Image courtesy of Colonial National Historical Park, Yorktown.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Next Meeting: May 19, 2021

Our next meeting will be held via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. on May 19, 2021. Jack Kelly will speak on Valcour: The 1776 Campaign That Saved the Cause of LibertyInformation regarding the meeting (log-ins, etc.) will be in the early-May newsletter.

During the summer of 1776, a British incursion from Canada loomed. In response, citizen soldiers of the newly independent nation mounted a heroic defense. Patriots constructed a small fleet of gunboats on Lake Champlain in northern New York and confronted the Royal Navy in a desperate three-day battle near Valcour Island. Their effort surprised the arrogant British and forced the enemy to call off their invasion.

Jack Kelly's Valcour is a story of people. The northern campaign of 1776 was led by the underrated general Philip Schuyler (Hamilton's father-in-law), the ambitious former British officer Horatio Gates, and the notorious Benedict Arnold. An experienced sea captain, Arnold devised a brilliant strategy that confounded his slow-witted opponents.

America’s independence hung in the balance during 1776. Patriots endured one defeat after another. But two events turned the tide: Washington’s bold attack on Trenton and the equally audacious fight at Valcour Island. Together, they stunned the enemy and helped preserve the cause of liberty. (From amazon.com)

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