Photo By Brooke Nevins | Engraving depicting Ethan Allen's capture of Fort Ticonderoga by Heppenheimer and...... read more read more
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Following the battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, an Army of Observation surrounded Boston and the British forces contained there. Delegates headed to Philadelphia and the Second Continental Congress to address the key concern over supplying the militias. Meanwhile, in Hartford, Connecticut, two men named Samuel Parsons and Silas Deane explored the same issue and had set their sights on Fort Ticonderoga and its wealth of supplies.
Situated in New York on the southern coast of Lake Champlain, the star-shaped fortress had been built in the 1750s by the French-Canadian military during the French and Indian War. Originally known as Fort Carillon, Ticonderoga took its name from the Iroquois word meaning “at the junction of two waterways.” It was strategically located overlooking the La Chute River, which connected the trade routes between the Hudson River and Saint Lawrence River valleys.
By 1775, the once formidable fortress had deteriorated and was described as "more like a backwoods village than a fort." However, with only a small contingent of 48 British soldiers, a small detachment of the 26th Regiment of Foot headed by Capt. William Delaplace, the fortress’s arsenal was well stocked.
Bennington, in what is now Vermont, was the nearest town to Fort Ticonderoga. The militia unit in this area - known as the Green Mountain Boys - was led by Col. Ethan Allen. In early May, Parsons and Deane sent a small contingent of soldiers to speak with Allen and request his support for their mission. Militiamen from western Massachusetts joined them on the way and by May 7, a group of about 200 had gathered near Castleton, Vermont and elected Allen as their leader.
Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, Benedict Arnold temporarily commissioned as colonel and was authorized to raise a force of 400 to take control of Ticonderoga. Alerted to the Bennington militia’s ongoing efforts, Arnold quickly traveled to the site and arrived on May 7 to take lead of that expedition. Although Arnold held an official authorization, the Green Mountain Boys preferred to follow their traditional leader, Allen. Ultimately, Allen and Arnold came to an agreement and jointly led the attack on Ticonderoga.
In the early morning hours of May 10, the colonists approached the fort from across Lake Champlain. Only 80 militiamen made the crossing, limited by the number of available boats. Although winds and rain that night slowed their progress, they disguised the advancing boats and, given the tumbled walls, easily gained access to the lightly guarded fort. Efforts to alert British forces failed when the sentry’s musket misfired.
Within a short time, all the British were taken prisoner and Capt. Delaplace surrendered his sword and Fort Ticonderoga to Allen. The capture of Ticonderoga was quiet; there were no deaths and only minimal casualties – one militiaman was injured by the sentry’s bayonet.
Unaware of the events in the Boston area, the British troops at Ticonderoga were ill-prepared for any offensive. British general Gen. Thomas Gage had sent a letter to Gen. Guy Carlton, the governor in Quebec, to alert him and order defenses at Ticonderoga, but the letter failed to reach Carlton until May 19. By then, the militia was in command of the fort.
In the first offensive victory of the Revolutionary War, the colonial forces captured a strategic passageway as well as the garrison’s ordinance and stores, including 78 canons of various sizes, six mortars, three howitzers, 18,000 pounds of musket balls and 30,000 pounds of flints. While the prisoners were transferred to Connecticut, the artillery would remain in place until December when George Washington tasked Col. Henry Knox to transfer these pieces to the Boston area to support the Continental Army. Knox and his men used 23 sleds and 80 yokes of oxen to transport nearly 60 tons of artillery through the Hudson Valley and across Massachusetts.
Fort Ticonderoga today is a National Historic Landmark with a living history museum. Additional information can be found on the Center of Military History’s America 250 website (https://history.army.mil/Revwar250/) which includes both a booklet and an Army History Trail on the Battle of Ticonderoga; the American Battlefield Trust site at https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/fort-ticonderoga-1775; and your local library.
| Date Taken: | 05.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.16.2025 13:43 |
| Story ID: | 498189 |
| Location: | PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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