Fort Ticonderoga’s 2018 Author Series begins on Sunday, June 24 with additional programs scheduled for August 5, and September 9. The Fort Ticonderoga Author Series features authors of recent books related the history of Fort Ticonderoga and the surrounding region. This year’s topics include the naval history of Lake Champlain, General Israel Putnam, and the 1755 Battle of Lake George. All Author Series Programs take place at 2:00 pm in the Mars Education Center and are followed by a book signing with the author. The program is included in the cost of admission and is free for Members of Fort Ticonderoga and Ticonderoga Ambassador Pass holders.
2018 Author Series Schedule:
June 24:
Author Michael Laramie talks about his book By Wind and Iron: Naval Campaigns in the Champlain Valley, 1665-1815. In By Wind and Iron: Naval Campaigns in the Champlain Valley, 1665–1815, Laramie details the maritime history of this region from the first French fortifications along the Richelieu River in the late seventeenth century through the tremendous American victory over the British at the Battle of Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain in 1814.
August 5:
Author Robert Hubbard talks about his book Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution. A colorful figure of 18th-century America, Israel Putnam (1718–1790) played a key role in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. In 1758, while serving with the storied Rogers’ Rangers, he barely escaped being burned alive by Mohawk warriors. He later commanded a force of 500 men who were shipwrecked off the coast of Cuba, and reportedly gave the command “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
September 9:
Author William Griffith talks about his book The Battle of Lake George: England’s First Triumph in the French and Indian War. In the early morning of September 8, 1755, a force of French Regulars, Canadians and Indians crouched unseen in a ravine south of Lake George. Under the command of French general Jean-Armand, Baron de Dieskau, the men ambushed the approaching British forces, sparking a bloody conflict for control of the lake and its access to New York’s interior. Against all odds, British commander William Johnson rallied his men through the barrage of enemy fire to send the French retreating north to Ticonderoga. The stage was set for one of the most contested regions throughout the rest of the conflict.
For more information on programs and events at Fort Ticonderoga, call 518-585-2821 or visit www.fortticonderoga.org.
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Photo: Copyright Fort Ticonderoga, Photo Credit Carl Heilman II.