Chronicles of Lake Champlain: Journeys in War and Peace

“Chronicles of Lake Champlain is a collection of firsthand diaries, journals, reports, and guidebooks which illustrates the changing epochs in the history of the lake. From tumultuous war periods to the tranquil era of tourist excursions, Lake Champlain has made an indelible impression on visitors. By relying on the words of eyewitnesses, readers garner an intimate glimpse into the historic events as they unfolded during and after the wars; later in the book they are exposed to descriptions of long forgotten scenes of bustling communities and commercial trade along the lake. The introductions that accompany the words of each participant allow readers to comprehend the transitions at the lake that occurred in the intervals between periods covered in succeeding chapters.

Contents

Part 1  Passage in the Wilderness

Samuel de Champlain 1609

Peter Kalm 1749

Part II The French and Indian War

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm 1758

Jeffrey Amherst 1759

Robert Rogers 1760

Part III Settlement

William Gilliland 1765

Part IV The American Revolution

Jocelyn Feltham 1775

Bayze Wells 1776

Enos Hitchcock 1777

Part V Temporary Peace

Isaac Weld 1796

Part VI The War of 1812

Thomas Macdonough 1814

Part VII The Northern Tour

Tyrone Power 1835

Benjamin Clapp Butler 1873

Augusta Brown 1895

Seneca Ray Stoddard 1915

Russell Bellico captures the texture of each period in Lake Champlain’s history through firsthand accounts by witnesses and diarists, both illustrious and unknown.  “From long-forgotten military diaries, travelers’ accounts and tourist guidebooks, he brings back to life voices who can tell us what this valley looked like during the past 400 years.” – Nicholas Westbrook, Fort Ticonderoga Museum.