After the battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, the Massachusetts militia laid siege to Boston and looked around for other targets of opportunity to attack.
Its gaze fell on a fort on Lake Champlain called Fort Ticonderoga. The lake had been an invasion route to New York for the French since the 1600s, and Fort Ticonderoga, sitting at the southern tip of the lake where Champlain emptied into Lake George, was a chokepoint, preventing ships from entering Lake George and moving down the Hudson River, thus threatening New York.
The Massachusetts Provincial Congress commissioned Connecticut militia officer Benedict Arnold as a colonel, and authorized him to raise troops for the purpose of attacking and taking Fort Ticonderoga. At almost the same time, Connecticut leaders urged their favorite son, Ethan Allen, to raise his own army and attack Ticonderoga.
Allen raised one of the most unusual and effective military units in American history. Allen himself was a fiercely independent leader who was as much a master of propaganda and intimidation as he was a military commander. He wasn't a traditional, disciplined soldier; rather, he was a rugged frontiersman, a political firebrand, and a shrewd self-promoter. His "Green Mountain Boys" were a collection of hard-boiled, rough and ready frontiersmen whose fondness for drinking and brawling became legendary in the Continental Army.
Not wanting to give up an opportunity for glory, Benedict Arnold hurried to Fort Ticonderoga, arriving on May 9, 1775, and showing up just as Allen was preparing to attack. The two strong-willed, egotistical men took most of the day to create a joint command structure, and by dawn on the 10th, Allen's 150 men were deployed and ready to attack.
Meanwhile, the British had stupidly neglected the fort for years. Its defenses were in poor repair, and about 40 men under the command of Capt. William Delaplace defended the fort. The British surrendered just after 4:00 a.m.
It was America's first offensive victory in the War for Independence. Allen's men immediately set about improving the fort's defenses. They fortified the nearby high ground, a place called Liberty Hill.
Now, 250 years later, archeologists are conducting an important dig on the site, looking for artifacts of that army.
Researchers recently excavated more than 500 artifacts at Fort Ticonderoga, which is now a historic site and living history museum. Many are thought to have been left behind by the Continental Army soldiers who were stationed there in 1776, reports Shannon Fromma for the Times Union in Albany.
Archaeologists found the objects in 2024 while excavating Liberty Hill, a strategic hilltop where Continental Army troops established a large camp during the Revolutionary War. The artifacts include pieces of firearms, mortar shell fragments, part of a cast iron kettle, the lid of a traveling inkstand known as a “penner,” a knuckle guard from a sword and numerous regimental coat buttons.
For now, researchers are still studying and conserving the objects. But, moving forward, they say they’ll be considering them for future exhibitions. During the French and Indian War, Liberty Hill—then known as the “Heights of Carillon”—was the site of a bloody battle between French and British troops on July 8, 1758. Some of the recently discovered artifacts are also linked to that battle, per the Times Union.
The capture of Fort Ticonderoga led to a chain of events that led to America's victory. The first was Washington's discovery that he had a military genius in the ranks. Henry Knox, a 25-year-old former bookstore owner who had never commanded troops in battle, but had obsessively read military engineering books, laid out a plan that many veteran officers thought was impossible. He asserted that the heavy guns that Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold had captured at Fort Ticonderoga six months earlier could be brought to the Boston front.
Knox proposed moving 60 tons of artillery 300 miles through impassable wilderness in the dead of winter. The route went through a frozen, virtually roadless wilderness, including the brutal Berkshire Mountains. No roads, no bridges, just dense, virgin growth forests.
Knox arranged a meeting with Washington. While appearing mild-mannered and meek, Knox had an iron will, and was one of Washington's most intelligent officers (Washington eventually made Knox chief of artillery). His confidence convinced Washington that he could do the impossible.
Despite the monumental risks, Washington recognized Knox's brilliant grasp of logistics and raw enthusiasm. With no other options on the table, Washington gave his official blessing. On Nov. 16, 1775, Washington issued Knox his formal orders.
In hindsight, Washington had no choice. The British were comfortably ensconced in Boston with no reason to leave, and the Continentals had no means to lever them out. The artillery train Knox eventually brought to Boston was a game-changer.
In a spectacular feat of logistics and military leadership, Henry Knox did not lose a single man — nor a single cannon — during the entire grueling 56-day trek from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston.
Given the absolute nightmare of the logistics, this is considered one of the greatest miracles of the journey. They were moving 60 tons of artillery through a freezing, trackless wilderness, crossing thawing rivers, and climbing the steep Berkshire Mountains in the dead of winter.
Knox performed another miracle later that year, getting Washington's entire army across the Delaware River on Christmas Day 1776, defeating the Hessians at Trenton. Not just men, but horses, supplies, and two precious cannon that convinced the Hessians to surrender.
The historical finds at Ticonderoga reveal an American army willing to overcome huge obstacles to achieve its goals. They would need that attitude going up against the best-trained, best-equipped army in the world.
