Fort Ticonderoga

                       
Fort Ticonderoga, originally Fort Carillon, was built by the French military between 1755 and 1759. One of a series the French built to control Lake Champlain. The site looks over Lake Champlain at a point where it narrows and the shore of Vermont is a mere cannon shot away. It is at this point, too, that the waters from Lake George enter Lake Champlain via the La Chute River. Control of this strategic narrows meant control of the north-south water "highway". The French and British fought many times for control of the fort.  In 1759, the British finally drove out the French troops but not before blowing up the powder magazine and warehouse as they went.   The British rebuilt the fort out of stone.  
At the outset of the American Revolution a small company of British soldiers still manned the Fort. On May 10, 1775, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and the Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain from Vermont and at dawn surprised and captured the sleeping garrison. This was the first American victory of the Revolutionary War. At this point, Ethan Allen renamed Fort Carillon, Fort Ticonderoga. From then until July 1777, Fort Ticonderoga served as an important staging area for the American Army while invading Canada and holding the territory against the British forces.
Overlooking Lake Champlain…

These muskets where heavy….
 
Stay turned for more of our trip to Ticonderoga.