The capture secured key artillery later used to force the British evacuation of Boston and opened a staging ground for the American invasion of Quebec.
Key Facts
- Date
- May 10, 1775
- American force
- Green Mountain Boys
- Fort Crown Point captured
- May 11, 1775
- Fort Saint-Jean raided
- Seven days after Ticonderoga, May 17, 1775
- Artillery transport
- Knox dragged cannons to Dorchester Heights, Boston
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In the early weeks of the American Revolutionary War, colonial forces identified Fort Ticonderoga as a strategically vital British post on Lake Champlain, holding significant artillery stores. The lack of a large garrison and the fort's key position between British northern and southern forces made it an attractive early target for American offensive action.
On May 10, 1775, a small force of Green Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold launched a surprise assault on Fort Ticonderoga, overwhelming the fort's minimal British garrison and capturing it without significant resistance. The operation was swiftly followed by the capture of nearby Fort Crown Point on May 11 and a raid on Fort Saint-Jean in Quebec.
The captured artillery was transported to Boston by Colonel Henry Knox in what became known as the noble train of artillery, where it was used to fortify Dorchester Heights and compel the British to evacuate Boston. The seized forts also provided the Continental Army a critical staging ground for the subsequent invasion of Quebec later in 1775, disrupting British communication between their northern and southern commands.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, Henry Knox.
Side B
1 belligerent