Join Fort Ticonderoga for a two-day battle re-enactment highlighting the climactic summer of 1777 as the Fort’s American garrison was outflanked by a British invasion force descending from Canada.

The event takes place Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20, 9:30 am to 5 pm. Admission to this reenactment event is included in a Fort Ticonderoga’s general admission ticket.

To learn more about the event visit http://www.fortticonderoga.org/learn/re-enactors/defiance-independence or call 518-585-2821.

The Surprising American Retreat

Highlighted programming featured throughout the weekend brings to life the surprising American retreat and British capture of Fort Ticonderoga in early July 1777. Experience the fog of war and smoky haze of battle as the American and British armies maneuver across Fort Ticonderoga’s historic landscape at 1 pm each day. This two-day battle re-enactment will dramatically show how General Arthur St. Clair’s decision to evacuate Ticonderoga set the stage for British General John Burgoyne’s advance towards Albany.

Where a Goat Can Go, A Man Can Go!

Saturday evening at 6:30 pm a gun crew from the Royal Artillery will haul their cannon to the summit of Mount Defiance, aiming at the Fort located below. Guests can witness the incredible feat and discover the details of this decisive stroke and witness a cannon demonstration in the evening light of the beautiful summit. Advanced tickets are required for this event and must be purchased at Fort Ticonderoga.

A Defining Story Brought to Life

“Guests will experience the excitement as mounted command staff gallop into the Fort announcing its imminent capture,” said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga’s President and CEO. “They will be immersed in the moment when American Continental command staff assess their dire situation and debate whether or not to abandon America’s critical stronghold on Lake Champlain. Meanwhile in the British camp, visitors can explore General Burgoyne’s battle-hardened army of British, German, and Loyalist troops and discover the sights and sounds of an army on campaign as soldiers cook their rations, clean their muskets, and enjoy the humble comforts of a bed of straw and canvas tent.”

“This living history event and battle recreation will re-enact a careful chess game between the British Army and an entrenched Continental Army at Ticonderoga,” said Stuart Lilie, Fort Ticonderoga Director of Interpretation. “Reprieved from a siege in 1776 by the onset of winter, Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence faced General John Burgoyne’s northern army of British, Loyalist, and German soldiers in July 1777. General St. Clair’s rearguard of Massachusetts and New Hampshire regulars and militia put up a vigorous defense, skirmishing in the hills and valleys around Ticonderoga. Artillery batteries built into the old French Lines seemed to keep the British army at by. Concealed by forest cover on the back slope of Mount Defiance, British cannon were dragged to the summit. By July 6, 1777, British cannon high up on Mount Defiance, aimed at the pontoon bridge between the two Forts of Ticonderoga and Independence, forced the withdrawal of General St. Clair’s rearguard into the Hampshire Grants (Vermont).”

This event is funded in part by generous support from the History Channel.

Fort Ticonderoga offers more than one hundred exciting and unique events and programs this season! Visit www.FortTiconderoga.org for a full list of ongoing programs or call 518-585-2821.

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