Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga 1759 Living History Weekend

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Join General Amherst’s British and provincial army at Fort Ticonderoga this Saturday and Sunday, August 4 and 5 and experience the daily life of a soldier in the aftermath of the destruction of France’s southernmost stronghold on Lake Champlain.

Hear the roar of musketry as these well-trained soldiers continue to prepare for conflict. Lend a hand as these soldiers move men and material from Lake Champlain to supply the army encamped around the Fort. Meet British staff officers and learn about their overall strategy in the French and Indian War in 1759.
Highlighted programming will be offered throughout the weekend including musket drills and firing demonstrations, activities on the shores of Lake Champlain as troops unload supplies, Fife & Drum Corps performances, and even an 18th-century Sunday morning Divine Service. Admission to “1759 Relief & Refit” is included with FortTiconderoga’s general admission ticket. Fort Ticonderoga is open from 9:30 am until 5 pm daily. A complete event schedule can be found online or by calling 518-585-2821.

“’Relief & Refit’ will take place on the very ground where General Amherst’s troops secured this strategic victory,” said Stuart Lilie, Director of Interpretation. “This weekend-long program will dramatically bring to life the experience of the British and American provincial soldiers who were part of the 1759 campaign. In this British living history weekend event, we will recreate and practice the regular, naval, and ranging elements of this Army as it prepared to move on towards Canada in August of 1759.”

“Fort Ticonderoga offers an unparalleled and unique experience for visitors to be immersed in a dramatic moment in time,” said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga’s Executive Director. “What took place at Fort Ticonderoga determined in part the fate of North America. The capture of the Fort in 1759 was critical to the overall British strategy which ultimately led to their victory during the French and Indian War.”

This living history weekend will include a Friday evening program at the site of the 18th-century French saw mill, located in present-day Historic Ticonderoga. Visitors will watch as a detachment of Massachusetts Provincial soldiers haul timber back to the Fort with a bateau. Talk with men from Rogers’ Rangers, fresh from a scout up Mount Defiance. The French & Indian War history ofTiconderoga will come to life in this fascinating evening program located in the town park from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.

Recent Fort Ti Acquisition Reveals New Rev War Details

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“The Care of the Fortresses of Tyonderoga and Mount Independence being committed to you as commanding Officer…” begins a letter written by General Philip Schyler as he turns over command of Ticonderoga to Colonel Anthony Wayne in the fall of 1776 was recently acquired by Fort Ticonderoga through generous donor support.

This letter provides unique documentation of the minute details Ticonderoga’s officer’s had to be concerned with in order to protect the post from attack and properly care for its troops. “Letters like these are amazing resources that enable historians to better understand how people lived at Ticonderoga during the American Revolution,” said Christopher D. Fox, Fort Ticonderoga’s Curator of Collections. “The information contained within this letter will help museum staff develop accurate and engaging programs for the public.”

Written November 23, 1776, this important letter relays orders to Wayne regarding the security and maintenance of Ticonderoga through the winter. Colonel Wayne is given specific instructions to “continually keep scouting parties on the Lake as long as the Season will permit it to be navigated” and to “pay the strictest Attention to your Guards & Centinels and punish severely the least Remissness in Duty” in order to keep the fortresses secure through the winter. In making sure that the forts can be properly defended in case of attack, Schuyler orders that “All Huts & Buildings that may in the least obstruct the Defense of your posts must be levelled.”

Keeping the winter garrison healthy is also a chief concern on which General Schuyler instructs Colonel Wayne. He writes that a considerable quantity of provisions, livestock, and vegetables are being forwarded to supply the men for three months stating that “You will know of what Importance it is that the greatest attention should be paid to the Health of the Men” and that “having their Victuals properly dressed are capital points and greatly tend to the preservation of the Men.” In addition to provisions being forwarded for the troops, Colonel Wayne is also notified that to help keep the men healthy through the winter “Bedding… will be sent as soon as possible together with a Number of Iron Stoves… to be put up in your Barracks for the greater Conveniencey of the Men” and instructs that barracks chimneys be swept every two weeks.

Fort Ticonderoga’s archival collections consist of thousands of manuscripts, diaries, orderly books, maps, and photographs. The manuscript collections include correspondence of both officers and common soldiers who served at Fort Ticonderoga in the 18th century. Found within the collection are the letters, reports, and returns of Ethan Allen, George Washington, Benedict Arnold, James Abercromby, the Marquis de Montcalm, Robert Rogers, John Burgoyne, Philip Skene, and Jonathan Potts, surgeon to the Northern Department of the Continental Army. Thirty journals and orderly books contain first-hand accounts and day-to-day orders of an army at Fort Ticonderoga and the Lake George / Champlain Valleys during the Seven Years’ War and War for American Independence.

The Fort Ticonderoga Association is a not-for-profit historic site and museum whose mission is to ensure that present and future generations learn from the struggles, sacrifices, and victories that shaped the nations of North America and changed world history. Serving the public since 1909, Fort Ticonderoga engages more than 70,000 visitors annually and is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Fort Ticonderoga’s history. The historic site and museum includes the restored fort, museum galleries, Thompson PellResearch Center, and approximately two-thousand acres of land including the King’s Garden, Carillon Battlefield, Mount Defiance, Mount Hope and the northern end of Mount Independence. Fort Ticonderoga is home to one of America’s largest collections of 18th-century military material culture and its research library contains nearly 14,000 published works focusing on the military history of northeastern North America and New France during the 18th century. Philanthropic support by individuals, corporations, and foundations benefits the educational mission of Fort Ticonderoga.Photo:  General Philip Schyler letter to Colonel Anthony Wayne, 1776, acquired by Fort Ticonderoga.

Defiance & Independence Battle Re-enactment at Ticonderoga

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Fort Ticonderoga will hold a two-day battle re-enactment highlighting the climatic summer of 1777 as the Fort’s American garrison was outflanked by a British invasion force descending from Canada. The event takes place this Saturday and Sunday, July 21-22, 9:30 am to 5 pm.Highlighted programming featured throughout the weekend is planned to bring to life the surprising American retreat and British capture of Fort Ticonderoga in early July 1777.  American and British armies will maneuver across Fort Ticonderoga’s historic landscape at 1:30 pm each day. This two-day battle re-enactment will dramatically show how General Arthur St. Clair’s decision to evacuate Ticonderoga set the stage for British General John Burgoyne’s advance towards Albany.
“‘Defiance and Independence’ will take place on the actual ground where the events of early July 1777 took place,” said Stuart Lilie,Fort Ticonderoga’s Director of Interpretation. “British artillery officer, General William Phillips’, brilliant decision to place cannon atop Mount Defiance will be recreated in historic downtown Ticonderoga Saturday evening as Fort Ticonderoga staff and volunteers haul artillery up Montcalm and Defiance Streets on their way to the mount’s summit.” Sunday morning visitors and re-enactors will experience shock and chaos as General Phillips’ heavy guns break the dawn over Ticonderoga.

“Visitors will experience the excitement as mounted command staff gallop into the Fort announcing its imminent capture,” said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga’s Executive Director. “They will be immersed in the moment when American Continental command staff assess their dire situation and debate whether or not to abandon America’s critical stronghold on Lake Champlain. Meanwhile in the British camp, visitors can explore General Burgoyne’s battle-hardened army of British, German, and Loyalist troops and discover the sights and sounds of an army on campaign as soldiers cook their rations, clean their muskets, and enjoy the humble comforts of a bed of straw and canvas tent.”

Schedule for “Defiance & Independence” Battle Re-enactment, July 21-22

Saturday, July 21

9:30 am: Fort Opens to Visitors

10 am: Inspection (British Army in the King’s Garden, Continental Army on the Fort’s Parade)

See General Arthur St. Clair’s Continental soldiers and militia muster together to defend Fort Ticonderoga and the vital waterways it guards. Meanwhile General John Burgoyne’s Army parades before maneuvering to surround the American fortifications.

10:30 am -1 pm: British & American Guards and Pickets Posted (Along the Recreated French Lines)

Watch the scouts skirmishes that happened along the front lines, as advanced scouts of two armies worked to lift the fog of war that could cloud each general’s battle plan.

11 am: Mapping Ticonderoga, Surveying the Northern Army (Inside Fort Ticonderoga)

11:30 am: Artillery Demonstration (Adjacent to the British Camp)

1 pm: Alarm, Assembly & Inspection (British Army in the King’s Garden, Continental Army on the Fort’s Parade)

With a few quick shots in an expected place along the front lines messages rush back to the headquarters of each Army. Staff officers and generals alike take this message from the front lines and a slew of others to make a decision. Alarm! The orders go out- soldiers assemble and are inspected before marching off to their place in the battle line.

1:30 pm: Skirmish at Recreated French Lines

Watch as General Burgoyne’s advanced guard of soldiers probe the American Fortifications rebuilt from the famous French Lines of 1758. Unlikely to assault these Fortifications, British soldiers keep up a hot fire as they probe around these lines, finding out where to flank them, and valuable information about the American soldiers facing them 100 yards away.

2:30 pm: Program: The Northern Army of 1777: The Northern Department General Staff (Inside Fort Ticonderoga)

General Arthur St. Clair and the senior officers of his staff, discuss the British attack, their situation, and even evacuating Fort Ticonderoga, the great American bulwark to protect Albany and certain British victory.

3:30 pm: Program: People of the Brigade &#8211 Soldiers and Citizens in July of 1777. (Adjacent the Fort)

Meet some of the average people and soldiers you would have met in the Armies of the Northern Campaign in 1777.

4 pm: Program: British Engineers Discuss and Demonstrate the Science of their Trade. (Inside the British Camp)

4:30 pm: Program: Sutlers for the Army &#8211 Phil Dunning explains the role of sutlers within the Continental and British Armies. (Inside the British Camp)

5 pm: Fort Closes to Visitors

6:30 pm: Royal Artillery Gun crews haul their cannons through downtown Ticonderoga, on their way to the summit of MountDefiance. (Downtown Ticonderoga)

Sunday, July 22

9:30 am: Fort Opens to Visitors

9:30 am: Guns on Mount Defiance Open Fire

Discovered by an errant shot, General Burgoyne’s cannons atop Mount Defiance announce their presence to a baffled Continental Army.

10 am: Continental Musick Beats the “General”

General Arthur St. Clair prepares his Army for what he hopes will be an orderly retreat. American soldiers break camp. They prepare for what will at best be a fighting withdrawal, at worst a panicked retreat. Veterans and green soldiers alike ready themselves to live on the march.

10:30 am: Guards and Pickets Posted (Along the Recreated French Lines)

Watch the scouts skirmishes that happened along the front lines, as advanced scouts of two armies worked to lift the fog of war that could cloud each general’s battle plan.

11:00 am-12:00 pm: Program: Joel Anderson, Fort Ticonderoga Artificer Superviser, describes the flight of the Continental Army from the Fort.

Learn about the brave actions and misadventures of General Arthur St. Clair’s army as it began its retreat south from FortTiconderoga to fight another day.

11:30 am: Artillery Demonstration (Adjacent to the British Camp)

1 pm: Alarm, Assembly & Inspection (British Army in the King’s Garden, Continental Army on the Fort’s Parade)

With a few quick shots in an expected place along the front lines messages rushes back to the headquarters of each Army. Staff officers and generals alike, take this information and a slough of others to make a decision. Alarm! The orders go out- soldiers assemble and are inspected before marching off to their place in the battle line.

1:30 pm: Skirmish at Recreated French Lines

Hemmed in from the north, east and west, the Continental Army holds their lines against the advances of the British army, emboldened by its advantageous position.

2:30 pm: Program: The Northern Army of 1777- The Northern Department General Staff (Inside Fort Ticonderoga)

General Arthur St. Clair and his senior officers discuss their desperate situation and attempt to bring some order to what no doubt will be a rushed evacuation of the Army. With supplies to salvage, wounded to transport and a bridge across the lake to destroy behind them, these officers attempt to make the best preparations to fight another day.

3 pm: Continental Army Evacuation

See the Continental Army packing up tents, supplies, loading up their wagons to save what they can for what will be another long campaign.

5 pm: Site Closes to Visitors

Admission to “Defiance & Independence” is included with Fort Ticonderoga’s general admission ticket. A complete highlighted event schedule can be found online, or call 518-585-2821 for more information.

Photo provided. 

Secrets Beneath the Walls of Fort Ticonderoga Tours

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Have you ever wondered what lies beneath Fort Ticonderoga’s stone walls? Fort Ticonderoga’s curator, Christopher Fox will lead explorations of Fort Ticonderoga’s hidden past to see remarkably preserved evidence of the Fort’s original structures and catch a glimpse at some of the systems that keeps the Fort running today.

This special behind-the-scenes tour will take visitors into five areas of the Fort not accessible to the general public. In these areas visitors will see original French stone foundations of barracks buildings and cavernous spaces beneath the parapet walls preserving clues to how the Fort was built over 250 years ago and then preserved over the last century.

This hour and a half tour is scheduled at 1:00 pm each Thursday in July and August. Space is limited, advanced reservations are recommended or tickets, as available, can be purchased on the day of the tour at the Guest Services Desk in the Log House Welcome Center. Price is $35 per person with regular general admission.

The tour will begin at the Guest Services Desk located in the Log House Welcome Center. Climbing stairs and passing through narrow spaces is required on this tour and it is not handicap accessible or appropriate for those who have difficulty walking.

Fort Ticonderoga was constructed beginning in the fall of 1755 by the French to protect the outlet of the La Chute River and the short overland portage between Lake Champlain and Lake George. It was captured by the British in July 1759 who held it until its capture by Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys in 1775. The British recaptured the Fort in July 1777 and then abandoned it later that fall. After suffering the ravages of time and the elements, the Fort was restored by the Pell family beginning in the spring of 1909.

Q&A: Douglas Cubbison on British General Burgoyne

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Douglas R. Cubbison is a military historian, who authored Burgoyne and the Saratoga Campaign: His Papers (2012, Arthur H. Clark Company), which presents the documents and letters of British General John Burgoyne.
 In 1777, Burgoyne began an attempt to divide the rebellious United States in the American Revolutionary War by moving south from the British Canada to gain control of the Hudson River Valley, separating the New England states from those to the south.

After Burgoyne’s early capture of Fort Ticonderoga, his campaign had become bogged down in difficulties and ended with surrender on October 17 of his entire army after the Battles of Saratoga.
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Fort Ti: Am Rev Teacher Scholarships Available

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Fort Ticonderoga has announced that four scholarships are available for teachers to attend the Ninth Annual Fort Ticonderoga Seminar on the American Revolution September 21-23, 2012. This annual seminar explores the political, military, and social history related to America’s War for Independence. 
 
Seminar on the American Revolution takes place in the Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center and is open to the public- pre-registration is required. The scholarships are available for teachers at all grade levels.

This seminar at Fort Ticonderoga features presentations by authors and historians, including Benjamin Carp from Tufts University, Marla Miller from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Andrew O’Shaughnessy from the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. Topics include an examination of new sources related to the Battle of Valcour on Lake Champlain in October 1776.
Since 2001, Fort Ticonderoga has provided scholarships for 91 teachers from across the country to attend its seminars and conferences. Teachers interested in applying for a scholarship to attend the of the Ninth Annual Seminar on the American Revolution should download an application at www.fort-ticonderoga.org by clicking on “Explore and Learn” and selecting the “Educators” tab.  Applications are due by August 15. Successful applicants will receive free registration, two box lunches, and an opportunity to dine with the Seminar speakers at a private dinner the Saturday evening of the Seminar. Contact Rich Strum, Director of Education, at (518) 585-6370 if you have questions.Non-teachers can register to attend the Seminar on the American Revolution as well. The cost is $120 if registering before July 15- $145 after that date. Registration forms can be downloaded from the Fort’s website at www.fort-ticonderoga.org under the “Explore and Learn” tab by selecting “Life Long Learning” on the drop down menu and then clicking on the Ninth Annual Seminar on the American Revolution. 

Photo: Detail from Plan of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence by Lieut. Charles Wintersmith from the collection of the FortTiconderoga Museum. Fort Ticonderoga is offering Teacher Scholarships to attend its Ninth Annual Seminar on the American Revolution September 21-23, 2012.

Fort Ti Presents Scots Day Event Saturday

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Fort Ticonderoga will present the Fifth Annual Scots Day on Saturday, June 16. The commemoration of Scottish heritage and their significant contributions to 18th century North American history runs from 9:30 am to 5 pm. Visitors can tour the Scottish Clan tents and vendors to discover more about your own connection to Scottish Culture, and explore the stories of centuries of Scottish soldiers in the British Army through a military timeline offered throughout the day.

Admission to Scots Day is included in a Fort Ticonderoga’s general admission ticket. To learn more about the event visit www.fortticonderoga.org or call 518-585-2821.

Special Memorial CeremonyA special memorial ceremony honoring the 42nd Highland Regiment, also known as the Black Watch, will take place at the Scottish Cairn on the Carillon Battlefield located at Fort Ticonderoga. The procession to the Cairn will begin at 11 am at the Log House Welcome Center. The Memorial Ceremony will take place at 11:30 am and will remember the incredible bravery and discipline of the Black Watch against insurmountable odds at the 1758 Battle of Carillon.Bagpipe Performances

Hear the sounds of Scottish bagpipe music throughout the day as the Plattsburgh Police Pipes and Drums will perform during the day on the Fort’s historic Parade Ground at 12:30 pm and 2 pm. The Police Pipes and Drums of Plattsburgh, formed in 2005, perform at police and fire functions, as well as at events throughout the North Country. The Plattsburg Police Pipes and Drums performance is made possible, in part, by the Arts Council for the Northern Adirondacks CAP Grant, supported by the Essex County Board of Supervisors.

Participating Scottish Clans and organizations

· St. Andrews Society of Vermont
· Clan Buchanan
· Clan Campbell
· Clan Forbes
· Clan Hamilton
· Clan Johnston/Johnstone
· Clan MacIntyre
· Clan MacPherson
· Clan Murray
· Clan Rose

Black Watch Military Living History Programs

Meet some of the present-day Scottish soldiers of the Canadian Black watch to learn about the modern legacy of Scottish military heritage and learn the history of the Black Watch Regiment through living history programs presented throughout the day by members of a Black Watch reenactor unit from Montreal. Highlighted programs include a living history time-line of the Regiment. The re-enacting group depicts its history from the 18th century through the early 21st century, with various members representing different significant points in the unit’s history. Learn about the incredible bravery and discipline of the Black Watch against insurmountable odds at the 1758 Battle of Carillon.

The 42nd Highland Regiment, also known as the Black Watch, played a crucial role at Ticonderoga during the Battle of Carillon on July 8, 1758. The regiment suffered over 50% casualties during the failed British assault on the French Lines at Ticonderoga during the French & Indian War. Ticonderoga continued to be an important part of the regiment’s history. During its involvement in the Iraq War, the Black Watch Regiment’s base near Basra was called “Ticonderoga.”

New Fort Ticonderoga Exhibit Features Weapons Collections

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Fort Ticonderoga has unveiled its newest exhibit, Bullets & Blades: The Weapons of America’s Colonial Wars and Revolution. The exhibit highlights over 150 of the museum’s most important weapons and is a comprehensive and expanded reinterpretation of its world renowned historic arms collection.

Divided into seven sections and including a wide variety of muskets, pistols, swords and powder horns (some of which are one of only two or three of their types known), the exhibit explores the weapons used in America from the early 1600s through the end of the American Revolution. The exhibit is included in Fort Ticonderoga’s general admission price and will be on display throughout the 2012 season.

“This is the first major new weapons exhibit the museum has undertaken in over half a century. The creation of this exhibit is an important step in a process to improve Fort Ticonderoga’s exhibits and make them more engaging and informative for the public,” said Chris Fox, Fort Ticonderoga Curator of Collections.

Bullets & Blades: The Weapons of America’s Colonial Wars and Revolution features important, never before seen, pieces from the Grafton H. and Barbara W. Cook Collection of historic weapons donated to Fort Ticonderoga in 2009. Highlights in the collection include numerous rare and important examples of British cavalry swords and pistols and the massive basket-hilted swords carried by Scottish Highland troops.

Additional important highlights from the Cook Collection include an extremely rare British military pistol used during the reign of England’s King James II and a fine example of the important Ferguson patent breech loading rifle whose technological innovations resulted in the British army’s first breech loading firearm adopted in 1776. The oldest weapons in the exhibit were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Cook including a rare early 17th century matchlock musket similar to the type used by Samuel de Champlain during his brief engagement with the Iroquois Indians on the Ticonderoga peninsula in 1609.

For more details visit www.fortticonderoga.org or call 518-585-2821.

Fort Ticonderoga’s War College of the Seven Years’ War

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Limited space is still available to attend Fort Ticonderoga’s Seventeenth Annual War College of the Seven Years’ War May 18-20, 2012. This annual seminar focuses on the French and Indian War in North America (1754-1763), bringing together a panel of distinguished historians from around the country and beyond. The War College takes place in the Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center and is open to the public- pre-registration is required.


Begun in 1996, the War College of the Seven Years’ War has become one of the premier seminars on the French & Indian War in the country. It features a mix of new and established scholars in an informal setting for a weekend of presentations related to the military, social, and cultural history of the French & Indian War. Speakers include:

De Witt Bailey, British author and 18th-century arms expert, on British weapons of the war.

Maria Alessandra Bollettino, Framingham State University, on slave revolts in the British Caribbean during the war.

Earl John Chapman, Canadian author and historian, on the experiences of James Thompson, a sergeant in the 78th Highlanders.

Christopher D. Fox, Fort Ticonderoga, on Colonel Abijah Willard’s Massachusetts Provincials in 1759.

Jean-Francois Lozier, Canadian Museum of Civilization, on the use of paints and cosmetics among Natives and Europeans.

Paul W. Mapp, College of William & Mary, on the role the vast western lands played in the battle for empire.

William P. Tatum III, David Library of the American Revolution, on the British military justice system, using ten courts-martial at Ticonderoga in 1759 as case studies.

Len Travers, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, on the “Lost Patrol of 1756” on Lake George. The weekend kicks of Friday evening with a presentation by Ticonderoga Town Historian William G. Dolback on “Historic Ticonderoga in Pictures.” Dolback is also President of the Ticonderoga Historical Society and leading local efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the first settler in Ticonderoga in 1764.

Registration for the War College is $145 for the weekend ($125 for members of the Friends of Fort Ticonderoga). Registration forms can be downloaded from the Fort’s website under the “Explore and Learn” tab by selecting “Life Long Learning” on the drop down menu and then clicking on the War College. A printed copy is also available upon request by contacting Rich Strum, Director of Education, at 518-585-6370.

John Warren: Why Fort Anns Battle Hill is Significant

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On Saturday an event in Fort Ann, Washington County will highlight Battle Hill, the site of the Revolutionary War Battle of Fort Anne. A company has plans to mine the battlefield, where an estimated 100 to 200 men were killed, wounded, or captured, and a group of local historians and volunteers has come together to oppose the plan. You can read more about the mining threat to the battlefield and the planned event here, but I thought a look at the importance of the Battle of Fort Anne was worth a look.

The story of Fort Anne’s Battle Hill really begins about 30 miles north at Fort Ticonderoga. Read more →