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'''Fort Ticonderoga''', formerly '''Fort Carillon''', is a large 18th-century [[fort]] built at a narrows near the south end of [[Lake Champlain]] in upstate [[New York]] in the [[United States]]. It was constructed by the French between 1754 and 1757 during the [[French and Indian War]] and was of strategic importance during the 18th-century colonial conflicts between Great Britain and France, and again to a lesser extent during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. |
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The site controled a [[portage|river portage]] alongside the mouth of the rapids-infested [[La Chute River]] in the {{mi to km|3.5|abbr=no}} between Lake Champlain and [[Lake George (New York)|Lake George]] and was strategically placed in conflicts<!---May not be the right word---> over trade routes between the British-controlled [[Hudson River]] Valley and the French-controlled [[Saint Lawrence River]] Valley. The terrain amplified the importance of the site. Both lakes were long and narrow, oriented north–south, as were the many [[ridge]] lines of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] extending as far south as [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], creating the near-impassable mountainous terrains to the east and west of the [[Great Appalachian Valley]] that the site commanded. The name "Ticonderoga" comes from the [[Iroquoian languages|Iroquois]] word ''tekontaró:ken'', meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways".<ref name="NameCite">[[#Afable|Afable]], p. 193</ref> |
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During the 1758 [[Battle of Carillon]], 4,000 French defenders were able to repel an attack by 16,000 British troops near the fort. In 1759, the British returned and drove a token French [[garrison]] from the fort merely by [[Battle of Ticonderoga (1759)|occupying high ground that threatened the fort]]. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the fort again saw action in May 1775 when the [[Green Mountain Boys]] and other state militia under the command of [[Ethan Allen]] and [[Benedict Arnold]] [[Capture of Fort Ticonderoga|captured]] it in a surprise attack. The Americans held it until June 1777, when British forces under General [[John Burgoyne]] again [[Battle of Ticonderoga (1777)|occupied high ground above the fort]] and threatened the [[Continental Army]] troops, leading them to withdraw from the fort and its surrounding defenses. The only direct attack on the fort took place in September 1777, when [[John Brown of Pittsfield|John Brown]] led 500 Americans in an unsuccessful attempt to capture the fort from about 100 British defenders. |
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The British abandoned the fort following the failure of the [[Saratoga campaign]], and it ceased to be of military value after 1781. It fell into ruin, leading people to strip it of some of its usable stone, metal, and woodwork. It became a stop on tourist routes of the area in the 19th century. Its private owners restored the fort early in the 20th century. A [[foundation (charity)|foundation]] now operates the fort as a tourist attraction, museum, and research center. |
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==Geography and early history== |
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[[Lake Champlain]], which forms part of the border between [[New York]] and [[Vermont]], and the [[Hudson River]] together formed an important travel route that was used by [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] before the arrival of European colonists. The route was relatively free of obstacles to navigation, with only a few [[portage]]s. One strategically important place on the route lies at a narrows near the southern end of Lake Champlain, where Ticonderoga Creek, known in [[Colonial history of the United States|Colonial times]] as the La Chute River, enters the lake, carrying water from [[Lake George (New York)|Lake George]]. Although the site provides commanding views of the southern extent of Lake Champlain, [[Mount Defiance]], at {{ft to m|853|abbr=yes}}, and two other hills (Mount Hope and [[Mount Independence]]) overlook the area.<ref name="Lonergan2">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 2</ref> |
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[[Image:DefeatOfIroquoisByChamplain.jpeg|thumb|left|Engraving after a 1609 drawing by [[Samuel de Champlain|Champlain]] of an Indian battle near Ticonderoga]] |
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Indians had occupied the area for years before French explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] first arrived there in 1609. Champlain recounted that the [[Algonquin]]s, with whom he was traveling, battled a group of [[Iroquois]] nearby.<ref name="Lonergan5_8">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], pp. 5–8</ref> In 1642, French missionary [[Isaac Jogues]] was the first white man to traverse the portage at Ticonderoga while escaping a battle between the Iroquois and members of the [[Huron]] tribe.<ref name="Lonergan9_10">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], pp. 9–10</ref> |
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The French, who had [[French colonization of the Germans|colonized]] the [[Saint Lawrence River]] valley to the north, and the English, who had taken over the [[Dutch colonization of the Americas|Dutch settlements]] that became the [[Province of New York]] to the south, began contesting the area as early as 1691, when [[Pieter Schuyler]] built a small wooden fort at the Ticonderoga point on the western shore of the lake.<ref name="Lonergan15_18">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], pp. 15,18</ref> These colonial conflicts reached their height in the [[French and Indian War]], which began in 1754.{{fact}} |
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==Construction== |
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[[Image:ChamplainValley1777.jpg|thumb|upright|A 1777 map depicting [[Lake Champlain]] and the upper [[Hudson River]]]] |
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In 1755, following the [[Battle of Lake George]], the [[Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal|Marquis de Vaudreuil]], the governor of the French [[Canada, New France|Province of Canada]], sent [[Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, Marquis de Lotbinière|Michel Chartier de Lotbinière]] to design and construct a fortification at this militarily important site, which the French called Fort Carillon.<ref name="Lonergan17">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 17</ref> The name "Carillon" has variously been attributed to the name of a former French officer, Philippe de Carrion du Fresnoy, who established a trading post at the site in the late 17th century,<ref name="Ketchum29">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum]], p. 29</ref> or (more commonly) to the sounds made by the La Chute River, which were said to resemble the chiming bells of a [[carillon]].<ref name="Nester110"/> Construction on the [[star fort|star-shaped fort]], which Lotbinière based on designs of the renowned French military engineer [[Vauban]], began in October 1755 and then proceeded slowly during the warmer-weather months of 1756 and 1757, using troops stationed at nearby [[Fort St. Frédéric]] and from Canada.<ref name="Lonergan22">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 22</ref><ref name="Stoetzel297">[[#Stoetzel|Stoetzel]], p. 297</ref> |
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The work in 1755 consisted primarily of beginning construction on the main walls and on the Lotbinière [[redoubt]], an [[outwork]] to the west of the site that provided additional coverage of the La Chute River. The next year saw the building of the four main [[bastion]]s and a sawmill on the La Chute. Work slowed in 1757, when many of the troops prepared for and participated in the [[Battle of Fort William Henry|attack on Fort William Henry]]. The barracks and [[demi-lune]]s were not completed until spring 1758.<ref name="Lonergan19_25">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], pp. 19–25</ref> |
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===Walls and bastions=== |
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[[Image:Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, NY.jpg|thumb|left|Fort Ticonderoga from Mount Defiance]] |
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The French built the fort to control the south end of Lake Champlain and prevent the British from gaining military access to the lake. Consequently, its most important defenses, the Reine and Germaine bastions, were directed to the northeast and northwest, away from the lake, with demi-lunes further extending the works on the land side. The Joannes and Languedoc bastions overlooked the lake to the south, providing cover for the landing area outside the fort. The walls were seven feet (2.1 meters) high and fourteen feet (4.3 meters) thick, and the whole works was surrounded by a [[glacis]] and a dry [[moat]] five feet (1.5 meters) deep and {{convert|15|ft|m}} wide. When the walls were first erected in 1756, they were made of squared wooden timbers, with earth filling the gap. The French then began to [[Stonemasonry|dress the walls with stone]] from a [[quarry]] about one mile (1.6 km) away, although this work was never fully completed.<ref name="Nester110">[[#Nester|Nester]], p. 110</ref> When the main defenses became ready for use, the fort was armed with [[cannon]]s hauled from [[Montreal]] and Fort St. Frédéric.<ref name="Kaufmann75_76">[[#Kaufmann|Kaufmann]], pp. 75–76</ref><ref name="Lonergan19">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 19</ref> |
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===Inside and outside=== |
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The fort contained three [[barracks]] and four [[warehouse|storehouse]]s. One bastion held a bakery capable of producing 60 loaves of bread a day. A [[Magazine (artillery)|powder magazine]] was hacked out of the [[bedrock]] beneath the Joannes bastion. All the construction within the fort was of stone.<ref name="Nester110"/> |
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A wooden [[palisade]] protected an area outside the fort between the southern wall and the lake shore. This area contained the main landing for the fort and additional storage facilities and other works necessary for maintenance of the fort.<ref name="Nester110"/> When it became apparent in 1756 that the fort was too far to the west of the lake, the French constructed an additional redoubt to the east to enable cannon to cover the lake's [[narrows]].<ref name="Chartrand36">[[#Chartrand|Chartrand]], p. 36</ref> |
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<gallery widths = 200px> |
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File:Fort Ticonderoga barracks, canon.JPG|Fort Ticonderoga, officers' barracks, right; soldiers' barracks, left |
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File:Fort Ticonderoga from the south.jpg|Fort Ticonderoga from the south, from the edge of Lake Champlain |
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File:Fort Ticonderoga, inside the first wall.jpg|Inside the first wall; officers' barracks at left, soldiers' barracks at right |
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File:Fort Ticonderoga, store room and powder magazine.jpg|Store room and powder magazine; soldiers' barracks at right |
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</gallery> |
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==Analysis== |
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By 1758, the fort was largely complete; the only ongoing work thereafter consisted of dressing the walls with stone. Still, General [[Louis-Joseph de Montcalm|Montcalm]] and two of his [[military engineer]]s surveyed the works in 1758 and found something to criticize in almost every aspect of the fort's construction; the buildings were too tall and thus easier for attackers' cannon fire to hit, the powder magazine leaked, and the [[masonry]] was of poor quality.<ref name="Lonergan25">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 25</ref> The critics apparently failed to notice the fort's significant strategic weakness: several nearby hills commanded the fort.<ref name="Lonergan26">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 26</ref> Lotbinière, who may have won the job of building the fort only because he was related to Governor Vaudreuil, had lost a bid to become Canada's chief engineer to Nicolas Sarrebource de Pontleroy, one of the two surveying engineers, in 1756, all of which may explain the highly negative report. Lotbinière's career suffered for years afterwards.<ref name="LBio">[[#LBio|Thorpe]]</ref> |
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[[#Nester|William Nester]], in his exhaustive analysis of the Battle of Carillon, notes additional problems with the fort's construction. The fort was small for a Vauban-style fort, about {{convert|500|ft}} wide, with a barracks capable of holding only 400 soldiers. Storage space inside the fort was similarly limited, requiring the storage of provisions outside the fort's walls in exposed places. Its [[cistern]] was small, and the [[water quality]] was supposedly poor.<ref name="Nester111">[[#Nester|Nester]], p. 111</ref><ref name="Ketchum28">[[#Ketchum|Ketchum]], p. 28</ref> |
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==Military history== |
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[[Image:Ticonderoga attack plan2.jpg|thumb|Restored manuscript map, dated May 29, 1759, for the British plan of attack at the [[Battle of Ticonderoga (1759)|1759 Battle of Ticonderoga]]]] |
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===French and Indian War=== |
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{{main|Battle of Carillon|Battle of Ticonderoga (1759)}} |
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In August 1757, the French [[Battle of Fort William Henry|captured Fort William Henry]] in an action launched from [[Fort Carillon]].<ref name="AndersonMade109_15">[[#AndersonMade|Anderson (2005)]], pp. 109–115</ref> This, and a string of other French victories in 1757, prompted the British to organize a large-scale attack on the fort as part of a multi-campaign strategy against French Canada.<ref name="AndersonMade126">[[#AndersonMade|Anderson (2005)]], p. 126</ref> In June 1758, British General [[James Abercrombie (British Army general)|James Abercromby]] began amassing a large force at [[Fort William Henry]] in preparation for the [[military campaign]] directed up the Champlain Valley. These forces landed at the north end of [[Lake George (New York)|Lake George]], only four miles from the fort, on July 6.<ref name="AndersonMade132">[[#AndersonMade|Anderson (2005)]], p. 132</ref> The French general [[Louis-Joseph de Montcalm]], who had only arrived at Carillon in late June, engaged his troops in a flurry of work to improve the fort's outer defenses. They built, over two days, entrenchments around a rise between the fort and Mount Hope, about three-quarters of a mile (one kilometer) northwest of the fort, and then constructed an [[abatis]] (felled trees with sharpened branches pointing out) below these entrenchments.<ref name="AndersonC242">[[#AndersonCrucible|Anderson (2000)]], p. 242</ref> Abercromby's failure to advance directly to the fort on July 7 made much of this defensive work possible. Abercromby's second-in-command, Brigadier General [[George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe|George Howe]], had been killed when his column encountered a French reconnaissance troop. Abercromby "felt [Howe's death] most heavily" and may have been unwilling to act immediately.<ref name="AndersonMade135">[[#AndersonMade|Anderson (2005)]], p. 135</ref> |
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On July 8, 1758, Abercromby ordered a [[frontal attack]] against the hastily assembled French works. Abercromby tried to move rapidly against the few French defenders, opting to forgo [[field artillery|field cannon]] and relying instead on the numerical superiority of his 16,000 troops. In the [[Battle of Carillon]], the British were soundly defeated by the 4,000 French defenders.<ref name="AndersonMade135_8">[[#AndersonMade|Anderson (2005)]], pp. 135–138</ref> The battle took place far enough away from the fort that its guns were rarely used.<ref name="Few uses">[[#Chartrand|Chartrand]] and [[#Nester|Nester]], both detailed treatments of the battle, describe only one brief time period during the battle when the cannons on the southwest bastion were fired at an attempted British maneuver on the river.</ref> The battle gave the fort a reputation for impregnability, which had an impact on future military operations in the area, notably during the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="Furneaux51"/> Following the French victory, Montcalm, anticipating further British attacks, ordered additional work on the defenses, including the construction of the Germain and Pontleroy [[redoubt]]s (named for the engineers under whose direction they were constructed) to the northeast of the fort.<ref name="ASHPS1913_619">[[#ASHPS1913|ASHPS Annual Report 1913]], p. 619</ref><ref name="Stoetzel453">[[#Stoetzel|Stoetzel]], p. 453</ref> However, the British did not attack again in 1758, so the French withdrew all but a small garrison of men for the winter in November.<ref name="Atherton419">[[#Atherton|Atherton]], p. 419</ref> |
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The fort was captured the following year by the British under General [[Jeffrey Amherst]] in the [[Battle of Ticonderoga (1759)|1759 Battle of Ticonderoga]]. In this confrontation 11,000 British troops, using emplaced artillery, drove off a token garrison of 400 Frenchmen. The French, in withdrawing, used explosives to destroy what they could of the fort<ref name="Lonergan56">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 56</ref> and [[wikt:spike#Verb|spiked]] or dumped cannons that they did not take with them. Although the British worked in 1759 and 1760 to repair and improve the fort,<ref name="Kaufmann90_91">[[#Kaufmann|Kaufmann]], pp. 90–91</ref> the fort saw no more significant action in the war. After the war, the British [[garrison]]ed it with a small numbers of troops and allowed it to fall into disrepair. Colonel [[Frederick Haldimand]], in command of the fort in 1773, wrote that it was in "ruinous condition".<ref name="Lonergan59">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 59</ref> |
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===Early Revolutionary War=== |
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{{main|Capture of Fort Ticonderoga|Invasion of Canada (1775)}} |
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In 1775, Fort Ticonderoga, in disrepair, was still manned by a token force. On May 10, 1775, less than one month after the [[American Revolutionary War]] was ignited with the [[battles of Lexington and Concord]], the British garrison of 48 soldiers was surprised by a small force of [[Green Mountain Boys]], along with militia volunteers from [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]] and [[Connecticut Colony|Connecticut]], led by [[Ethan Allen]] and [[Benedict Arnold]].<ref name="Martin70_72">[[#Martin|Martin]], pp. 70–72</ref> Allen claims to have said, "Come out you old Rat!" to the fort's commander, Captain William Delaplace.<ref name="Martin71">[[#Martin|Martin]], p. 71</ref> He also later said that he demanded that the British commander surrender the fort "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"; however, his surrender demand was made to Lieutenant Jocelyn Feltham and not the fort's commander, who did later appear and surrender his sword.<ref name="Martin71"/> With the capture of the fort, the [[Patriot (American Revolution)|Patriot]] forces obtained a large supply of cannons and other armaments, much of which [[Henry Knox]] transported to [[Boston]] during the winter of 1775–1776. Ticonderoga's cannons were instrumental in ending the [[Siege of Boston]] when they were used to [[Fortification of Dorchester Heights|fortify Dorchester Heights]].<ref name="Martin73">[[#Martin|Martin]], p. 73</ref> Arnold remained in control of the fort until 1,000 Connecticut troops under the command of [[Benjamin Hinman]] arrived in June 1775. Because of a series of political maneuvers and miscommunications, Arnold was never notified that Hinman was to take command. After a delegation from Massachusetts (which had issued Arnold's commission) arrived to clarify the matter, Arnold resigned his commission and departed, leaving the fort in Hinman's hands.<ref name="Martin80_97">[[#Martin|Martin]], pp. 80–97</ref> |
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[[Image:Fort Ticonderoga 1775.jpg|thumb|left|Ethan Allen, demanding that the fort be surrendered]] |
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Beginning in July 1775, Ticonderoga was used as a [[staging area]] for the [[Invasion of Canada (1775)|invasion of Quebec]] to begin in September. Under the leadership of generals [[Philip Schuyler]] and [[Richard Montgomery]], men and materiel for the invasion accumulated there through July and August.<ref name="Smith14I252_270">[[#Smith14I|Smith, Vol 1]], pp. 252–270</ref> On August 28, after receiving word that British forces at [[Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)|Fort Saint-Jean]], not far from the New York–[[Province of Quebec (1763-1791)|Quebec]] border, were nearing completion of boats to launch onto Lake Champlain, Montgomery launched the invasion, leading 1,200 troops down the lake.<ref name="Smith14I320">[[#Smith14I|Smith (1907), Vol 1]], p. 320</ref> Ticonderoga continued to serve as a staging base for the action in Quebec until the [[Battle of Quebec (1775)|battle and siege at Quebec City]] that resulted in Montgomery's death.<ref name="SmithV2">These events are recounted in detail in [[#Smith14II|Smith (1907), Vol 2]].</ref> |
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In May 1776, British troops began to arrive at [[Quebec City]], where they broke the [[Continental Army]]'s siege.<ref name="Smith14II316">[[#Smith14II|Smith (1907), Vol 2]], p. 316</ref> The British chased the American forces back to Ticonderoga in June, and, after several months of shipbuilding, moved down Lake Champlain under [[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Guy Carleton]] in October. The British destroyed a small fleet of American [[gunboat]]s in the [[Battle of Valcour Island]] in mid-October, but snow was already falling, so the British retreated to winter quarters in Quebec. About 1,700 troops from the Continental Army, under the command of Colonel [[Anthony Wayne]], wintered at Ticonderoga.<ref name="SmithV2"/><ref name="Hamilton165">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 165</ref> The British offensive resumed the next year in the [[Saratoga campaign]] under General [[John Burgoyne]].<ref name="Lonergan101">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 101</ref> |
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===Saratoga campaign=== |
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{{main|Battle of Ticonderoga (1777)}} |
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During the summer of 1776, the Americans, under the direction of General Schuyler, and later under General [[Horatio Gates]], added substantial defensive works to the area. Mount Independence, which is almost completely surrounded by water, was fortified with trenches near the water, a horseshoe [[artillery battery|battery]] part way up the side, a [[citadel]] at the summit, and redoubts armed with cannons surrounding the summit area. These defenses were linked to Ticonderoga with a [[pontoon bridge]] that was protected by land batteries on both sides. The works on Mount Hope, the heights above the site of Montcalm's victory, were improved to include a star-shaped fort. Mount Defiance remained unfortified.<ref name="Lonergan97_9">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], pp. 97–99</ref> |
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[[Image:Ticonderoga1.jpg|thumb|right|Fort Ticonderoga as seen from [[Lake Champlain]]]] |
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In March 1777, American generals were strategizing about possible British military movements and considered an attempt on the Hudson River corridor a likely possibility. General Schuyler, heading the forces stationed at Ticonderoga, requested 10,000 troops to guard Ticonderoga and 2,000 to guard the [[Mohawk River]] valley against British invasion from the north. [[George Washington]], who had never been to Ticonderoga (his only visit was to be in 1783),<ref name="Lonergan123">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 123</ref> believed that an overland attack from the north was unlikely, because of the alleged impregnability of Ticonderoga.<ref name="Furneaux51">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], p. 51</ref> This, combined with continuing incursions up the Hudson River valley by British forces occupying New York City, led Washington to believe that any attack on the [[Albany, New York|Albany]] area would be from the south, which, as it was part of the supply line to Ticonderoga, would necessitate a withdrawal from the fort. As a result, no significant actions were taken to further fortify Ticonderoga or significantly increase its garrison.<ref name="Furneaux52">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], p. 52</ref> The garrison, about 2,000 men under General [[Arthur St. Clair]], was too small to man all the defenses.<ref name="Lonergan99">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 99</ref> |
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General Gates, who oversaw the northern defenses, was aware that [[Mount Defiance]] threatened the fort.<ref name="Furneaux54_55"/> [[John Trumbull]] had pointed this out as early as 1776, when a shot fired from the fort was able to reach Defiance's summit, and several officers inspecting the hill noted that there were approaches to its summit where [[gun carriage]]s could be pulled up the sides.<ref name="Furneaux54_55">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], pp. 54–55</ref> As the garrison was too small to properly defend all the existing works in area, Mount Defiance was left undefended.<ref name="Furneaux55">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], p. 55</ref> Anthony Wayne left Ticonderoga in April 1777 to join Washington's army; he reported to Washington that "all was well", and that the fort "can never be carried, without much loss of blood".<ref name="Furneaux58">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], p. 58</ref> |
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{{Quote box|width=20%|align=right|"Where a goat can go, a man can go; and where a man can go, he can drag a gun."|British Major General [[William Phillips (General)|William Phillips]], as his men brought cannon to the top of [[Mount Defiance|Mt. Defiance]] in 1777}} |
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General Burgoyne led 7,800 British and [[Hessian (soldiers)|Hessian]] forces south from Quebec in June 1777.<ref name="Furneaux47">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], p. 47</ref> After occupying nearby [[Fort Crown Point]] without opposition on June 30, he prepared to [[Battle of Ticonderoga (1777)|besiege Ticonderoga]].<ref name="Furneaux49_57">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], pp. 49, 57</ref> Burgoyne realized the [[military tactics|tactical]] advantage of the [[high ground]], and had his troops haul cannons to the top of Mount Defiance. Faced with bombardment from the heights (even before any shots had been fired from those cannons), General St. Clair ordered Ticonderoga abandoned on July 5, 1777. Burgoyne's troops moved in the next day,<ref name="Furneaux65_67">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], pp. 65–67</ref> with advance guards pursuing the retreating Americans.<ref name="Furneaux74">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], p. 74</ref> Washington, on hearing of Burgoyne's advance and the retreat from Ticonderoga, stated that the event was "not apprehended, nor within the compass of my reasoning".<ref name="Furneaux88">[[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], p. 88</ref> News of the abandonment of the "Impregnable Bastion" without a fight, caused "the greatest surprise and alarm" throughout the colonies.<ref name="ThacherQuote">Dr. [[James Thacher]], quoted in [[#Furneaux|Furneaux]], p. 88</ref> After public outcry over his actions, General St. Clair was [[court-martial]]ed in 1778. He was cleared on all charges.<ref name="Furneaux88"/> |
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===One last attack=== |
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Following the British capture of Ticonderoga, it and the surrounding defenses were garrisoned by 700 British and Hessian troops under the command of Brigadier General [[Henry Watson Powell]]. Most of these forces were on Mount Independence, with only 100 each at Fort Ticonderoga and a [[blockhouse]] they were constructing on top of Mount Defiance.<ref name="Hamilton215_6">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], pp. 215–216</ref> George Washington sent General [[Benjamin Lincoln]] into the [[New Hampshire Grants]] to "divide and distract the enemy".<ref name="Hamilton216">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 216</ref> Aware that Fort Ticonderoga housed American [[POW|prisoners]], Lincoln decided to test the British defenses. On September 13, he sent 500 men to [[Whitehall (village), New York|Skenesboro]], which the British had abandoned, and 500 each against the defenses on either side of the lake at Ticonderoga. Colonel [[John Brown of Pittsfield|John Brown]] led the troops on the west side, with instructions to release the prisoners if possible, and attack the fort if it seemed feasible.<ref name="Hamilton217">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 217</ref> |
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Early on September 18, Brown's troops surprised the British contingent holding prisoners near the Lake George landing, while a detachment of his troops snuck up Mount Defiance, and captured most of the sleeping construction crew. Brown and his men then moved down the portage trail toward the fort, surprising more troops and releasing prisoners along the way.<ref name="Hamilton218">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 218</ref> The fort's occupants were unaware of the action until Brown's men and British troops occupying the old French lines [[skirmisher|skirmished]]. At this point Brown's men dragged two six-pound guns, captured earlier, up to the lines, and began firing on the fort. The men who had captured Mount Defiance began firing a twelve-pounder from that site.<ref name="Hamilton219">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 219</ref> |
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[[Image:Surrender of General Burgoyne.jpg|thumb|[[John Trumbull (painter)|John Trumbull]]'s depiction of the ''Surrender of General Burgoyne'' at Saratoga]] |
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The column that was to attack Mount Independence was delayed, and its numerous defenders were alerted to the action at the fort below before the attack on their position began. Their musket fire, as well as [[grapeshot]] fired from ships anchored nearby, intimidated the Americans sufficiently that they never launched an assault on the defensive positions on Mount Independence.<ref name="Hamilton219"/> A [[stalemate]] persisted, with regular exchanges of cannon fire, until September 21, when 100 Hessians, returning from the Mohawk Valley to support Burgoyne, arrived on the scene to provide reinforcement to the besieged fort.<ref name="Hamilton220">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 220</ref> Brown eventually sent a [[truce]] party to the fort to open negotiations; the party was fired on, and three of its five members were killed.<ref name="Hamilton222">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 222</ref> Brown, realizing that the weaponry they had was insufficient to take the fort, decided to withdraw. Destroying many [[bateaux]] and seizing a ship on Lake George, he set off to annoy British positions on that lake.<ref name="Hamilton222"/> His action resulted in the freeing of 118 Americans and the capture of 293 British troops, while suffering fewer than ten casualties.<ref name="Hamilton219"/> |
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===Abandonment=== |
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Following Burgoyne's [[Battles of Saratoga|defeat at Saratoga]], the fort at Ticonderoga became increasingly irrelevant. The British abandoned it and nearby [[Fort Crown Point]] in November 1777, destroying both as best they could prior to their withdrawal.<ref name="Crego70">[[#Crego|Crego]], p. 70</ref> The fort was occasionally reoccupied by British raiding parties in the following years, but it no longer held a prominent strategic role in the war. It was finally abandoned by the British for good in 1781, following the [[Siege of Yorktown|surrender at Yorktown]].<ref name="Lonergan122">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 122</ref> Area residents began stripping the fort of usable building materials, even melting some of the cannons down for their metal in the years following the war.<ref name="Pell91">[[#Pell|Pell]], p. 91</ref> |
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==Tourist attraction== |
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[[Image:Cole Thomas Gelyna (View near Ticonderoga) 1826-1828.jpeg|thumb|[[Thomas Cole]]'s ''Gelyna, View near Ticonderoga'']] |
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In 1785, the fort's lands became the property of the state of New York. The state [[donation|donated]] the property to [[Columbia University|Columbia]] and [[Union College|Union]] colleges in 1803,<ref name="Hamilton226">[[#Hamilton226|Hamilton]], p. 226</ref> which sold it to William Ferris Pell in 1820.<ref name="Crego76">[[#Crego|Crego]], p. 76</ref> Pell first used the property as a summer retreat, but the completion of railroads and canals connecting the area to New York City brought tourists to the area,<ref name="Crego73">[[#Crego|Crego]], p. 73</ref> so he converted his summer house, known as The Pavilion, into a hotel to serve the tourist trade. In 1848, the [[Hudson River School]] artist [[Russell Smith (artist)|Russell Smith]] painted ''Ruins of Fort Ticonderoga'', depicting the condition of the fort.<ref name="Crego75">[[#Crego|Crego]], p. 75</ref> |
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The Pell family, a politically important clan with influence throughout American history (from [[William C. C. Claiborne]], the first [[Governor of Louisiana]], to a [[United States Senator|Senator]] from [[Rhode Island]], [[Claiborne Pell]]), restored the fort in 1909 and formally opened it to the public. The ceremonies, which commemorated the 300th anniversary of the discovery of Lake Champlain by European explorers, were attended by President [[William Howard Taft]].<ref name="Lonergan124">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], p. 124</ref> Stephen Pell, who spearheaded the restoration effort, founded the Fort Ticonderoga Association in 1931, which is now responsible for the fort.<ref name="Hamilton230">[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 230</ref> Between 1900 and 1950, the historically important lands around the fort, including Mount Defiance, Mount Independence, and much of Mount Hope, were also acquired by the foundation.<ref name="Lonergan125_127">[[#Lonergan|Lonergan (1959)]], pp. 125–127</ref> The fort was rearmed with fourteen 24-pound cannons provided by the British government. These cannons had been cast in England for use during the Revolution, but the war ended before they were shipped over.<ref name="Pell108_9">[[#Pell|Pell]], pp. 108–109</ref> |
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[[Image:Fortticonderoga inside.jpg|thumb|A view of the restored Fort Ticonderoga]] |
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The fort is now a tourist attraction, early American military museum, and research center. The fort opens around May 10, the anniversary of the 1775 capture, every year, closing in late October.<ref name="FortHours">[[#FortHours|Fort Hours]]</ref> It has been on a watchlist of National Historic Landmarks since 1998, because of the poor condition of some of the walls and the 19th-century pavilion constructed by William Ferris Pell.<ref name="nhlsum"/> The pavilion is, as of early 2009, undergoing [[Building restoration|restoration]]. In 2008, the powder magazine destroyed by the French in 1759 was recreated, based in part on the original 1755 plans.<ref name="Foster">[[#Foster|Foster]]</ref> Also in 2008, the withdrawal of a major backer's financial support forced the museum, facing significant [[budget deficit]]s, to consider selling one of its major art works, [[Thomas Cole]]'s ''Gelyna, View near Ticonderoga''. However, [[fundraising]] activities succeeded in making this unnecessary.<ref name="TUArticle">[[#TU081218|Albany Times Union, 2008-12-18]]</ref> |
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==Memorials== |
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The name Ticonderoga has been given to [[USS Ticonderoga|five different U.S. Navy vessels]] and entire classes of [[Ticonderoga class cruiser|cruisers]] and [[Ticonderoga class aircraft carrier|aircraft carriers]].<ref name="BauerShips">[[#Bauer|Bauer]], pp. 36, 65, 67, 118, 119, 217, 218</ref><ref name="GSub">[[#GSub|US Office of Naval Records]], p. 106</ref> The fort was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1960.<ref name="nhlsum">[[#NHLSUM|NHL summary webpage]]</ref> Included in the landmarked area are the fort itself, as well as Mount Independence and Mount Defiance.<ref name="nrhpinv">[[#NRHPINV|Ashton]]</ref> It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1966.<ref name="nhlsum"/> The Ticonderoga pencil, manufactured by the [[Dixon Ticonderoga]] Corporation, is named for the fort.<ref name="DixonCorp">[[#DixonCorp|Dixon Ticonderoga Corporation]]</ref> |
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==See also== |
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*[[Battle on Snowshoes (1757)]] |
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*[[Battle on Snowshoes (1758)]] |
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{{clear}} |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist|colwidth=24em}} |
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==References== |
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===Fort history sources=== |
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{{refbegin}} |
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*{{cite book|title=The Forts of New France in Northeast America 1600–1763|first=Rene|last=Chartrand|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=New York|year=2008|isbn=9781846032554|ref=Chartrand|oclc=191891156}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Fort Ticonderoga|first=Carl R.|last=Crego|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|location=Charleston, South Carolina|year=2004|isbn=9780738535029|ref=Crego|oclc=56032864}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Fortress America: The Forts that Defended America, 1600 to the Present|first=J. E.|last=Kaufmann|coauthors=Idzikowski, Tomasz|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|year=2004|ref=Kaufmann|isbn=9780306812941|oclc=56912995}} |
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*{{cite book|first=Edward|last=Hamilton|title=Fort Ticonderoga, Key to a Continent|ref=Hamilton|publisher=Little, Brown|location=Boston|year=1964|oclc=965281}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Ticonderoga, Historic Portage|first=Carroll Vincent|last=Lonergan|ref=Lonergan|publisher=Fort Mount Hope Society Press|location=Ticonderoga, New York|year=1959|oclc=2000876}} |
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*{{cite book|first=Stephen|last=Pell|title=Fort Ticonderoga: A Short History|ref=Pell|publisher=Fort Ticonderoga Museum|location=Ticonderoga, New York|year=1966|oclc=848305}} |
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{{refend}} |
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===Battle history sources=== |
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{{refbegin}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Fred|title=The War that made America|location=New York|publisher=Viking|year=2005|isbn=9780670034543|ref=AndersonMade|oclc=60671897}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766|first=Fred|last=Anderson|ref=AndersonCrucible|location=New York|publisher=Vintage Books|year=2000|isbn=9780375706363|oclc=253943947}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Montreal, 1535–1914, Under British Rule, Volume 1|first=William Henry|last=Atherton|location=Montreal|publisher=S. J. Clarke|year=1914|ref=Atherton|oclc=6683395|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=4dmtaxmIuqcC}} |
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*{{cite book|title=The Battle of Saratoga|first=Rupert|last=Furneaux|location=New York|publisher=Stein and Day|ref=Furneaux|year=1971|isbn=9780812813050|oclc=134959}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War|first=Richard M.|last=Ketchum|location=New York|publisher=Macmillan|year=1999|isbn=9780805061239|ref=Ketchum|oclc=41397623}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Benedict Arnold: Revolutionary Hero|first=James Kirby|last=Martin|location=New York|publisher=New York University Press|year=1997|ref=Martin|isbn=9780814755600|oclc=36343341}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Nester|first=William|url=http://www.sunypress.edu/details.asp?id=61555|title=The Epic Battles of the Ticonderoga, 1758|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7914-7321-4|ref=Nester|oclc=105469157}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Our Struggle for the Fourteenth Colony: Canada, and the American Revolution, Volume 1|first=Justin H|last=Smith|ref=Smith14I|location=New York|publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons|year=1907|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Ls9BAAAAIAAJ|oclc=259236}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Justin H|title=Our Struggle for the Fourteenth Colony: Canada, and the American Revolution, Volume 2|location=New York|year=1907|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=19VBAAAAIAAJ|publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons|ref=Smith14II|oclc=259236}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the French and Indian War in North America, 1754–1763|first=Donald I|last=Stoetzel|ref=Stoetzel|location=Westminster, Maryland|publisher=Heritage Books|isbn=9780788445170|year=2008|oclc=243602289}} |
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{{refend}} |
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===Other sources=== |
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{{refbegin}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Afable|first=Patricia O.|coauthors=Beeler, Madison S.|year=1996|chapter=Place Names|title=Languages|editor-first=Ives, ed|editor-last=Goddard|series=[[Handbook of North American Indians]], Volume 17|location=Washington, DC|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|ref=Afable|isbn=9780160487743|oclc=43957746}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Annual Report, 1913|author=American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society|publisher=J.B. Lyon|location=Albany, New York|year=1913|ref=ASHPS1913|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KmgAAAAAYAAJ|oclc=1480703}} |
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*{{cite web|url=http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/66000519.pdf|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination: Fort Ticonderoga / Mount Independence National Historic Landmark|first=Charles H|last=Ashton|coauthors=Hunter, Richard W|date=August, 1983|publisher=National Park Service|format=PDF|accessdate=2009-01-10|ref=NRHPINV}} and {{PDFlink|[http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/66000519.pdf Accompanying 40 photos, from 1983, 1967, and 1980.]|13.5 MB}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants|first=Karl Jack|last=Bauer|coauthors=Roberts, Stephen S.|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=New York|year=1991|isbn=9780313262029|ref=Bauer|oclc=24010356}} |
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*{{cite web | url=http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2008/todays-news/fort-ticonderoga-rededicates.html | title=Fort Ticonderoga Rededicates Green Replica of Building Lost in 1759 |first=Margaret|last=Foster | date=July 3, 2008 | accessdate=2009-02-09| work=Preservation magazine | publisher=National Trust for Historic Preservation|ref=Foster}} |
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*{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service|ref=NRIS|accessdate=2009-03-15}} |
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*{{cite web|url=http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=751643&category=REGION|title=Fort Ticonderoga art sale scrapped|first=Brian|last=Nearing|publisher=Albany Times Union|date=2008-12-18|accessdate=2009-01-10|ref=TU081218}} |
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*{{cite book|title=The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet|first=Norman|last=Polmar|edition=17|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2001|isbn=9781557506566|ref=Polmar}} |
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*{{cite web|url=http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=1802|accessdate=2009-01-14|title=Lotbinière biography|publisher=Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online|ref=LBio|year=2000|first=F. J.|last=Thorpe|coauthors=Nicolini-Maschino, Sylvette}} |
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*{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ScsBAAAAMAAJ|title=German Submarine Activities on the Atlantic Coast of the United States and Canada|author=United States Office of Naval Records|ref=GSub|publisher=Government Printing Office|location=Washington, DC|year=1920|oclc=50058251}} |
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*{{cite web|url=http://www.dixonusa.com/index.cfm/fuseaction=Ticonderoga.home|title=Dixon Ticonderoga|publisher=[[Dixon Ticonderoga]] Corporation|accessdate=2009-04-01|ref=DixonCorp}} |
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*{{cite web|url=http://www.fort-ticonderoga.org/visit/hours-rates.htm|title=Fort Ticonderoga Hours and Rates|publisher=Fort Ticonderoga Association|ref=FortHours|accessdate=2009-01-10}} |
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*{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=372&ResourceType=District |
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|title=NHL summary webpage for Fort Ticonderoga|accessdate=2007-09-13|ref=NHLSUM|publisher=National Park Service}} |
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{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
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* Official site: [http://www.fort-ticonderoga.org Fort Ticonderoga webpage] |
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:* Timeline [http://www.fort-ticonderoga.org/history/18th-century.htm 18th], [http://www.fort-ticonderoga.org/history/19th-century.htm 19th] century |
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* [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=pphhphoto&fileName=ny/ny0200/ny0211/photos/browse.db&action=browse&recNum=0&title2=Fort%20Ticonderoga,%20Fort%20Ticonderoga,%20Essex%20County,%20NY&displayType=1&itemLink=r?pp/hh:@FIELD(DOCID+@BAND(@lit(NY0211))) Gallery of five photos from 1934 to 1935], from the [[Historic American Buildings Survey]] |
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* [http://www.historiclakes.org/Ticonderoga/Ticonderoga.html Fort Ticonderoga history] at Historic Lakes |
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* [http://www.britishbattles.com/battle_of_Ticonderoga.htm Battle of Ticonderoga – 1758] at British Battles |
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{{commonscat-inline}} |
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{{New France}} |
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{{Registered Historic Places}} |
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{{featured article}} |
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[[Category:Essex County, New York]] |
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[[Category:Forts in New York|Ticonderoga]] |
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[[Category:Military history of Canada]] |
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[[Category:Military history of the United States]] |
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[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in New York]] |
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[[Category:American Revolutionary War forts|Ticonderoga]] |
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[[Category:French and Indian War forts|Ticonderoga]] |
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[[Category:Warren County, New York]] |
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[[Category:Museums in Essex County, New York]] |
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[[Category:Military and war museums in New York]] |
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[[Category:Living museums in New York]] |
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[[Category:French forts in the United States|Ticonderoga]] |
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[[ja:タイコンデロガ砦]] |
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[[no:Fort Ticonderoga]] |
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[[pl:Fort Ticonderoga]] |
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Revision as of 18:13, 27 October 2009
| visitation_year = | refnum = 66000519 | mpsub = | governing_body = Private museum}}