Editing Battle of Valcour Island (section)

==Background==
{{Main|Invasion of Quebec (1775)}}
[[File:General-Sir-Guy-Carleton 2.jpg|thumb|upright|Quebec's Governor, General [[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Guy Carleton]]|alt=A half-height portrait of Carleton. He wears a red coat with vest, over a white shirt with ruffles. His white hair is drawn back, and he faces front with a neutral expression.]]

The [[American Revolutionary War]], which began in April 1775 with the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], widened in September 1775 when the [[Continental Army]] embarked on [[Invasion of Quebec (1775)|an invasion]] of the British [[Province of Quebec (1763-1791)|Province of Quebec]]. The province was viewed by the [[Second Continental Congress]] as a potential avenue for British forces to attack and divide the rebellious colonies and was at the time lightly defended. The invasion reached a peak on December 31, 1775, when the [[Battle of Quebec (1775)|Battle of Quebec]] ended in disaster for the Americans. In the spring of 1776, 10,000&nbsp;British and German troops arrived in Quebec, and General [[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Guy Carleton]], the provincial governor, drove the Continental Army out of Quebec and back to [[Fort Ticonderoga]].<ref name="Background">For detailed treatment of the background, see e.g. [[#Stanley|Stanley (1973)]] or [[#Morrissey|Morrissey (2003)]].</ref>

Carleton then launched his own offensive intended to reach the [[Hudson River]], whose navigable length begins south of Lake Champlain and extends down to [[New York City]]. Control of the upper Hudson would enable the British to link their forces in Quebec with those in New York, recently [[New York and New Jersey campaign|captured in the New York campaign]] by Major General [[William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe|William Howe]]. This strategy would separate the American colonies of [[New England]] from those farther south and potentially quash the rebellion.<ref name="Hamilton17_8">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton (1964)]] pp. 17–18</ref> Lake Champlain, a long and relatively narrow lake formed by the action of glaciers during the [[Quaternary glaciation|last ice age]], separates the [[Green Mountains]] of [[Vermont]] from the [[Adirondack Mountains]] of [[New York (state)|New York]]. Its {{convert|120|mi|sp=us|adj=on}} length and {{convert|12|mi|sp=us|adj=on}} maximum width creates more than {{convert|550|mi|sp=us}} of shoreline, with many bays, inlets, and promontories. More than 70&nbsp;islands dot the {{convert|435|mi2|sp=us|adj=on}} surface, although during periods of low and high water, these numbers can change. The lake is relatively shallow, with an average depth of {{convert|64|ft|sp=us}}.<ref>[[#LCPB FactSheet|Lake Champlain Basin Fact Sheet#3]]</ref> Flowing south to north, the lake empties into the [[Richelieu River]], where waterfalls at [[Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu|Saint-Jean]] in Quebec mark the northernmost point of navigation.<ref>[[#Ketchum|Ketchum (1997)]], pp. 29–31</ref>

[[File:ChamplainValley1777.jpg|thumb|upright|Detail of a 1777 French map showing Lake Champlain. Valcour Island is below and to the left of ''La Grand Isle''.|alt=Lake Champlain lies in northeastern New York, and is a relatively narrow lake running north to south. Key features of Lake Champlain from north to south include Isle La Motte, Grand Isle (with Valcour Island to its west, near the shore), Button Mould Bay, Crown Point, Ticonderoga, and South Bay, where Skenesborough is located.]]

The American-held strongholds of [[Fort Crown Point]] and Fort Ticonderoga near the lake's southern end protected access to the [[wikt:head of navigation|uppermost navigable reaches]] of the Hudson River. Elimination of these defenses required the transportation of troops and supplies from the British-controlled [[St. Lawrence Valley]] {{convert|90|mi}} to the north. Roads were either difficult or nonexistent, making water transport on the lake the best option.<ref name="Hamilton7_8_18">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton (1964)]], pp. 7–8, 18</ref> The only ships on the lake after the American retreat from Quebec were a small fleet of lightly armed ships that Benedict Arnold had assembled following the [[capture of Fort Ticonderoga]] in May 1775. This fleet, even if it had been in British hands, was too small to transport the large [[British Army during the American War of Independence|British Army]] to Fort Ticonderoga.<ref name="Malcolmson26">[[#Malcolmson|Malcolmson (2001)]], p. 26</ref>