Day 14: Ticonderoga and Saratoga
Our last day of activities had us traveling far and wide focusing on the period surrounding the American Revolution. I had looked forward to the stops today since we first got information about the trip back in November, as Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga were on the agenda. After another early morning wakeup call, we boarded our bus and took off for Ticonderoga. The bus trip was about three hours long, but the scenery was incredible. The thick forests and hilly country (sorry Easterners, I still can’t bring myself to say mountainous) made me ponder what this land would have looked like to its early Native American inhabitants and to the Europeans who must have gasped at the vast seemingly never-ending forests and vistas defined by the greenery. It is small wonder that European powers contested this area in centuries past.
Our guide James, who we picked up at Salty’s Pub, pointed out sights along the way; unfortunately, no matter how well-meaning he was, it didn’t do much for me as he would talk about some hill you ought to be able to see on your right (through a forest), or some statue coming up a couple of miles down the road on the left (too far ahead to worry about), etc. I was finally able to see Mount Defiance, the thickly-wooded high elevation overlooking Lake Champlain and the Ticonderoga area that British General John Burgoyne ordered artillery emplaced on to threaten the viability of the American position there in 1777. It was previously thought impossible to do, but bring the guns up the British did. The site that the guns were set up on is visible from the surrounding area.
Ticonderoga was originally built by the French, possessors of Canada, who began building forts down into this area in the mid eighteenth century. The fort, originally called Fort Carillon, was built at its site to stop any enemy from advancing up the Lake Champlain-Lake George corridor. Its guns commanded the high ground overlooking the portage between the two water highways to the interior. During the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) from 1754-1763, the fort was the site of a battle between French forces under the Marquis de Montcalm and British forces under General Abercromby. The French, outnumbered nearly five-to-one and believing they going down to defeat, engaged the superior British troops outside of the fort in fortified positions. Amazingly, the French defeated the British forces, and created an unrealistic image of Ticonderoga as being invincible, which would attract Americans to the fort nearly twenty years later. In 1775, Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys captured the fort in the middle of the night without firing a shot. Henry Knox then transported the cannon to Boston and used them to drive the British army out of the city. In 1777, British General Burgoyne captured the fort on his ill-fated drive toward Albany.
Lake Champlain-Lake George-Ticonderoga
1758 Battle Map
The Marquis de Montcalm
We toured the site of the original French lines. Remarkably, though overgrown, the French fortifications are in excellent condition, and one can see where the lines were and where the heavy gun emplacements were.
Montcalm's Position
French Defensive Positions Today
After lunch at the fort store, we toured Ticonderoga. The views it commanded were spectacular. The difficulty of slipping a naval force past its guns was evident, as was its vulnerability to a land attack or the guns from Mount Defiance. The museum pieces included paintings, maps, and an arsenal of weapons from the period. Here was also the site of the famous painting of Ethan Allen capturing the fort in 1775.
Ticonderoga: "The Place Between the Waters"
Lake Champlain from the Parapets of Ticonderoga
Main Buildings and Gate
Ethan Allen Captures Ticonderoga
Doorway where Allen Stood
We then boarded the bus for a trip following in the footsteps of Burgoyne as he advanced on Albany in 1777. British strategy called for isolating New England from the rest of the colonies and employing a divide-and-conquer approach. To accomplish this, General Burgoyne marched out of Canada down the Lake Champlain-Lake George corridor on a drive to capture Albany and secure control of the Hudson River to New York. His advance as repeatedly slowed by Americans exercising a strategic withdrawal. Also, despite promises of reinforcements from New York, Burgoyne’s superiors never sent the troops he was expecting. One of the places Americans retreated from was Ticonderoga, because it really had no purpose anymore from an American perspective. To prevent the British from crossing the Mohawk River, Americans under stood their ground at Saratoga and eventually defeated the British in the turning point of the war.
General Burgoyne
On our tour, we saw a great lighted display which showed troop movements and the order of battle. While it was on, I got a better idea of the topography and troop movements involved. Unfortunately, time was not on our side, and we had to leave before we got to see the whole presentation. We got back on the bus for what James called “the cook’s tour” which was a 3-4 hour presentation boiled down to about an hour. The highlights we did see were the Morgan Monument, an honor to Daniel Morgan whose riflemen played a huge part in the victory; Bemis Heights, which was the main American position; the Barber wheatfield, where American forces routed British troops and turned the tide of the battle, due in no small part to Morgan’s riflemen and the targeting of British general Fraser; and, the Breyman Redoubt, a British stronghold swarmed by General Larned and inspired by General Benedict Arnold. We also saw the approximate spot where Arnold was shot in the leg.
Daniel Morgan
Morgan Monument
Bemis Heights: the Main American Line
Barber Wheatfield: Turning Point
Breyman Redoubt Stormed by Larned and Arnold
Today gave me a fresh perspective on teaching these topics. I need to really emphasize the importance of the Revolutionary War in this theater. I always teach Saratoga, but more from the vantage point of the long-term consequences of the victory, including the international repercussions which resulted in Americans receiving foreign aid. I don’t have much time to focus on the actual fighting, but I may make more use of it from a geographical perspective (at least more so than I do now).
We stopped in Half Moon at Salty’s Pub for a satisfying dinner, and then headed to Albany, where we are spending our last night in New York.
