Ethan Allen May 10, 1775
"In the name of Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!" 

Happy May 10th! It's the anniversary of "America's First Victory" at Fort Ticonderoga in the early weeks of the American Revolution in 1775.
On this date 242 years ago, a force of New England men under the joint command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold stormed into Fort Ticonderoga and successfully captured it from an anxious, but unprepared British garrison. The victory proved a profound material and psychological boost for the American cause and an ambitious opening offensive for a nation still over a year from Independence.
 
Following the capture, Ethan Allen wrote:
The sun seemed to rise with a superior luster and Ticonderoga and its dependencies smiled on its conquerors who tossed about the flowing bowl and wished success to Congress and the liberty and freedom of America!"

Today, the sun again seems "to rise with a superior luster" as Fort Ticonderoga begins another exciting season of events and programs. Each program helps fulfill Fort Ticonderoga's mission to "ensure that present and future generations learn from the struggles, sacrifices, and victories that shaped the nations of North America and changed world history."
 
 
Beth L. Hill
President and CEO
Fort Ticonderoga
Object Spotlight from our Collections:
Blunderbuss
Wood, brass, iron, steel
British, c.1725-40


This Blunderbuss was purchased from the estate of John Trumbull, the famous painter of the Revolution who served as Deputy Adjutant to the American Army at Ticonderoga in 1776. Trumbull recorded that he was given the gun by Benedict Arnold, who in turn appears to have received it from Ethan Allen, probably around the time of the taking of Fort Ticonderoga. Trumbull noted these origins in a handwritten note kept with the gun, and important relic of America's first offensive preserved by the artist who helped to shaped the public imagination of the Revolution.


 
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102 Fort Ti Road

Ticonderoga, NY 12883 

(518­) 585-­2821 

fortticonderoga.org

 

Fort Ticonderoga is the site of strategic military significance in the 18th century, landmark preservation and tourism in the 19th century, and monumental restoration in the 20th century. Today, it is a non­profit educational organization, a thriving learning campus, a museum with world­-renowned collections, and a major cultural destination in one of America's most beautiful settings. 

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