Whatever deductions may be made for blunders, and for circumstances of every character which made the British campaign of 1777 abortive and disastrous, thus leading directly to the American alliance with France in 1778, the delay, with all that it involved, was obtained by the Lake campaign of 1776.

On October 15th, two days after Arnold's final defeat, Carleton dated a letter to Douglas from before Crown Point, whence the American garrison was withdrawn.

A week later Riedesel arrived, and wrote that, "were our whole army here it would be an easy matter to drive the enemy from their entrenchments," at Ticonderoga, and--as has been quoted already--four weeks sooner would have insured its fall.

It is but a coincidence that just four weeks had been required to set up the _Inflexible_ at St.John's; but it typifies the whole story.

Save for Arnold's flotilla, the two British schooners would have settled the business.