Council of War at Crown Point

Council of War at Crown Point
Greetings, today I will talk about a council of war held at Crown Point in New York.
From the Book
The American Revolution – 1776

Before starting, I want to announce that my book The American Revolution – 1776 is now available in softbound, ebook and audio book formats on Amazon and many other online book sellers. Listeners will find a link to the book in the description of this podcast.

On July 7, 1776, five generals met at Crown Point to hold a council of war. The danger to the fledgling rebel cause was serious. General Guy Carleton’s forces, arrayed in Canada, threatened to sweep south and join the British force led by General Howe now threatening to invade New York. If successful, the action would slice the New England colonies away from those to the south. The American generals at Crown Point desperately needed to slow the British advance. The four generals were:
Commanding Northern Department – Major General Philip Schuyler,
Commander of the Canadian army – General Horatio Gates
Major General John Sullivan
General Benedict Arnold
General Frederick William, Baron de Woedtke

The fort at Crown Point was in a sorry condition. General Gates wrote Washington, stating that, “the ramparts are tumbled down, the casemates are fallen, the barracks burnt, and the whole so perfect a ruin that it would take five times the number of our army, for several summers, to put it in defensible repair.”
The assembled generals drafted these four resolutions:

Resolved, That under our present Circumstances, the Post of Crown Point is not Tenable, & that with our present Force, or one Greatly Superior to what we may reasonably expect, It is not Capable of being made so, this Summer. ー
Resolved therefore, That It is prudent to retire Immediately to the Strong Ground, on the East Side of the Lake opposite to Ticonderoga, with all the healthy & uninfested Troops, & that the Sick & Infected with the small Pox be removed to Fort George, It appearing Clearly to the Council, that the Post opposite to Ticonderoga, will the most Effectually secure the Country & removing the infected With the small Pox, obviate Every Objection that May at present retard the Militia, (Ordered by Congress) from Joining the Army. ー
Resolved, That the most Effectual Measures be taken to secure our Superiority on Lake Champlain, by a Naval Armament of Gundolas, Row Gallies, Armed Batteaus.
Resolved, That one or more Surveyors be immediately Employed, to trace out a Road, between the High Ground opposite to Ticonderoga, & the Road leading from Skenesborough to the Northern Settlements. ー
Ph: Schuyler
B. Arnold
Horatio Gates
B. D. Woedtke
Jno Sullivan

Other events of the week include the following summaries.

The Convention of Maryland declared formal independence from Great Britain on July 6, 1776. The delegates began preparation for the election of a Constitutional Convention to draw up a Declaration of Rights and a plan for the government.

The Pennsylvania Evening Post, published by Benjamin Towne, became the first newspaper to print the news that the Continental Congress had declared independence from Great Britain in its July 6 edition.

In a letter dated July 7, 1776, Washington reported that he had learned from four prisoners that General Howe had about 10,000 British soldiers on Staten Island and was awaiting the arrival of Admiral Howe.

At the council of war held at Crown Point the American army was in a tenuous situation. Smallpox had infested the soldiers, leaving many unable to fight. The fortifications as Crown Point were in disrepair and was almost undefendable. Major General Phillip Schuler decided to abandon the fort at Crown Point and concentrate their forces at Fort Ticonderoga. He then decided to augment the four American vessels at the lake by building nine more on July 7.

On July 8 Colonel John Nixon stepped to a platform outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia to read the Declaration of Independence officially for the first time before a crowd that had assembled.

General George Washington received a copy of the Declaration of Independence and had it read in front of the troops on July 9, 1776. After the reading, troops and citizens alike went to Bowling Green Park in Manhattan where they pulled down a stature of King George III that had been erected in 1770. They used the lead statue to pour 42,088 musket balls for use during the war.

July 09, 1776 – General Howe Reads Declaration of Independence to his Troops

July 09, 1776 – American Force Fire Upon British Ships Near Gwynn’s Island

Patriot forces attacked the British in Virginia during the July 9, 1776 – Battle of Gwynn’s Island. A patriot victory drove the last remaining British forces from the colony.

July 11, 1776 – Continental Congress Directs General Schuyler to Construct Forts on Lake Erie
The Continental Congress directed General Phillip Schuyler to secure the northern frontier by constructing forts at Oswego, Presque Isle, Le Beuf, and Kittanning.

The book 1776 includes much more detail about the events given here.

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