In September 1777, British Lt. Gen John Burgoyne was fighting an American army under Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates near Saratoga in a strategic campaign to reach Albany and split the rebellious colonies.

Burgoyne’s supply line stretched all the way back to Canada with depots at Fort George, on Diamond Island about three miles down the lake and at Fort Ticonderoga.

Col. John Brown led several hundred intrepid Massachusetts men, first in an unsuccessful bid to seize Fort Ticonderoga, then in a two hour naval battle against two companies of British regulars entrenched on Diamond Island.

The British held the island and Brown was forced to retreat.  But Burgoyne never forgot the attack on his rear and used it to partially explain to London officials why he surrendered a month later to the Americans.

Lake George summer resident Dr. Bruce Venter tells the story of the battle of Diamond Island in “Behind Enemy Lines: Americans Attack Burgoyne’s Supply Line” in the May/June issue of Patriots of the American Revolution, a nationally circulated magazine.

“I have looked at Diamond Island from my porch for over 25 years and have always been fascinated with its story,” Venter said.  “Since there is no historical marker on the island noting the Revolutionary War action, I thought by writing the article it would bring some attention to the island’s exciting history,” he added.

Venter is an independent historian, writer and co-owner of America’s History, LLC, a company that offers tours of Revolutionary War, Civil War and Indian War sites.  America’s History also offer a three-day tour called “Leatherstocking Tales: The Real Historic Sites of James Fenimore Cooper’s Novels.”