Fort Ticonderoga Captured

The Green Mountain Boys had a huge victory that would change the course of the Revolutionary War on May 10, 1775. They captured the infamous Fort Ticonderoga. In 1755, French settlers in North America began building a military fortification on the western shore of Lake Champlain and named it Fort Carillon. Because it offered access to both Canada and the Hudson River Valley, the fort saw a lot of fighting during the French and Indian War. The British had to fight twice for the fort but took it over in 1759 and renamed it Fort Ticonderoga, as 'Ticonderoga' was derived from an Iroquois word meaning "between two waters" or "where the waters meet" which was very true.

The morning of the attack the British garrison of 50 men were asleep, while under the joint command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, fewer than a hundred Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain at dawn, surprised and captured the British garrison and took over the fort. It was the first rebel victory of the Revolutionary War, a huge morale boost for the troops and supporters of the rebels, and provided key artillery for the Continental Army. Cannons from the fort were used in the Siege of Boston in the spring of 1776 and because of its location, the fort would serve as a staging ground for the Continental troops before their invasion of territory held by the British in Canada.

A print depicting Ethan Allen's Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775.

Fort Ticonderoga was the biggest turn-around for the rebels, as its shelter and supplies helped them win many more battles. Without it, they might not have won the war. So we owe a lot to those Green Mountain Boys for being clever enough to change the game.