Valcour Bay
Valcour Bay is actually a strait or sound, located between Valcour Island and the west side of Lake Champlain, four miles south of Plattsburgh, New York. It was the site of the Battle of Valcour Island during the American Revolutionary War. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961 because of this association. Valcour Bay is located in the Towns of Peru and Plattsburgh, both in Clinton County, New York. Description Valcour Island, located in Lake Champlain, is roughly rectangular in shape, extending from its northern to southern tips. It is located about east of the New York state shoreline to the west. Valcour Bay is the body of water between the island and the mainland, with the landmarked area of the bay consisting of about . Both the island and the mainland shore have seen relatively little development since the area was of military importance in 1776. In 1776, Benedict Arnold was placed in command of a Continental Navy fleet on the lake, composed mostly of small gundalows armed with three small cannons. After training with the fleet during the summer months, Arnold selected Valcour Bay as the place to meet the British Royal Navy fleet, which had