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CHAMPLAIN

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 831 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CHAMPLAIN , a See also:

lake lying between the states of New See also:York and See also:Vermont, U.S.A., and penetrating for a few See also:miles into See also:Canada. It extends about 130 M. from N. to S., varies from i m. to r m. in width for 40 M. from its S. See also:terminus, and then widens until it reaches a maximum width of about 11 m. near Ausable Point. Its See also:area is about 500 sq. m. Its See also:surface is 96 ft. above the See also:sea. In the See also:north See also:part it is generally from 200 to 300 ft. deep; opposite See also:Essex, N.Y., near its See also:middle, the See also:depth increases to 400 ft.; but farther See also:south it is much less; through-out the greater part of the lake there is a depth of See also:water of more than too ft. Since the lake is caused by the ponding of water in a broad irregular valley, the See also:shore See also:line is nearly everywhere much broken, and in the See also:northern portion are several islands, both large and small, most of which belong to Vermont. These islands See also:divide the lake's northern end into two large arms which extend into Canada. From the western See also:arm the See also:Richelieu See also:river flows out, carrying the water of Champlain to the St See also:Lawrence. The See also:waters abound in See also:salmon, salmon-See also:trout, See also:sturgeon and other See also:fish, and are navigated from end to end by large steamboats and vessels of considerable See also:tonnage. The lake was formerly the seat of extensive See also:traffic, especially in See also:lumber, but See also:navigation has greatly decreased; the tonnage entering and clearing at the lake was twice as See also:great in the See also:early '7o's as it was See also:thirty years later. The See also:principal ports are See also:Burlington, Vt., and See also:Plattsburg, N.Y. Lake Champlain lies in a valley from 1 to 30 M. wide, between the See also:Green Mountains on the See also:east and the Adirondack Mountains on the See also:west, and the scenery is most picturesque.

On the east See also:

side is a rather See also:gradual ascent for 20 M. or more from shore to See also:summit, while on the west side the ascent is by a See also:succession of hills, in some places from the water's edge. North of See also:Crown Point See also:low mountains rise See also:I000 to 1600 ft. above the lake,and behind these are the higher peaks of the See also:Adirondacks, reaching an See also:elevation of more than 5000 ft. Lake See also:George is a tributary on the south, several small streams flow in from each side; the Champlain See also:Canal, 63 m. in length, connects the lake with the See also:Hudson river; and through the Richelieu it has a natural outlet to the north into the St Lawrence. Lake Champlain was named from See also:Samuel de Champlain, who discovered it in See also:July 1609. The valley is a natural pathway between the See also:United States and Canada, and during the various See also:wars which the See also:English have waged in See also:America it had great strategic importance. In 1731 the See also:French built a fort at Crown Point; in 1756, another at See also:Ticonderoga; and both were import-See also:ant strategic points in the French and See also:Indian See also:War as well as in the See also:American War of See also:Independence. On the 11th of See also:October 1776, the first See also:battle between an American and a See also:British See also:fleet, the battle of Valcour See also:Island, was fought on the lake. See also:Benedict See also:Arnold, the American See also:commander, with a decidedly inferior force, withstood the British under See also:Thomas See also:Pringle for about seven See also:hours, and then during the See also:night escaped through the enemy's line. Although overtaken the next See also:day he again, after a fight of a few hours, made a successful See also:retreat. At the beginning of the War of 1812 the American See also:naval force on the lake, though very small, was See also:superior to that of the British, but on the 3rd of See also:June 1813 the British captured two American sloops in the narrow channel at the northern end and gained supremacy. Both sides now began to build and equip vessels for a decisive contest; by May 1814 the Americans had regained supremacy, and four months later a British See also:land force of I I,000 men under See also:Sir George See also:Prevost (1767–1816) and a naval force of 16 vessels of about 2402 tons with 937 men and 92 guns under See also:Captain George Downie (d. 1814) confronted an American land force of 15oo men under Brigadier-See also:General See also:Alexander See also:Macomb (1782-1841), strongly entrenched at Plattsburg, and an American naval force (anchored in Plattsburg See also:Bay) of 14 vessels of about 2244 tons with 882 men and 86 guns under See also:Commodore Thomas See also:Macdonough (1783-1825).

In the open lake the British naval force should have been the superior, but at See also:

anchor in the bay the Americans had a decided See also:advantage. Expecting the British land force to drive the American fleet from its anchorage, Captain Downie, on the Iith of See also:September 1814, began the battle of Lake Champlain. It had continued only fifteen minutes when he was killed; the land force failed to co-operate, and after a severe fight at See also:close range for 22 hours, during which the British lost about 300 men, the Americans 200 and the vessels of both sides were greatly shattered, the British retreated both by land and by water, abandoning their See also:plan of invading New York. See C. E. Peet, " Glacial and See also:Post-Glacial See also:History of the Hudson and Champlain Valleys," in vol. xii. of the See also:Journal of See also:Geology See also:CHAMPOLLION 831 (See also:Chicago, 1904) ; P. S. See also:Palmer, History of Lake Champlain (See also:Albany. 1866) ; and Capt. A. T. See also:Mahan, Sea See also:Power in its Relations to the War of £8zz (2 vols., See also:Boston, 1905).

End of Article: CHAMPLAIN

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