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Fort Ticonderoga Facts & Worksheets

Fort Ticonderoga was one of the most significant locations during the French-Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.

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Fort Ticonderoga was one of the most significant locations during the French-Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. It was once dubbed the “Key to a Continent”. It also became an essential part of American history when Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold led its capture from the British forces and took their ammunition and artillery, which immensely helped Americans during the Revolutionary War.

See the fact file below for more information on the Fort Ticonderoga or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Fort Ticonderoga worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BACKGROUND

  • Ticonderoga comes from an Iroquois word meaning “where waters meet” or “between two waters”.
  • Fort Ticonderoga can be found on the Western Shore of Lake Champlain. It offered access to Canada and the Hudson River. The fort’s location was an important route between the Colonies and the northern provinces.
  • Fort Ticonderoga was first built in 1756 by French settlers after their defeat at the 1755 Battle of Lake George. They named it Fort Carillon.
  • It was built under the instruction of Marquis de Vaudreuil, Governor-General of New France. The fort was a 7-foot high, 14-foot thick wall based on an old-star-shaped design by the famed French engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.

DURING THE SEVEN YEARS WAR

  • Despite the advantage of the fort’s geometrical shape, its weakness was its location and size. Several hills had a direct view of the fort, and it could only hold 400 garrison troops.
  • On July 8, 1758, British forces led by Maj. Gen. James Abercrombie tried to attack the fort with over 15,000 men. He mistakenly ordered a frontal assault against the French entrenchment and suffered a heavy loss.
  • The following year on July 26 and 27, British Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Amherst returned with 11,000 men and defeated the French garrison with only 400 men. The British victory continued as Fort Carillon’s capture enabled them to conquer Canada and end the Seven Years War.
  • The British forces named the newly captured fort Fort Ticonderoga and it became a minor garrison because of its size. Eventually, it fell into disrepair.

DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

  • When the growing tension between the colonial militiamen and British Soldiers broke out in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in 1775, Fort Ticonderoga ended up having less than 50 men.
  • Benedict Arnold, a budding military man at the time, had heard that Fort Ticonderoga, which was not heavily guarded, stored many British cannons and artilleries.
  • He convinced the Massachusetts Committee of Safety in Cambridge to lead a campaign to seize Fort Ticonderoga. They allowed him, but he could bring only 400 men from Massachusetts.
  • Ethan Allen, part of the Litchfield County militia during the Seven Years’ War, acquired land in the New Hampshire Grants. As the need to defend the New Hampshire Grants arose, he founded the Green Mountain Boys and was assigned to lead them, calling their leader colonel commandant.
  • The group aimed to protect their land against the colonial New Yorkers trying to claim it in the Green Mountains. The group physically intimidated the New Yorkers into leaving the area.
  • Before the American Revolution, Allen and his group proposed political independence for their district. It later changed to independence from Britain.
  • The Green Mountain Boys were organized directly across Lake Champlain from Vermont.
  • Allen received a message from an irregular Connecticut militia in late April requesting his help to capture Fort Ticonderoga. Knowing the significance of the fort’s location, he gathered 60 men in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

AMERICAN’S TURN

  • Benedict Arnold traveled to Vermont on his way to Fort Ticonderoga with his 400 men on May 1775. When they reached Hand’s Cove, two miles below Fort Ticonderoga, they met Allen’s group, who were also ready for the siege.
  • Arnold, assuming that he would lead the siege with the Green Mountain Boys, handed a copy of his commission from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety to their leader. Allen’s boys refused to accept Arnold as their leader, forcing the latter to step down and be second in command.
  • On May 10, 1775, Allan and Arnold, with their 80 men, silently rowed across Lake Champlain. They managed to enter the fort without firing, and even caught the sleeping guards by surprise. The group made their way inside, seeing more British militia sleeping who surrendered without much of a fight, including the fort’s commandant, Captain William Delaplace.
  • Without having to fire anyone and no amount of blood spilled, the siege was the first significant victory for the Thirteen Colonies.
  • With Fort Ticonderoga’s capture, the Americans secured the gateway to Canada and used it as a base to take the nearby British fort of Crown Point.
  • The Colonists also took the British artilleries, which helped solve one of the challenges in their preparation for the revolutionary war.
  • The Red Coats relinquished 78 cannons, six mortars, three howitzers, and a massive amount of ammunition to the Americans.
  • George Washington ordered American Colonel Henry Knox to transport many of the captured guns to Boston. They used them to siege the town and forced the British’s evacuation from Boston in March 1776.

THE RETURN OF THE BRITISH

  • On July 1777, British General John Burgoyne planned an attack on Fort Ticonderoga. Knowing the fort’s weakness, the general captured Mt. Defiance and placed artillery aiming at the fortification.
  • American General Arthur St. Clair prepared for the attack and ordering them to defend the fort as long as possible.
  • Knowing that the British would attack from the hills surrounding their garrison, he ordered his men to abandon the fort on July 6, 1777, risking his reputation.
  • However, in November, the Redcoats permanently abandoned the Fort after Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga on October 17. They destroyed much of their artillery and the fortification, making it worthless to the Americans.
  • After the Revolutionary War, no military regiment occupied Fort Ticonderoga. The fort served as a temporary shelter for scouting parties or raiding detachments. It was so inactive that George Washington visited the ruins in 1783 while waiting for the official declaration of peace and the end of the Revolutionary War.
  • In 1908, a history enthusiast named Stephen Pell restored Fort Ticonderoga, turning it into a tourist attraction.

Fort Ticonderoga Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Fort Ticonderoga across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Fort Ticonderoga worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Fort Ticonderoga which was one of the most significant locations during the French-Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. It was once dubbed the “Key to a Continent”. It also became an essential part of American history when Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold led its capture from the British forces and took their ammunition and artillery, which immensely helped Americans during the Revolutionary War.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Fort Ticonderoga Facts
  • Two Leaders
  • Dates to Remember
  • Ticonderoga’s Personalities
  • Ticonderoga Fast Facts
  • Three Words
  • Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Multiple Attacks
  • Ticonderoga Inquiry
  • Star Fortifications
  • A Modern Fort

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Link will appear as Fort Ticonderoga Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 26, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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