British Raids on Lake Champlain (1813)
29 July - 3 August 1813
Opposing Forces
Lt. Col. John Murray
Regular infantry, marines, provincial troops from Isle aux Noix; transported by captured American sloops
Casualties: Negligible
Local militia (fled)
Vermont and New York militia; largely dispersed before British arrival
Casualties: Plattsburgh barracks burned, military stores destroyed; Swanton, Champlain, and other communities raided
The British raids on Lake Champlain in late July and early August 1813 were a direct consequence of the capture of USS Growler and USS Eagle the previous month. With American naval forces eliminated from the lake, the British had uncontested control of the waterway and used it to conduct a series of raids into northern New York and Vermont that embarrassed the American government and demonstrated the strategic importance of lake control.
Lieutenant Colonel John Murray led approximately 1,000 troops from Isle aux Noix aboard the captured American sloops (now renamed Shannon and Broke) and other vessels. The force raided multiple communities along the American shore of the lake.
The most significant raid targeted Plattsburgh itself. On 31 July, Murray’s force landed and burned the American military barracks, arsenals, and storehouses. The local militia offered no effective resistance — most dispersed before the British arrived. The supplies destroyed included provisions, arms, and military equipment that had been accumulated for the planned American offensive against Montreal.
Further raids targeted Swanton and Champlain in Vermont, and various communities along the New York shore. At each location, the British destroyed military stores, seized provisions, and withdrew to their vessels without significant opposition. The raids demonstrated a principle that would be confirmed repeatedly throughout the war: control of the water — whether lake, river, or ocean — translated directly into the ability to project power ashore.
The Lake Champlain raids of 1813 foreshadowed the much larger Plattsburgh campaign of 1814. The ease with which British forces had operated along the American shore, the absence of effective militia resistance, and the strategic paralysis caused by the loss of naval control all pointed toward the importance of the lake in any future operations. When Prevost advanced down the corridor a year later with 10,000 veterans, it was Macdonough’s rebuilt squadron — not the militia — that stopped him.
Significance
British control of Lake Champlain following the capture of Growler and Eagle allowed a series of raids deep into American territory that demonstrated the strategic consequences of losing naval control of the lake.