiner Foundation Semiquincentennial Summer Fellowship