250 years ago today—May 16, 1775—Ticonderoga and Crown Point had been in American hands for nearly a week. Farther south, so was Skenesborough, a prosperous settlement founded by career British Army officer Philip Skene. Skene was at sea returning from a visit to England when the Americans captured Skenesborough, but his son, Major Andrew Skene, […]

On this day 250 years ago—May 10, 1775—a party of soldiers led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga. The victorious Americans then faced the question of what to do next. The most important question in Arnold’s mind was who the garrison’s commander would be. Connecticut and Massachusetts had both raised expeditions to […]

On this day 250 years ago—May 4, 1775—a party authorized by the colony of Connecticut was traveling towards Fort Ticonderoga as part of a daring plan to surprise and capture the fort and its cannon. Although they didn’t know it, they were not the only ones. In the days after the Battle of Lexington and […]

On this day 250 years ago—May 1, 1775—Epaphras Bull was traveling north through Stockbridge, MA, on his way to Fort Ticonderoga as part of what some in his party believed was a long-shot plan to capture the fort and its cannon. After news of the Battle of Lexington and Concord and a siege at Boston […]

On this day 250 years ago—March 11, 1775—Britain and the American colonies were not yet at war, but war was drawing nearer. Since the end of the Seven Years’ War in 1763, colonial militias continued to muster as required by law and appoint officers as needed, but didn’t see much active service. As tensions grew […]