«6 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



to tbc celebrity of his reputation. He had be- 

 fore shown that he was a brave and undaunted 

 tsoldier, and he had now executed the duty of 

 an able naval commander. The Americans, 

 though unfortunate, gloried in the dangerous 

 attention that he paid to a nice poin\ of honor ; 

 he kept his flag flying, and would not quit the 

 Congress galley, till she was involved in flames, 

 so that the enemy could neither board her, nor 

 strike her flag. The event however was, that 

 after the action, the American fleet consisted 

 only of two gallics, two schooners, one sloop, 

 and one gondola.* 



Lake Champlain was nov/ recovered by the 

 British, but their great object was to reduce 

 Crown Point, Ticonderoga, and Albany ; and 

 thus effect a coalition with the British army at 

 New York, ui)der the command of general 

 Howe. This, it was supposed, would give them 

 the command of Hudson's river, cut off the 

 communication between the northern and southr 

 cm colonies, leave the New England provinces 

 to the mercy of Britain ; and thus go far to pift 

 «n end to what they called the rebellion, and of 

 xvhich they "supposed New England to be the 

 main support. And had general Carleton, upon 

 the reduction of the American fleet proceeded 

 immediately to Ticonderoga, he would have 

 found that place not v.ell prepared for resistance, 

 or in a situation to have long sustained a regular 

 siege. But on October the fourteenth, the wind 

 came about to the southward, and blew fresh 

 from the south for eight days, which made it 

 impracticable for the British fleet to proceed up 



* Corian. Vcl, II, p. 146. Murray. V«l. II, p. 15G, 



