On September 11, 1814, an American naval squadron under Master
Commandant Thomas Macdonough defeated a formidable British force on Lake
Champlain under the command of Captain George Downie, effectively ending
the British invasion of the Champlain Valley during the War of 1812.
This decisive battle had far-reaching repercussions in Canada, the
United States, England, and Ghent, Belgium, where peace talks were under
way. Examining the naval and land campaign in strategic, political, and
military terms, from planning to execution to outcome, The Battle of
Lake Champlain offers the most thorough account written of this pivotal
moment in American history.
For decades the Champlain corridor-a direct and accessible invasion
route between Lower Canada and the northern United States-had been hotly
contested in wars for control of the region. In exploring the crucial
issue of why it took two years for the United States and Britain to
confront each other on Lake Champlain, historian John H. Schroeder
recounts the war's early years, the failed U.S. invasions of Canada in
1812 and 1813, and the ensuing naval race for control of the lake in
1814. To explain how the Americans achieved their unexpected victory,
Schroeder weighs the effects on both sides of preparations and planning,
personal valor and cowardice, command decisions both brilliant and
ill-conceived, and sheer luck both good and bad.
Previous histories have claimed that the War of 1812 ended with Andrew
Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Schroeder demonstrates
that the United States really won the war four months before-at
Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain. Through a comprehensive analysis of
politics and diplomacy, Schroeder shows that the victory at Lake
Champlain prompted the British to moderate their demands at Ghent,
bringing the war directly and swiftly to an end before Jackson's
spectacular victory in January 1815.
