On June 19, 1776—250 years ago today—Lieutenant William Walker was on Ile aux Noix, an island in the Richelieu River just above the north end of Lake Champlain. His journey had taken him far from his home in Massachusetts. Born in Rehoboth in 1751, Walker moved west to the new town of Lenox by 1773. He began to make a name for himself as a lawyer and patriot, serving as a delegate to a Berkshire County convention in 1774 that protested the Intolerable Acts.
In May 1775, the 23-year-old Walker put his legal career on pause to join the Revolution, becoming an adjutant in Colonel John Paterson’s Massachusetts regiment and fighting in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Paterson’s regiment was ordered to Canada in April 1776 and arrived just in time to join a chaotic retreat. By the time the army arrived at Ile aux Noix, the situation was dire, with nearly half of the soldiers ill with smallpox and other diseases. Army surgeon Dr. Lewis Beebe wrote of his time there, “Language cannot describe nor imagination paint, the scenes of misery and distress the Soldiery endure.”
Despite the poor condition of the army, its leaders worked hard to maintain organization and discipline. Walker recorded the day’s orders in his orderly book. As much of the army had just arrived at Ile aux Noix, many of General John Sullivan’s orders were concerned with where each regiment should encamp. Sullivan also prepared for the departure of the sick, who were traveling ahead of the army: “All the Invalids are to be prepared to embark for Crown Point at Twelve oClock.”
Most orders issued that day were fairly typical, but Sullivan took time to recognize the army for maintaining order in a difficult and desperate situation. “He also returns his most unfeign’d thanks to all the Officers & Soldiers of this Army for their exertions in assisting him to secure a Retreat of the Army under many disadvantages & preserving all the Public Stores & Baggage belonging to the Continent & to the Army.”
Follow Walker’s journey throughout 1776 in his orderly book (object ID MS.6021) on the Ticonderoga Online Collections database: https://fortticonderoga.catalogaccess.com/archives/30640