10/29/2026
On the morning of October 28, 1776, a cannon shot from the shore of Lake Champlain sent the Continental Army at Fort Ticonderoga running to its posts. The British were in sight.
Over two weeks after the loss of the American fleet on Lake Champlain, General Guy Carleton’s gunboats crept toward the fortifications the Americans had spent all summer building. Soldiers stood at the lines with fixed bayonets, under orders to hold their fire until the enemy came within 60 yards. Surgeons laid out their tools and waited for casualties. Then the shore batteries opened fire.
Two hundred fifty years later, we tell the story of the day Carleton saw Ticonderoga’s defenses for himself and decided he could not take them. It is the story of a Revolutionary War campaign won by preparation and determination rather than its casualty count. The British would be back, but not yet, buying the Continental Army valuable time and leading John Trumbull to write: "Delay to us is Victory."
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