Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Siege of Fort Ticonderoga in the American Revolution
Siege of Fort Ticonderoga in the American Revolution Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - Conflict Dates: The Siege of Fort Ticonderoga was fought July 2-6, 1777, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Armies Commanders: Americans Major General Arthur St. Clairapprox. 3,000 men British Major General John Burgoyneapprox. 7,800 men Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - Background: In the spring of 1777, Major General John Burgoyne devisedà a plan for achieving victory overà the Americans. Concludingà that New England was the seat of the rebellion, he suggested separatingà the region from the other colonies by advancing down the Hudson River corridor while a second column, led by Colonel Barry St. Leger, moved east from Lake Ontario. Rendezvousing at Albany, the combined forceà would drive down the Hudson, whileà General William Howes army marched north from New York. Though the plan was approved by London, Howes role was never clearly defined and his seniority prevented Burgoyne from issuing him orders. Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - British Preparations: Prior to this, British forces under Sir Guy Carleton had attempted to capture Fort Ticonderoga. à Sailing southà on Lake Champlain in the fall of 1776, Carletons fleet was delayed by an American squadron led by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Valcour Island. à Though Arnold was defeated, the lateness of the season prevented the British from exploiting their victory. à Arriving in Quebec the following spring, Burgoyne began assembling his army and making preparations for moving south.à Building aà force of around 7,000 regulars and 800 Nativeà Americans, he gaveà command of his advance force to Brigadier General Simon Fraser while leadership of the right and left wings of the army went to Major General Williamà Phillips and Baron Riedesel.à After reviewing his command at Fort Saint-Jean inà mid-June, Burgoyne took to the lake to begin his campaign.à Occupying Crown Point on Juneà 30, his army was effectively screened by Frasers men and the Native Americans. Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) -American Response: Following their capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775, American forces had spent two years improving its defenses.à These included extensiveà earthworks across the lake on the Mount Independence peninsula as well as redoubts andà forts on the site of the old French defenses to theà west.à Additionally,à Americanà forces built a fort atop nearby Mount Hope.à To the southwest, the height of Sugar Loaf (Mount Defiance), which dominated both Fort Ticonderoga and Mountà Independence, was left undefended as it was not believed that artillery could be pulled to the summit.à This point had been challenged by Arnold and Brigadier General Anthony Wayne during earlier stints in the area, but no action was taken.à Through the early part of 1777, Americanà leadership in the regionà had been in flux as Major Generals Philip Schuyler and Horatio Gatesà lobbied for command of the Northern Department.à As this debate continued, oversightà at Fort Ticonderoga fell to Major General Arthur St. Clair.à A veteran of the failed invasion of Canada as well as the victories at Trenton and Princeton, St. Clair possessed around 2,500-3,000 men.à Meeting with Schuyler on June 20, the two men concluded that this force was not sufficient to holdà the Ticonderoga defenses against a determined British attack.à As such, they devised two lines of retreat with oneà passing south through Skenesboro and the other heading east toward Hubbardton.à à Departing, Schuyler told his subordinate to defend the post for as long as possible before retreating.à à à à Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - Burgoyne Arrives: Moving south on July 2, Burgoyne advanced Fraser and Phillips down the west shore of the lake while Riedeselsà Hessians pressed along the east bank with the goal of attacking Mount Independence and cutting the road to Hubbardton.à Sensing danger, St. Clairà withdrew the garrison fromà Mount Hope later that morning due to concerns that ità would be isolated and overwhelmed.à Later in the day, British and Native American forces began skirmishing with the Americans in the oldà French lines.à In the course of the fighting, a British soldier was captured and St. Clair wasà able to learn more about the size of Burgoynes army.à Recognizing the importance of Sugar Loaf,à British engineers ascended theà heights and covertly began clearing space for an artillery emplacement (Map). Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - A Difficult Choice: The next morning, Frasers men occupiedà Mount Hope while other British forces began dragging guns up Sugar Loaf.à à Continuing to work in secret, Burgoyneà hoped to have Riedesel in place on theà Hubbardton Road before the Americans discovered the guns on the heights.à On the evening of July 4, Native American campfires on Sugar Loaf alerted St. Clair to the impendingà danger.à With the American defenses exposed to the British guns, he calledà a council of warà early on July 5.à Meeting with his commanders, St. Clair made the decision toà abandon the fort and retreat after dark.à As Fort Ticonderoga was a politically important post, he recognized that the withdrawal would badlyà damage his reputation but he felt that saving his armyà took precedence.à Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - St. ClairRetreats: Gathering a fleet of over 200 boats, St. Clair directed that as many supplies as possible be embarked and sent south to Skenesboro.à à While the boatsà were escorted south by Colonel Pierse Longs New Hampshire Regiment, St. Clair and the remaining men crossed to Mount Independence before marching down the Hubbardton Road.à Probing the American lines the next morning, Burgoynes troops found them deserted.à Pushing forward, they occupied Fort Ticonderoga and the surrounding works without firing a shot.à Shortly thereafter, Fraser received permission to mount a pursuit of the retreating Americans with Riedesel in support. Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - Aftermath: In the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga, St. Clair suffered seven killed and eleven wounded while Burgoyne incurred five killed.à Frasers pursuit resulted in the Battle of Hubbardton on July 7.à Though a British victory, it saw the American rearguard inflict higher casualties as well as accomplishà their mission of covering St. Clairs retreat.à Turningà west, St. Clairs men later rendezvoused with Schuyler at Fort Edward.à Asà he predicted,à St. Clairs abandonment of Fort Ticonderoga led to his removalà fromà command and contributed to Schuyler being replaced by Gates.à à Firmly arguing that his actions had been honorable and were justified, he demanded a court of inquiry which was held in September 1778.à Though exonerated, St. Clair did not receive another field command during the war.à Advancing south after his success at Fort Ticonderoga, Burgoyne was hampered byà difficultà terrain and American efforts to slow his march.à As the campaign season wore on, his plans beganà to unravel following a defeat at Bennington and St. Legers failure at the Siege of Fortà Stanwix.à Increasinglyà isolated, Burgoyne was forced to surrender his army after being beaten at the Battle of Saratoga that fall.à The American victory proved a turning point in the war and led to the Treaty of Alliance with France. Selected Sources: British Battles: Siege of Fort TiconderogaFort TiconderogaHistory Central: Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
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