Join Fort Ticonderoga as we recreate the epic 1757 Battle on Snowshoes on the anniversary of the event. This lesser known, but no less dramatic, Battle on Snowshoes brings to life the fierce clash in the woods between French soldiers and Rogers Rangers as the roar of muskets highlight Ranger warfare and the struggle for North America. Discover the peoples, weapons, and stories through living history vignettes, exhibitions and hands-on programs. March out with French soldiers and their allies before they spring upon Rogers’ Rangers.
Highlighted programming featured throughout the day brings to life both the British Ranger story and French history at Fort Carillon, later named Ticonderoga. Discover the fight for survival as the Rangers struggle to escape back to Fort Edward, behind British lines. See how French soldiers and officers lived in their quarters inside the fort barracks and watch as soldiers work together to keep each other in fighting shape. In addition to the living history program, step inside exhibition spaces and discover the incredible French artifacts on display in the museum. To view a detailed visitor’s schedule, visit http://www.fortticonderoga.org/events/fort-events/1757-battle-on-snowshoes-battle-re-enactment/detail. Snowshoes are optional/weather dependent.
Historical Background: Battle on Snowshoes 1757
Each year as the French and British armies retreated to winter quarters, only token forces were left at the forts at either end of Lake George to hold the posts over the winter. These troops battled the cold as well as probing parties of enemy irregulars in a bitter war where even a few yards outside of the walls of Fort Carillon could be a deadly no-mans-land. January 21, 1757 began as a normal day for French soldiers garrisoning Fort Carillon. Horse-drawn sleighs and a guard of soldiers left for Crown Point to bring back food and supplies, however, this column never reached its destination, thanks to an ambush by Robert Rogers and his Rangers. A French soldier riding a draught horse detached from a sleigh galloped with the news into Fort Carillon. A party of one-hundred French soldiers, Canadians, and Native warriors marched on moccasins out into the cold forbidding woods to ambush the Rangers flushed with their early success.
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Photo: Fort Ticonderoga’s Battle on Snowshoes Re-enactment will be presented January 21, 2017.