Trumbull Gallery of Paintings in Yale College. 235° 
ing for active service was too small to offer any effectual resis- 
tance to the victorious enemy, had he possessed the means of 
following up his success. Happily, General Sullivan, on whom 
had devolved the command of this disastrous retreat, had with 
great skill and exertion, found means either to destroy or with- 
draw all the vessels and boats on Lake Champlain, so that the 
victors were compelled to remain at St. John’s until they could 
construct others. 
The summer was passed by the contending parties, at the two 
extremities of the lake, in preparations to give or repel the attack ; 
the works at Tioondeseia were strengthened, and each endeav- 
ored to secure the command of the lake by constructing a fleet ; 
these met on the 11th of October, when the American squadron 
was defeated, and the enemy advanced to Crown Point, and recon- 
noitered Ticonderoga. But the lateness of the season, and the 
formidable display of apparent force on our side, deterred Sir Guy 
Carlton from making an attack. The defenses of this post had 
been so extended as to require at least 10,000 men, and they 
were occupied for a short time by 13,500, chiefly New England 
militia. It was not only believed by some, but at length demon- 
Strated by actual experiment, that this extended position was 
overlooked and completely commanded by Sugar-Loaf Hill, which 
forms the northern extremity of that mountain ridge which sepa- 
rates Lake George from Wood Creek, the southern and narrow 
part of Champlain ; and this important point, elevated six hundred 
feet above the level of the water, had never been occupied z! 
French, English, or Americans. 
The spring of 1777 found General St. Clair occupying the ex- 
tensive works of Ticonderoga with only site i all the force 
that could be spared for the defense of tha 
On the first of July, General eet Senin before the 
place at the head of 8000 men, and immediately occupied Mount 
Hope, on the left of our position, distant about 1000 yards from. 
the old French lines, so memorable for the defeat of General 
Abercrombie, in 1757. He was thus master of the outlet of Lake 
George, and on the next night he occupied the summit of Sugar- 
Loaf Hill, with several pieces of heavy artillery, and from that 
moment it became unavoidably necessary to abandon Ticonde- 
roga. This was effected in the course of the following day by 
General St. Clair, with as little loss or disorder as could be ex- 
