Virtual Author Series featuring Mark R. Anderson

The Fort Ticonderoga Author Series features presentations by authors of books related to Fort Ticonderoga’s history.

In this dramatic retelling of one of history’s great “what-ifs,” Mark R. Anderson examines the American colonies’ campaign to bring Quebec into the Continental confederation and free the Canadians from British “tyranny.” This significant reassessment of a little-studied campaign examines developments on both sides of the border that rapidly proceeded from peaceful diplomatic overtures to a sizable armed intervention. The military narrative encompasses Richard Montgomery’s plodding initial operations, Canadian partisan cooperation with officers like Ethan Allen, and the harrowing experiences of Benedict Arnold’s Kennebec expedition, as well as the sudden collapse of British defenses that secured the bulk of the province for the rebel cause. The book provides new insight into both Montgomery’s tragic Québec City defeat and a small but highly significant loyalist uprising in the rural northern parishes that was suppressed by Arnold and his Canadian patriot allies.

Mark R. Anderson is a Colorado-based independent military historian and retired US Air Force officer. He earned his B.A. in History from Purdue University and his M.A. in Military Studies from American Military University. His 22 years of military service included duty in Iraq and coalition operations planning for operations in Afghanistan. Anderson built upon his avid lifelong interest in history, and his service experiences, to research and author his first book, “Battle for the Fourteenth Colony: America’s War of Liberation in Canada, 1774-1776.”

Your participation in these online programs through the Center for Digital History supports Fort Ticonderoga’s mission to preserve, educate, and provoke an active discussion about the past and its importance to present and future generations.