On October 11, 1776, one of the earliest naval battles of the American Revolutionary War was fought on Lake Champlain. Commanded by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, a hastily assembled American fleet of about fifteen vessels—row galleys, schooners, sloops, and gondolas—took position in Valcour Bay, between the New York mainland and Valcour Island. Its mission was to delay a much stronger British force under General Guy Carleton, whose naval squadron was commanded by Captain Thomas Pringle, as it advanced south toward the upper Hudson River valley.
Among the American vessels that endured some of the heaviest British fire was the Washington, a lateen-rigged row galley commanded by Brigadier General David Waterbury. During the six-hour main engagement, the galley was severely battered. After Arnold’s fleet slipped away under cover of darkness on the night of October 11–12, British pursuers overtook the crippled Washington on October 13, forcing her to strike her colors; Waterbury and his surviving crew were captured.
The British later took the vessel into Royal Navy service, apparently retaining the name Washington and re-rigging her as a brig. Although the Battle of Valcour Island was a clear tactical British victory—most of Arnold’s vessels were captured, destroyed, or burned—the American defense achieved a crucial strategic purpose. It stalled the British advance long enough that the onset of winter ended the northern campaign for 1776, delaying the invasion corridor toward the Hudson Valley until the following year.
