boars passed through the line of gunboats and pulled through the crossfire to where they could rake up the schooner's row line. They made fast and pulled her bow arou nd, rowing the schooner southwards and our of direct fire. Before they could get entirely clear, American shot parred the row line. Pellew ran forward to pass down a new hawser. Ar last Carleton was rowed our of range. She was rhe only one of the big British vessels ro closely engage char day, bur she paid a heavy price for rhe honor.
"How do you like a sea fight?" By several accounts, the British flagship Maria m anaged to get off a few rounds at the rebel fleer, bur for most of the barrle Pringle kept her about a mile astern of the gunboats, near the western shore of the lake. Ar first she hove to under topsails. Then Com modore Pringle gave orders for Lr. Starke, her commanding officer, to anchor. Starke, furi ous abo ut being kept so far from the action, refused. Ir was shameful enough that rheywere making no effort to gee Maria into the fight, bur to actually anchor so far away was, according to Starke, "an act truly unbecoming on such an occasion." In his official report, Pringle wrote that "the Carleton schooner...by much persevera nce, at last got up to [the gunboat's] assistance," bur "none of the other vessels of the fleer could then get up." This excuse was horly disputed by rhe other officers, who insisted that they had joined in the fight and openly wo ndered why Pringle had nor. The flagship, they claimed, "was the best sailor" of all the ships in the British fleer. Thar is, perhaps, why Pringle chose her over the la rger and more powerful Inflexible, which would seem the more obvious choice for a flagship. Given that, it does seem odd that Carleton was able to work her way welI up in to rhe fight, while Maria never came even close. The disgrunrled officers reported that Pringle "was the only person in the fleer who showed no inclination to fight." The implications are clear-they deemed their leader a coward. The Hessian Captain Pausch recalled that at about lPM, "this naval barrle began to get very serious." Ir was around the sa me rime that General Carleton, sailing with rhe flagship , commented to Dr. Knox that
SEA HI STORY 117, WINTER 2006-07
The First Day's Fighting Ends By dusk the British gunboats were nearly our of ammunition. Both sides had been pounding away at one another for six hours. During that whole time, the British crews suffered on ly twenty casualties . Commodore Pringle, finding no reason to continue the fight, consulted w ith General Carleton, and the two officers agreed to withdraw the gunboats and the schooner Carleton. As rhe British withdrew, Carleton sent a parry on board the stranded Royal Savage to set her on fire, in case the Americans had any thoughts of rowing her off. Soon afterwards, the fire they had started reached her magazine and the ship exploded. What was left of her continued to burn through the night. Sir Guy Carleton Pringle ordered the boars and ships Carleton served Britain as the Governor of to "anchor in a line as near as possible to Quebec and the Governor General ofCanada the Rebels, that their retreat might be cur during the outbreak ofthe American Revoluoff .... " The Americans, he was certain, were tion. In this position, he served as the overall trapped in Valcour Bay by the cordon of military commander of British forces in the British vessels. At first light, he was certain, region. D uring the Battle of Valcour Is/,and, his powerful ships and boars would put a n he sailed aboard the flagship Maria. Carleton end to Benedict Arnold's navy. ,t was appointed commander ofBritish forces in North America in 1782 and then governor in James L. Nelson is a former professional chief ofBritish North America in 1786. sailor and the author offourteen works of Maria was nor close enough to the action. maritime fiction and non-fiction. Benedict With the words barely off his lips, an 18- Arnold 's Navy, the author's full account of pound round shot came wh isrling over the "1he Ragtag Fleet that Lost the Battle ofLake boom on which Knox and Carleton were Champlain but Won the American Revoluleaning. Carleton turned to Knox and asked, tion" was released in May 2006. For more "Well, Doctor, how do you like a sea fight? " information on James Nelson, visit www. The Maria never moved any closer. James/nelson. com. A monument to the Battle of Valcour Island stands on the New York shoreline of Lake Champ/,ain. To the left ofthe marker is Valcour Bay, where the battle took place.
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