Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton assigned Lieutenant Thomas Macdonough to command the U.S. The lake runs 107 miles long, but is only 14 miles at its widest, and drains north into the St Lawrence River via the Richelieu River. The Lake Champlain Valley between the Green and Adirondack Mountains provided a corridor for a large army to transit, but passage required control of Lake Champlain for transportation and logistical support. Dense wilderness and mountainous terrain covered most of the U.S.-Canadian border in the early nineteenth century.
Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan recognized, “hat even the defects of preparation, extreme and culpable as these were, could have been overcome, is evidenced by the history of the Lakes.” 1 Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough’s preparation and execution on Lake Champlain stands in particular contrast to the greater Navy’s ability to demonstrate the value of enemy-oriented planning and shipbuilding.Īn American defense from a Canadian attack (and, for the War Hawks of Congress, the invasion and annexation of Canada) relied on control of Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Champlain.
The final objective, to maintain superiority on the lakes, stands apart from the rest of the U.S. Navy’s failures to effectively prosecute the war at sea and defend the maritime frontier during the War of 1812.
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