Saturday, November 22, 2008

British Surrender of Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga is located in Vermont. No longer considered a "front line" fortification, Ticonderoga was well-maintained by the Crown and manned by a token force. On May 10, 1775, the British garrison of 22 soldiers was surprised by a small force of Vermonters who called themselves the Green Mountain Boys, and were led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, who entered the fort through a breach in the wall. Allen was known for saying, "Come out you old Rat!" to the British soldiers . Allen later claimed that he demanded to the British commandant that he surrender the fort "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"; however, his surrender demand was made to a junior officer, not the commandant, and no other witnesses remembered Allen uttering such a phrase.[4] Not a single shot was fired. The colonies obtained a large supply of cannons and powder, much of which was hauled 300 miles by Henry Knox during the winter of 1775-1776, to Boston, to support the Siege of Boston. The fort itself was marginally defensible, but at least provided shelter and an excellent view of the surrounding waterways.
In 1776, the British returned from Canada and moved down Lake Champlain under General Carleton. A ramshackle fleet of American gunboats delayed the British until winter threatened, but the attack resumed the next year under General Burgoyne.

I found this work on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ticonderoga

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