Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga occurred on May 10, 1775, during the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. A small force of colonial militiamen, led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, surprised and captured the undermanned British Army garrison at Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. This early victory provided the Continental Army with vital artillery and secured a strategic gateway between the Thirteen Colonies and the Province of Quebec.

Background

Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, the war for American independence began in earnest. Colonial leaders recognized the strategic importance of Fort Ticonderoga, which controlled the southern end of Lake Champlain and the route to the Hudson River valley. Originally built by the French as Fort Carillon during the French and Indian War, the fort had been captured by the British in the Battle of Ticonderoga (1759). By 1775, its military significance had waned, and it was lightly garrisoned by a small detachment of the 26th Regiment of Foot under Captain William Delaplace. Intelligence about the fort's weak state and its store of valuable cannon reached revolutionary committees in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The expedition

In early May 1775, the Connecticut Committee of Correspondence authorized an expedition to seize the fort and its ordnance. They funded Ethan Allen, leader of the Green Mountain Boys from the New Hampshire Grants (modern Vermont), to raise a force. Simultaneously, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety commissioned Benedict Arnold for the same mission, leading to a contentious rivalry upon their meeting at Hand's Cove in Shoreham. Allen and Arnold agreed to a joint command, assembling about 83 men from the Green Mountain Boys and local militias. They crossed Lake Champlain in the early hours of May 10 in a small flotilla of boats, including a captured schooner, aiming for a dawn assault.

Capture of the fort

The colonial force landed near the fort and found the sentry asleep. They rushed the main gate, which was unlocked, and quickly entered the parade ground. Allen and Arnold led a charge into the officers' quarters, where they confronted the startled Captain Delaplace and demanded his surrender "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." With only about 48 British soldiers present, many of whom were invalids or their families, Delaplace had no choice but to capitulate. The entire garrison was taken prisoner without a single shot fired. The colonists also captured the nearby outpost at Fort Crown Point and several vessels on the lake, including the sloop HMS *Enterprise*.

Aftermath

The capture yielded a massive haul of military supplies, most importantly over 59 heavy cannon and mortars, along with howitzers, small arms, and ammunition. These weapons were desperately needed by the Continental Army besieging the British Army in Boston. During the winter of 1775–1776, under the direction of Colonel Henry Knox, this artillery was transported in a remarkable feat known as Knox's "Noble Train of Artillery" over 300 miles to the siege lines at Boston. The guns were placed on Dorchester Heights, forcing the evacuation of Boston by British forces under General Thomas Gage in March 1776. The control of Lake Champlain also facilitated the later American invasion of Quebec.

Legacy

The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga was a significant morale booster for the revolutionary cause and demonstrated colonial initiative and military capability. It provided the artillery that proved decisive in ending the Siege of Boston. The fort changed hands several times later in the war, notably during the Saratoga campaign in 1777. The event cemented the early reputations of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, though the command dispute with Benedict Arnold foreshadowed Arnold's later treason. Today, the restored Fort Ticonderoga is a National Historic Landmark and museum, commemorating its role in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.

Category:American Revolutionary War Category:Battles of the American Revolutionary War Category:History of New York (state)