| MORTARS and COHORNS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dim of bore. | Ft. & ins. of length. | Weight | Total w’ht. | ||||
| Brass | |||||||
| 2 | Cohorns | 5 | - 7/10 | 1-4 | 150 | 300 | |
| 4 | do. | 4½ | 1-1 | 100 | 400 | ||
| 1 | Mortar | 8½ | 2-0 | 300 | 300 | ||
| 1 | do. | 7½ | 2-0 | 300 | 300 | ||
| 8 | |||||||
| Iron | |||||||
| 1 | do. | 6½ | 1-10 | 600 | 600 | ||
| 1 | do. | 10 | 3-6 | 1800 | 1800 | ||
| 1 | do. | 10¼ | 3-6 | 1800 | 1800 | ||
| 3 | do. | 13 | 3 (average) | 2300 | 6900 | ||
| 6 | |||||||
| HOWITZERS | |||||||
| Iron | |||||||
| 1 | 8 | 3-4 | 15.2.15 | 15.2.15 | |||
| 1 | 8¼ | 3-4 | 15.2.15 | 15.2.15 | |||
| 2 | (16) | ||||||
| CANNON | |||||||
| Brass | |||||||
| 8 | 3 | pounders | 3 | - 1/20 | 3-6 | 350 | 2,800 |
| 3 | 6 | do. | 3 | - 7/10 | 4-6 | 600 | 1,800 |
| 1 | 18 | do. | 5½ | 8-3 | 2000 | 2,000 | |
| 1 | 24 | do. | 5 | -11/12 | 5-6 | 16.3.18 | 1,800 |
| Iron | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | do. | 3 | - 7/10 | 9-7 | 2500 | 15,000 |
| 4 | 9 | do. | 4 | - 4/10 | 8-4 | 2500 | 10,000 |
| 10 | 12 | do. | 4¾ | 9 | 2800 | 28,000 | |
| 7 | 18 | do. | 5½ | 9 | 4000 | 28,000 | |
| dble fortif. | |||||||
| 3 | 18 | do. | 5½ | 11 | 5000 | 15,000 | |
| To. can., 43 | Total Weight, 119,900 | ||||||
| Mortars, 16 | |||||||
From Contemporary Water Colors. Showing Rig of Fleet at Valcour Island. (Original in the Museum)
In the spring of 1776, Benedict Arnold returned to Ticonderoga from the unsuccessful siege of Quebec. His spies soon told him that the British under Sir Guy Carleton intended to invade from the North. Arnold, one of the best soldiers this country ever has produced, realized that a fleet on Lake Champlain should be the first line of defense. With super-human efforts he collected shipwrights and carpenters at Ticonderoga and Skenesborough, erected ways, and, in spite of the lack of men and money, by the end of August the fleet was ready. It consisted of:
| Guns | Men | Capt. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schooner ROYAL SAVAGE | 12 | 50 | Wynkoop |
| (Arnold Flagship) | |||
| Schooner REVENGE | 10 | 80 | Seamen |
| Sloop LIBERTY | 10 | 35 | Plummer |
| Sloop ENTERPRIZE | 12 | 50 | Dickson |
| Galley WASHINGTON | 3 | 45 | Warner |
| (Gen. Waterbury on board) | |||
| Galley TRUMBULL | 3 | 45 | Colonel Wigglesworth |
| Galley CONGRESS | 3 | 45 | Capt. Arnold |
| Galley CUTTER LEE | 6 | 50 | Davis |
| Gondola BOSTON | 3 | 45 | Sumner |
| ” PROVIDENCE | 3 | 45 | Simmons |
| ” NEW HAVEN | 3 | 45 | Mansfield |
| ” SPITFIRE | 3 | 45 | Ulmer or Ustens |
| ” PHILADELPHIA | 3 | 45 | Rice |
| ” JERSEY | 3 | 45 | Grimes |
| ” CONNECTICUT | 3 | 45 | Grant |
| ” NEW YORK | 3 | 45 | Lee |
The Attack and Defeat of the American Fleet under Benedict Arnold, by King’s Fleet Commanded by Captain John Pringle, upon Lake Champlain, the 11th of October, 1776.
The British, in the meantime, had also been building a fleet. Several ships in the St. Lawrence had been taken apart, carried around the rapids, and rebuilt at St. Johns.
The two fleets met near Valcour Island on October 11th. After a two day fight the American Fleet was almost entirely destroyed, but Arnold had accomplished his object, he had held back the invaders for a whole year, as by the time Sir Guy Carleton reached and took Crown Point it was too late for his army to advance.
The British fleet in the battle consisted of: