October 11, 1776

Benedict Arnold Wins Strategic Victory at Battle of Valcour Island

In a naval engagement on Lake Champlain between British forces under Sir Guy Carleton and American troops under Benedict Arnold, Carleton defeats Arnold's small fleet and succeeds in gaining control of the key passage into northwestern New York. The action delays Carleton long enough, however, to force him to abandon an invasion of New York that might have been catastrophic for Washington's army.