Fort Ticonderoga to Host 'Ordered to Join the Northern Army in Canada' Living History Event, 3/15-16
By: Tyler Peterson Mar. 06, 2014
Be in the moment and experience March 1776 at Fort Ticonderoga on Saturday and Sunday, March 15-16 to discover the remarkable story of how a fledging army fought for independence! See how New York soldiers used British military drill to put their muskets and fowlers to use against their enemy. Smell the sawdust and watch the wood chips fly as carpenters hew down logs to build another sled to keep the train of supplies rolling into Canada. Visit the Continental Store to see how the American army supplied its troops or pick-up a needle and thread to help sew mattresses for soldiers at the Fort's tailor shop. The must-experience living history event takes place 10 am - 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday, March 15-16. The cost is $10 per person and payable at the gate. Friends of Fort Ticonderoga and children 4 years old and under are free.
"As Fort Ticonderoga begins to tell the epic story of 1776 during the 2014 season, guests to this living history event are asked to join the reinforcements headed for northern forts and Canada and face this military crisis with them," said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga's President and CEO. "Stand inside the parade of the Fort as New York soldiers, reenlisted veterans from 1775 and new recruits, drill to defend this vital link in the supply chain. Hear leather heels strike the ground as they march in step. Thrill at the crack of their firelocks as they fire volleys. Watch the carpenters hard at work as they turn logs and lumber into crates, sleds, and beams. Explore Fort Ticonderoga as it comes to life with the struggle to keep an American army alive in March of 1776."
"For the freezing, sick, and starving American soldiers living in houses and barns outside the walls of Quebec in early 1776, hope lay just to the south at Fort Ticonderoga, an old French Fort on Lake Champlain," said Stuart Lilie, Fort Ticonderoga's Director of Interpretation. "The lives of American soldiers and the campaign to capture Canada were in jeopardy. Unlike the persistent snow and ice in Canada, the Continental Army's solders were melting away from disease, injury, and expiring enlistments. In the depth of the winter teams of oxen and horses dragged sleds on frozen rivers and lakes along the chain of Forts from Albany all the way to Quebec. Filled with food, winter clothing, and medicine, the contents of each sled were vital to keep the remaining American soldiers alive. Warm weather and cracking ice threatened to shatter the Army."Videos