October 11

Battle of Valcour Island — Benedict Arnold Buys Time

Benedict Arnold's improvised fleet fought a superior British naval force for six hours on Lake Champlain, losing most of his ships but forcing the British to delay their invasion until the following year. Arnold escaped by slipping past the British fleet at night.

Arnold's sacrifice bought the Continental Army a year — enough time to build the force that defeated Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777, a turning point that brought France into the war.