Special 250th Conference “Arnold’s Defeat or Ultimate Victory? Perspectives on the 1776 Campaign”

On the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Valcour Island Fort Ticonderoga will host a distinguished panel of scholars to reflect on the campaign of 1776 on Lake Champlain. The failure of the British to seize Ticonderoga in the fall of 1776 was a critical, vital victory for the Americans in the early years of the Revolutionary War—acknowledged even at the time. But who gets the credit for the year’s victory? Benedict Arnold and his lake fleet? Horatio Gates and the defenses of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence? Sharing new perspectives and new research from a variety of disciplines, our panelists will detail, and debate, the critical actions of the campaign to better understand the impact of October 1776.

Friday Special Programs

11:00am-12:00pm Tour of Liberty Hill and the Outer Defenses of Fort Ticonderoga—Join Stuart Lilie, Vice President of Public History, for this walking tour exploring the state of Ticonderoga’s defenses on the eve of the British attack in late October 1776. $35 additional fee for this limited-space program.

1:15-2:00pm Crewing a Bateau—Join our maritime trades staff, take an oar, and head out on Lake Champlain in one of our bateaux; these “work horses” were essential to supplying Ticonderoga during the 1776 campaign. $40 additional fee for this limited-space program.

3:00-4:30pm Ticonderoga’s Treasures: The 1776 Campaign on Lake Champlain—Join Dr. Matthew Keagle, Curator, for a behind-the-scenes examination of manuscripts and objects in the Fort Ticonderoga Collection related to the 1776 Campaign. $50 additional fee for this limited-space program.

Saturday’s Conference Program

9:00am Welcome

9:15-9:45am Carleton’s Race to Ticonderoga: his Opponents and Why He Lost—After British troops broke the siege of Quebec in May 1776, General Sir Guy Carleton led his army on a 300-mile race towards a prized objective: Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. Many obstacles stood in the way of establishing a British garrison at the fort before winter; from the moment they set out, the clock was ticking. This talk looks at the timeline and the challenges that Carleton faced, to investigate whether the goal of Ticonderoga was ever achievable. Don Hagist is the editor of The Journal of the American Revolution, served as an advisor for Ken Burns’ The American Revolution, and is the author of several books related to the American Revolution.

10:00-10:30am Crafting Independence: The Work Behind the Battle of Valcour Island — The engagement between the Patriots and the British on Lake Champlain in October 1776 has received significant attention over the years, but that battle was only possible because the Americans mobilized over 10,000 soldiers, craftsmen, and camp followers to erect defenses and build the American fleet. This paper argues that the work behind the battle is crucial to understanding why the British failed to take the Lake and more pointedly threaten the new republic’s independence within months of declaring it. Kenneth Cohen is an award-winning historian of the Revolutionary Era and Chair of the Division of Military & Society at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

10:45-11:15am “to prevent Shipping coming past,” Ticonderoga’s Amphibious Fortifications—Examine the 1776 fortifications at Ticonderoga with the naval battle on Lake Champlain. Often considered separately today, earthworks on Mount Independence, Liberty Hill, and elsewhere were part of the same strategy as the famous fleet on Lake Champlain. Stuart Lilie is Vice President of Public History at Fort Ticonderoga.

11:30am-12:00pm “The day must shortly come when these facts will be known to the World”—Benedict Arnold’s flotilla may have lost the October 1776 Battle of Valcour Island, but “never had any force, big or small, lived to better purpose or died more gloriously, for it had saved the lake for that year.” At least that’s what naval officer and historian Alfred Thayer Mahan boldly declared in his 1913 assessment of American War for Independence naval operations. The outrageousness of his hyperbole aside, is there any truth to Mahan’s claim? What could the British have reasonably done differently to successfully retake Ticonderoga that fall? If nothing, how does that impact popular perception of Arnold’s Valcour gambit? Eric Schnitzer is park ranger/military historian at Saratoga National Historical Park.

12:15-1:30pm Lunch Break (Box lunch from America’s Fort Café included).

12:45-1:15pm Book Signing.

1:30-2:00pm “An Active Part in Our Favour”—The Stockbridge Mohican Indians proved themselves as committed American allies within days of the Lexington Alarm, yet for much of 1776 they encountered frustrating obstacles that kept them from facing the enemy again. When Stockbridge warriors finally joined American forces at Fort Ticonderoga that fall, they suffered disappointments in camp and in the field. For the Mohicans, the events of 1776 and the following winter were their own “times that try men’s souls.” Mark R. Anderson is an independent historian specializing in Native Americans, Canada, and the northern borderlands in the Revolutionary era.

2:15-2:45pm The Archaeology of “Destruction Bay” and the Events of October 13, 1776—In late October 1776 when the Royal Navy returned to the site where a large portion of the Colonial Fleet on Lake Champlain was destroyed on October 13, they found a terrible scene of burned vessels and bodies awash on the shoreline. In recent years Arnold’s Bay has been the subject of intense archaeological research both on land and in water. The results of this study have added to our understanding of this often-overshadowed event. This presentation will share some of the archaeological findings of the study of the battlefield and an examination of the hull remains of the row galley Congress. Christopher Sabick is the executive director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and has been an active archaeological investigator of the Champlain Valley for more than 25 years.

3:00-3:45pm PANEL DISCUSSION—Panel Discussions—During this panel discussion our speakers will have the chance to respond to each other’s work and perspectives along with questions posed by the moderator, Fort Ticonderoga’s Curator Dr. Matthew Keagle. Attendees will also have the chance to pose questions to the panel as we engage in an exciting discussion about the key moments and historical questions surrounding the 1776 campaign on Lake Champlain.

5:00pm Dinner at America’s Fort Café (pre-registration only).

Sunday Cruise

10:00am-3:00pm Cruise to Crown Point—Join us for an exclusive experience aboard the Carillon as we cruise northward down Lake Champlain to Crown Point, which the British captured shortly after the destruction of most of Benedict Arnold’s American fleet. Ashore at Crown Point, Don Hagist and Dr. Matthew Keagle will discuss the American works there and the British activity following its recapture, their plans for an attack on Ticonderoga, and eventual withdrawal in early November 1776.

Due to limited space, this cruise is only open to conference participants. Snack and beverage bar onboard for credit card purchase and a boxed lunch will be served while ashore at Crown Point. While guests are welcome to bring snacks, outside alcohol is prohibited. Registration link will be sent once you are registered for the conference.