Battle of Ticonderoga

The Battle of Ticonderoga was a significant event during the American Revolutionary War and involved two major engagements. The first was the capture of Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775, marking the first offensive victory for American forces in the war. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with Benedict Arnold, surprised and overtook a small British garrison at the fort, securing a strategic passageway north to Canada and an important cache of artillery.

The second engagement, known as the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga, took place from July 2 to July 6, 1777. A British army under General John Burgoyne laid siege to the fort, which controlled access to both Canada and the Hudson Valley. Despite the Americans’ efforts to improve the fort’s defenses, the British captured Mount Defiance and placed artillery there. Realizing their outnumbered force had little chance of defending the fort against a concentrated British attack, the American garrison evacuated Ticonderoga on July 6, 1777. The fort remained a joint British and Brunswick garrison and resisted an American surprise attack in September. Following Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga in October 1777, the British decided to withdraw to Canada and destroyed much of the artillery and fortifications. Thus, the Battle of Ticonderoga played a crucial role in the strategic movements of both the American and British forces during the Revolutionary War.