Never Surrender Your Liberties: Wisdom from a Revolutionary Soldier

Never Surrender Your Liberties: A Once in a Generation Display Highlights a Revolutionary Veteran’s Plea to the Present
One of the most poignant and meaningful stories from Fort Ticonderoga’s collection comes to life this summer during a special installation 

View this temporary exhibit July 1-August 2, 2026

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, we will be displaying Benjamin Warner’s knapsack in an immersive limited engagement. Benjamin Warner, a soldier from Connecticut, served extensively during the American Revolution. From the invasion of Québec to the retreat from New York, he endured some of the war’s most grueling campaigns. His final service with the Continental Army was cut short by sickness in 1780, but he returned home with a painted linen knapsack that is now the museum’s most treasured artifact. Later in his life, Warner passed down his knapsack to his children with a note that urged them to continue to hand it down through the generations to remember his service and for future generations to guard the nation from threats both foreign and domestic, echoing the Founders. The knapsack is more than just a memento of war; it’s a tattered reminder of the precious republic that Warner helped create.

“…whilst one shred of it shall remain never surrender your libertys to a foren envador or an aspiring demegog.” —Benjamin Warner, Ticonderoga, N.Y.

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