The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership has recently awarded Fort Ticonderoga a grant to support the conservation of the Camp Colors of the Royal Highland Emigrants flag. This grant along with other generous donor support allows Fort Ticonderoga to care for and proudly display one of the rarest of Revolutionary War artifacts. Only two British flags of this kind survive from the 18th century and Fort Ticonderoga’s example is the only one in the United States.
“Flags from the Revolutionary War are exceedingly rare,” said Matthew Keagle, Fort Ticonderoga Curator. “Records indicate that hundreds were shipped across the Atlantic each year during the Revolutionary War to British troops in North America, but very few survived. This particular flag in the Fort Ticonderoga collection was carried by the Royal Highland Emigrants, a regiment of British loyalists that served in Canada during the Revolutionary War.”
The Royal Highland Emigrants Camp Color flag will be the highlight of a new exhibit 1781: A War Not Yet Won located in the Mars Education Center and will focus on the British operations and occupation of Ticonderoga in 1781, a fascinating, but rarely discussed period of Ticonderoga’s history. Thousands of visitors will be able to view this important artifact daily in 2018, and it will be a feature of our Annual Scots Day celebration with a special Curator’s talk about the flag and its significance for all of North America.
Fort Ticonderoga’s Campaign of 1781 and daily visitation runs from May 5-October 31, 2018. Visitors will participate in guided tours, weapons demonstrations, historic trades activities, soldiers’ life programs, and can take part in special behind-the-scene tours, Carillon boat cruises on Lake Champlain, and so much more! For more information, visit www.fortticonderoga.org or call 518-585-2821.
America’s Fort is a registered trademark of the Fort Ticonderoga Association.
Photo: Funding for this project came from a 2018 Making of Nations Grant from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership. The Emigrants flag will be on display in 2018 for thousands of visitors to enjoy. Fort Ticonderoga’s Campaign of 1781 runs from May 5-October 31, 2018, where guests visit daily from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm. Photo Credit: Royal Highland Emigrants Camp Color, 1777-1783. Great Britain wool, oil paint. Fort Ticonderoga Museum 1928.1.