Page 37 - NS-2 Textbook

30 MARITIME HISTORY

Thomas Macdonough's victory at the Battle of Lake Champlain, September 1814. The U.S. victory caused the British to retreat into Canada and
sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.

The night-long bombardment that began the evening built the twenty-six-gun corvette Saratoga, the twenty-
of 13 September failed to bring down the U.s. flag wav- gun brig Eagle, two sailing vessels, and ten gunboats, all
ing defiantly over the fort. Francis Scott Key, a U.s. in a little more than a month.
civilian being held aboard one of the British vessels, Macdonough anchored his ships in Plattsburg Bay, a
witnessed the stirring sight and wrote the words of deep inlet on the western side of the lake, to await the
"The Star-Spangled BaImel;" which later became our British attack. He placed his ships close enough to shore
national anthem. Unable to get past the fort, a few days that his line could not be circunwented. Then he ral1 out
later the British reboarded the troops on their ships and spring lines (ropes at sharp angles) from the sterns so
sailed away. that the ships could be swung around and the guns
In the Montreal area, in the summer of 1814 Sir brought to bear from both sides. On 11 September the
George Prevost, governor general of Canada, had 12,000 British squadron tmder command of Captain George
troops, including four brigades fresh from the Peninsular Downie sailed south to do battle with the American fleet.
campaign against Napoleon. They were preparing to ad- When he learned that the British were outside the bay,
vance down into the United States along the old Lake Macdonough called his men to quarters and, imitating
Champlain route, used by Burgoyne during the Revo- Nelson's famous message at Trafalgal; hoisted a message
lution. To oppose them the United States had only to his fleet: uln1pressed sean1en call on every man to do
1,500 troops, stationed at Plattsburg on the western shore his duty."
of the lake. A small naval squadron tmder the command Downie's squadron sailed south in line abreast to at-
of Master CommaI1dant 1110mas Macdonough, another tack the Americans. Soon all vessels of both squadrons
of Preble's Boys, assisted in the American defense. ·were engaged in furious gunfire. During the first fe'\v
Prevost delayed his invasion in order to ,vait lUltil minutes a broadside from the Saratoga into the British
the British gained control of the lake. Otherwise Ameri- flagship COl1fial1ce dismotmted one of her gtms, which
can naval guns would be able to dominate the lakeside l'lunbled across the deck aI1d crushed Downie to death.
road that Prevost had to use, and the Alnerican squadron When the engaged broadsides of both flagships were
could prevent use of the lake as a sea line of conullunica- about smashed to silence, Macdonough swtmg his ship
tion along which to resupply his invasion force. 111e 180 degrees, thereby bringing a fresh broadside to bear
British quickly built a naval flotilla made up of the frigate on the COl1fiance. With water rising in her hull, and her
C0l1jiallee, thirty-seven gtU1S, three smaller 'warships, and commander killed, the British flagship stu'rendered, as
twelve gunboats to challenge Macdonough for control of did the rest of the British squadron a short time later. Over
the lake. Completely outgunned, Macdonough hastily two hotu's of close fighting had cost both sides hundreds