Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: as commodore, sailed with Lieutenant Schanck, in the Inflexible ; and Lieutenant Dacres, with Mr. Pellew and Mr. Brown, were appointed to the Carleton. On the 11th of October the enemy were discovered, drawn up in a strong line across the passage between Valicour, one of the numerous islands on the Lake, and the Western land ; and so well concealed by the island, that the squadron had nearly passed without observing them. They had fifteen vessels, carrying ninety-six guns, fourteen of which were eighteen-pounders (eight of them traversing), and twenty-three twelves. General Arnold commanded. The Carleton, being- nearest to the enemy, attacked at once, without waiting for the rest of the squadron, though her force was only twelve six-pounders. Unfortunately, owing to the state of the wind, no other vessel could come to her assistance, and she was obliged to engage the whole force of the enemy single-handed. Sir Guy Carleton saw her desperate position with extreme anxiety, but it was found impossible to bring up the squadron, and he could only send in the artillery-boats to support her. Meantime she was suffering most severely. Very early in the action Mr. Brown lost an arm ; and soon after Lieutenant Dacres fell, severely wounded and senseless. He would have been thrown overboard as dead, but for the interference of Mr. Pellew, who now succeeded to the command. He maintained the unequal contest till Captain Pringle, baffled in all his efforts to bring up the squadron, made the signal of recall; which the Carleton, with two feet water in her hold, and half her crew killed and wounded, was not in a condition to obey. In attempting to go about, being at the time near the shore, which was covered with the enemy's marksmen, she hung in stays, and Mr. Pellew, not regarding the dang...