American Hero Traditional Cache
NawthnRevuah: Cache is on private property and CO has not responded to requests to obtain permission or provide maintenance.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Location - N 44 08.752, W073 22.148
Terrain has some rough spots, no marked trail, but altitude doesn't change much. Once near, cache is easy to find.
Before he became a traitor, Benedict Arnold was an American hero.
On October 11, 1776 American Benedict Arnold and his “wretched, motley crew” of 800 aboard 15 hastily built ships engaged the British fleet of 30+ vessels who were trying to split the colonies and put an end to the Revolution. At Valcour, the battle went bad for Arnold, with many of his ships being burned, sunk and damaged. Luckily, nightfall arrived before the British could finish the job. This allowed Arnold and the remainder of his fleet to slip away in the middle of the night. On the morning of October 12, when the British discovered the rebels had escaped, the chase was on! Southward down Lake Champlain they went, trying to catch the remainder of Arnold’s ships. Near Split Rock, the British caught up with the rebels and captured two of the rebel vessels – the Jersey and the Washington. Meanwhile, Arnold and the rest of his fleet continued down the lake. By the next day, October 13, 1776 Arnold saw no way out. The vastly superior British force was closing in on him. In an act of desperation, he ordered 5 of his ships (flagship Congress w/Arnold aboard, Connecticut, Boston, Providence, New Haven.) into Ferris Bay, a small inlet on the east side of Lake Champlain. There they were run aground and burned to keep them out of British hands. Arnold and his crew escaped, first to the top of the 25 foot bank that surrounds the bay, and then with the British in hot pursuit, to Crown Point and Ticonderoga.
Even though the Battle of Valcour (and the ensuing chase) was considered a loss by the rebels, the delaying action may have saved the Colonies from overall defeat. By the time the British regrouped, winter was closing in and their commander, Carlton, decided to pull back to Quebec to avoid being iced in for the winter.
This gave the colonies time to prepare and when the British next tried to split the colonies, they were defeated at the battle of Saratoga.
The little bay where Arnold scuttled and burned his fleet is now named Arnold Bay – and that’s where this cache is.
To read more about the battle of Valcour and Arnolds Bay:
(visit link)
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