THE BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN: A Brilliant and Extraordinary Victory

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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. This examines the naval and land campaign in strategic, political, and military terms, from planning to execution to outcome.

Schroeder asserts 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 contends 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. Includes six b/w illustrations and four b/w maps.