now the british knew to control the waterways, they had to take lake champlain. they have no ships. but the lake does end in canada. and up there on the river, they built a boat yard. and that boat yard then created the largest ship ever on lake champlain. she was called the confiance. it was true they captured two american vessels earlier in the war and converted them to british use. and they built one other. but now, they needed the confiance. because it would be stronger than the entire american fleet on the lake. now, there was an american fleet here, and it was commanded by lieutenant then master commander, then commandor, m mcdunagh. they put together the americans. the american navy then would try to control the lake and keep the british north. that meant there was a clash coming. you know, they're really sitting ducks just waiting for the british to come. finally, the navy is coming. now they wanted to come south even earlier but they couldn't because the south wind coming up the lake kept them from sailing south. this is the days of sail. you've got to wait for the winds to

the british knew to control the waterways, they had to take lake champlain. but the lake does end in canada, and up there on the rich lieu river they built a boat yard. and that boat yard then created the largest ship that had ever been on lake champlain. she was a frigate called "the confiance" they had butt a sleep called the lynnant, but now they needed the confiance. there was an american fleet here. now, there was an american fleet here and it was commanded by lieutenant then master commander then commodore thomas mcdonagh. mcdonough had to build his fleet here on the lake as well. they put together the americans. the american navy then would try to control the lake and keep the british north. it meant that there was a clash coming. you know they're really sitting ducks finally the navy is coming. they couldn't come south, because the south wind kept them from sailing south. there's no other power. you have to wait until the winds are right. that's what the army and the navy are waiting for. mcdonough doesn't have that problem. he's already in the bay, he

lake champlain is a great treasure to this country. it is the largest body of fresh water outside of the great lakes. it borders vermont, new york and canada, the province of quebec. some parts of it are hundreds of feet deep. it's especially important to me because my wife marcelle and i met on the shores of lake champlain. i want to thank the chair of the interior subcommittee for participating in assisting with the funding for all you see in this bill, not just lake champlain but all of them. we have critical investments to address the heroin crisis. the heroin crisis -- we think of rural states as being some kind of an enclave, they're not affected by what happens around the rest of the country. those of us who live in rural america know differently. the heroin crisis has had a devastating impact on communities in small rural states like vermont. it doesn't make any difference whether they're a red state or blue state, they have been hurt. and with senator mikulski's support we provide federal assistance to law enforcement officers

my wife and i are lucky enough to have a place on lake champlain. friends in the audience were happy to have them visit us this summer. this was in 1776. it is not a military victory, but it stopped the british from coming down like champlain, postponed their invasion for a year, which turned out to be absolutely crucial. in that following year, 1777, benedict arnold deserves tremendous credit for his daring and decisive contributions that led to the surrender of general burgoyne's army in october 1777, a victory equal importance to yorktown. washington early recognized benedict arnold possessed a unique set of talents. a british historian accurately summarized what washington saw in arnold. to a boundless energy and enterprise, he united quick insight into a situation. washington and arnold were never personally close in the way he would be with lafayette or henry knox. but washington is constantly working closely with arnold and seeks to help him. there is no doubt benedict arnold has the kind of personality, he's egotistical, arrogant, supersensit

the treaty ended with major american victory on lake champlain and andrew jackson in new orleans. in fact the treaty simply brought back everything the way it existed in 1812. so here is madison. here comes the horsemen with that. servants and everybody begin to yell peace, peace and place goes ballistic. there are parties, all of the liquor is brought out. it's a huge celebrate. a house filled with light because there was darkness all over the place. smoldering ruins of the white house, capital, et cetera. one thing to understand about the importance of this hourks and it took me a while to understand it, the legislative and judicial branches were destroyed. the supreme court was in the capital building at that time. that's gone. executive office was destroyed. that's gone. who's going to be ambassador? who's going to sign treaties? who's going to do day-to-day work of keeping the country going? by moving into this house, washington and the united states continued. another little footnote, up until that point they began to be a movement to relocate the nation's capital farther we

lake champlain is a great treasure to this country. outside of the great lakes. it borders vermont, new york , and canada as well as quÉbec. some parts are hundreds of feet deep. it is especially important to me. my wife my wife and i first met on the shores of lake champlain. i want i want to thank senator jack reed for his assistance and protecting the funding for all the geographics programs, not just lake champlain, but all of them. critical investments to address the crisis. you know, we think of rural estates. not affected by what happened. the heroin crisis has had a devastating effect on communities, small and rural states. senator mikulski supported funding for antiheroine taskforces to provide federal assistance to law enforcement efforts to investigate, ensuring the portion. unacceptable. americans faced a waiting list for sitting out recovering from addiction. this legislation provides crucial funding, fee for services. once again, we have problems in the united states we should be facing. providing funding to increase access to college educations, th

. >>> here on the bluff at clinton community college, you can look out on lake champlain, and directly in front of you is cumberland head, where the british royal navy attacked on september the 11th. they came around that corner, and between there and the island you see on the right, crab island, which is where the american his a hospital for the army, they attacked the american fleet at anchor which would have been right between those two small trees. >> there are women on board, officers ease wives, one of which catches a cannonball in her chest, and is thrown overboard. mcdonough is siting his own camera shooting at the british and down the line at one of the other guns, his lieutenant is struck with a british cannonball. his head is torn off, it traffic down the side of the deck, strikes mcdonna in the face and knocks him cold. these are the kinds of things that happen when you're fighting a naval battle. this keeps up for hours, one atrocity after another, blood everywhere. tremendous casualtyingses. the men keep fighting, the only american ship fit to fight is "saratoga" the only

invade the natural invasion route, the invasion route used during the seven years war which is lake champlain. it's the easiest way to move an army with all of its equipment is by water. >> and, of course montgomery and benedict arnold. >> montgomery is going that route, and benedict arnold is doing a whacky route through my beloved state of maine, that he barely survives. monmontreal which the american patriots capture and then move to quebec and beseech that and besiege that and attack it and are defeated there, and it's a long roll back during 1776 and driven out of canada. well, that would have been the natural strategy to pursue, and it's the one suggested by jefferson that they are going to target montreal first and then move on to quebec. that's i you win a war in canada, because everything upper stream, upper canada, is going to fall anyway because you cult cut them from from reenforcements and supply, cut them off from quebec, the british empire, that's the key to winning, and everybody understood that sort of. the problem is the united states doesn't feel it has enough regular soldi

twice the british launched invasions from canada down to lake champlain down the hudson river. so i think it was actually a good political strategy by the british they kept the canadiens canadiens -- and there there were canadians who did fight for the americans but they were also coming -- canadians that were essentially loyalists and fought for the british so that was pretty much the answer to that. okay i want to thank everybody for coming. [applause] up next on booktv "after words" with guest host chester gillis. this week william deresiewicz discusses his book "excellent sheep" the miseducation of the american elite and the way to a meaningful life. and it mr. sentry argues the most sought after universities in the country fall short of providing the key components of a good education that every student should have, lessons on how to think critically, be created and maintained goals in life after their university education. this program is about an hour. >> host: thank you for this insightful book, "excellent sheep" which has been provocative in higher education circles an