Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, 1775
The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, fought on May 10, 1775, played a pivotal role in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. Situated on the banks of Lake Champlain, control of the fort was crucial for troop movements between Canada and New York. Lieutenant Colonel Ethan Allen and his militia, the Green Mountain Boys, undertook a surprise raid on the fort, aided by Colonel Benedict Arnold, who had also been commissioned to capture it. Despite initial tensions over command, Allen led a successful assault that resulted in the surrender of the fort's British garrison.
The strategic victory at Fort Ticonderoga provided the Continental Army with a significant cache of artillery, including cannons that would later be used to drive British forces out of Boston. Following the battle, the Americans captured Fort Crown Point, further solidifying their control in the region. The events at Ticonderoga not only boosted American morale but also underscored the importance of coordinated military efforts among colonial forces during the Revolutionary War. This early engagement set the stage for future confrontations and strategies in the conflict.
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Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, 1775
Type of action: Ground battle in the American Revolution
Date: May 10-11, 1775
Location: Southwest bank of Lake Champlain, New York
Combatants: 270-300 Americans vs. 51 British
Principal commanders:American, Lieutenant Colonel Ethan Allen (1738–1789), Lieutenant Colonel Seth Warner (1743–1784), Colonel Benedict Arnold (1741–1801); British, Captain William Delaplace
Result: Bloodless American victories
Control of Fort Ticonderoga on the bank of Lake Champlain was key to troop movements between Canada and New York. Lieutenant Colonel Ethan Allen’s militia, the Green Mountain Boys, already had plans to capture it when Colonel Benedict Arnold, commissioned by the Massachusetts Committee of Safety for the same task, tried to assume command. Allen’s men refused to serve under Arnold, so Allen led the raid with Arnold accompanying as a volunteer.
Before dawn on May 10, Allen and Arnold crossed Lake Champlain with 83 men, surprised the lone sentry, and entered the open gate. Allen woke Captain William Delaplace and forced him at swordpoint to surrender his sleeping garrison, a 42-man company of the Twenty-sixth Regiment of Foot (Cameronians). When Lieutenant Colonel Seth Warner arrived with the rest of the men, Allen detached them to take Fort Crown Point, eight miles north of Fort Ticonderoga. Warner accomplished this easily on May 11 against a single Cameronian squad: one sergeant and eight privates.
Significance
After Bunker Hill (June, 1775), the Americans were desperate for cannons. Under General George Washington’s orders, Colonel Henry Knox brought 30 of the 100 cannons captured at Ticonderoga, 29 of the 114 captured at Crown Point, and about 120,000 pounds of ordnance by sled to eastern Massachusetts. This artillery, mounted on Dorchester Heights, forced General Sir William Howe to abandon Boston (March 17, 1776).
Bibliography
Bellesiles, Michael A. Revolutionary Outlaws: Ethan Allen and the Struggle for Independence on the Early American Frontier. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993.
French, Allen. The Taking of Ticonderoga in 1775: The British Story. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1928.
Hamilton, Edward P. Fort Ticonderoga: Key to a Continent. Boston: Little, Brown, 1964.
Jellison, Charles A. Ethan Allen: Frontier Rebel. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1969.
Pell, John. Ethan Allen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1929.