Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

Overview

The capture of Fort Ticonderoga occurred during the American Revolutionary War on May 10, 1775, when a small force of Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold surprised and captured the fort's small British garrison. The cannons and other armaments at Fort Ticonderoga were later transported to Boston by Colonel Henry Knox in the noble train of artillery and used to fortify Dorchester Heights and break the standoff at the siege of Boston.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The capture of Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775, secured a strategically held British post without recorded resistance, as a small force of Green Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold surprised the fort's garrison under William Delaplace. The operation's most consequential effect came after the battle: the cannons and other armaments taken at Ticonderoga were transported to Boston by Colonel Henry Knox in what became known as the noble train of artillery. Positioned on Dorchester Heights, these weapons broke the standoff at the siege of Boston, demonstrating that the seizure of a single inland fortification could directly alter the strategic balance on the Atlantic seaboard.

Commanders (3)