Ft. Ticonderoga/Mt. Independence

Primary Sources

Allen, Ethan, and Stephen Carl Arch. A Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen’s Captivity. Acton, Mass.: Copley Pub. Group, 2000.

Upon his return from British captivity in 1779, Ethan Allen wrote a biographical essay of his Revolutionary activities including the famous capture of Ft. Ticonderoga in May 1775.  In this account, he writes the glorious words that he demanded the fort’s surrender in the “name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress”.  Whether he uttered these words or as other reported, “Come out you old rat”, the capture of Ft. Ticonderoga turned Allen into a folk hero.  His captivity narrative was purported to be the second best selling book during the Revolution after Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.

Trumbull, John, and Theodore Sizer. The Autobiography of Col. John Trumbull. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953.

The Trumbull memoir contains a 1776 account where he purports to prove that cannon on top of Mount Hope could command Fort Ticonderoga and render it indefensible.  Further, Trumbull asserts that it would require 10,000 troops and 100 pieces of artillery to properly defend Ft. Ticonderoga/Mt. Independence.  He concludes that it was proper for and good military judgment by Brig. Gen. Arthur St. Clair to abandon the fort in face of British Gen. John Burgoyne’s invasion in 1777.

Secondary Sources

Darley, Stephen. The Battle of Valcour Island: The Participants and Vessels of Benedict Arnold’s 1776 Defense of Lake Champlain, 2013.

Pell, S. H. P. Fort Ticonderoga – A Short History. Ticonderoga, NY: Foirt Ticonderoga Museum, 1835.

Wickman, Donald H., and The Mount Independence Coalition. Strong Ground:  Mount Independence and the American Revolution. Orwell, VT: The Mount Independence Coalition, 2017.

The stairs climbed by Ethan Allen to roust British Captain William Delaplain from Sleep to demand his surrender

Views of Ticonderoga

 FT .Ticonderoga, NY

Largely destroyed during the American Revolution, Fort Ticonderoga has been reconstructed.  It is maintained by the Fort Ticonderoga Association.

Views of Mt. Independence

View from Mount Independence west to Fort Ticonderoga and north down Lake Champlain.  Note both Mount Independence and Fort Ticonderoga were denuded of trees during Revolutionary years providing unhindered sight lines.