Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga, sitting astride the water route between Lake Champlain and Lake George, was one of the most important military positions in North America. It had been the scene of major battles in the French and Indian War, and its capture gave the Americans both a strategic fortress and an enormous cache of artillery that would prove decisive.

The operation was planned independently by two groups. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys — Vermont frontiersmen who had been fighting New York's land claims for years — planned to seize the fort on their own initiative. Benedict Arnold, newly commissioned by Massachusetts, arrived at the same time with the same goal but no troops. The two men quarreled about command but ultimately led the assault together.

On May 10, Allen led about 83 Green Mountain Boys across Lake Champlain before dawn and stormed the fort's gate. The garrison of 48 was completely surprised. When British commander Feltham appeared, Allen famously demanded the fort's surrender 'in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.' The garrison surrendered without a fight, with only one soldier slightly wounded.

The Americans captured an extraordinary prize: 78 serviceable cannon, 6 mortars, 3 howitzers, thousands of cannon balls, and enormous quantities of military stores. Henry Knox arrived in the fall to begin the remarkable task of transporting these weapons to Boston, where they forced the British evacuation. The capture also gave the Americans control of Lake Champlain and secured the northern frontier, while Seth Warner captured nearby Crown Point the following day.