Fort Ticonderoga, tenth and eleventh of September in the year 2006

Reclaiming Fort Ticonderoga

A near full moon graced the sky during the night, but the waters of Lake Champlain were shrouded in mist collecting the valleys of the mountains. Fort Ticonderoga overlooked the quiet sight. Once again, the British were laying siege to the peninsula where the old French Fort Carillon, re-named Fort Ticonderoga, protected access to the lake from the South. Across a narrow waterway, the Americans had once built Fort Independence to defend against the British attacking out of the North.

The 4^th encamped outside the Fort Ti's walls at a safe distance from the range of the cannons. In the early morn, we scouted enemy lines to determine American strength. Encountering a small group of the enemy we skirmished for some 30 minutes before they retreated. Casualties were light on both sides.

It was clear that the Americans were favoring a defensive posture and that their numbers were significantly lower than that of the British Army. In 1777, the Americans were outnumbered 10 to 1; it was the same this day.

In the afternoon, we pressed again to determine their real strength, pinning the Americans back at the fort. The American defenses were formidable, and there would be a significant loss of life with a direct attack. Siege was possible, but we feared there would be a long siege into the Winter. Instead, our engineers eyed Mount Defiance across the waters as an alternative to direct attack.