Primary sourceDocument1776

The Attack and Defeat of the American Fleet under Benedict Arnold upon Lake Champlain

William Faden · 1776

A 1776 British map and account of the Battle of Valcour Island, showing how Arnold's fleet was defeated by the Royal Navy on Lake Champlain.

This British map documents the battle where Arnold commanded the American fleet in a delaying defeat against the Royal Navy.

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Engraved map titled The Attack and Defeat of the American Fleet under Benedict Arnold, by the Kings Fleet commanded by Captn. Thos. Pringle, upon Lake Champlain, 11th October 1776. Shows Lake Champlain with Grand Isle, the lake's islands and shorelines, hachured relief, ship positions, and a compass rose, with a printed account of the expedition in text columns below. — William Faden (publisher), map of the Battle of Valcour Island, 1776. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division.

About this source

What it is

This engraved map, published by William Faden, shows the positions of ships during the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain, fought on 11 October 1776 between the American fleet commanded by Benedict Arnold and the British fleet under Captain Thomas Pringle. It includes a printed account of the battle based on letters from British commanders Sir Guy Carleton, Captain Douglass, and Captain Pringle.

Why it matters

Made from the British side soon after the battle, this map documents how Arnold's improvised, outgunned fleet tried to block the British advance down Lake Champlain. Though the Americans were defeated, the delay they caused is often credited with slowing British plans. The map shows how contemporaries on the winning side recorded and explained the fight.

Look closer

Why might the British have published a detailed account and map of a battle they won?
What can the positions of the ships tell you about the strategies used on both sides?
Whose point of view is missing from this British-made map?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Benedict Arnold on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.