Battle+of+Ticonderoga

Commanders:
**General Arthur St. Clair was born in Scotland on March 23, 1737. Before General St. Clair served in the Continental Army, he played a role in the French Indian War as a British officer. After the war, he resided in Pennsylvania where he was given the role as governor of the northwest part of Pennsylvania. He then declared himself as an American citizen and joined the army. St. Clair is most known for the biggest defeat in United States Army history against the Native Americans. He was given control of Fort Ticonderoga after General Horatio Gates left for Philadelphia due to an issue with the Continental Congress. Gates was no longer willing to serve under General Philip Schuyler who was in command of Northern Department so St. Clair was able to capitalize on that situation. St. Clair had to retreat Fort Ticonderoga only after three weeks from being there due to the British invasion. General St. Clair and his few regiments were not prepared well at all for this attack. After retreating from Fort Ticonderoga, St. Clair was exonerated but still saw action at Yorktown because Washington liked him by his side. Arthur St. Clair was not a very good general, but he was a good governor and was elected a delegate to the Confederation Congress in 1785.**








 * General John Burgoyne was born on February 24, 1722 in Sutton, Bedfordshire. Burgoyne excelled in school at a young age and wrote many plays. Many people say he was only promoted to Major General because of his gentlemanness and play writing career. He got the nickname "Gentleman Johnny". He first saw action in the Seven Years War and fought in two battles at Saratoga. Burgoyne captured Fort Ticonderoga on his way to Albany, New York. He and his men were on their way to capture Saratoga in the three-pronged attack strategy. Unfortunately for John, his plan did not execute well due to mis-communications. When Burgoyne reached Saratoga, he was outnumbered and had to surrender his 5,800 troops. This was the turning point of the American Revolution, because it was a huge loss for the British and it boosted the American's moral. After leaving America and moving back to Ireland, Burgoyne was restored his rank and given commander-in-chief of Ireland. After that government fell (Rockingham), he moved to a quiet home in London where he died an unexpected death. **

Battle of Fort Ticonderoga Reenactment:
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Background Information:

 * The Battle of Ticonderoga took place on July 6th, 1777 on Lake Champlain in upstate New York. The battle was between the American colonists and the British, Hessians, and Brunswickers. The 3,000 American troops were led by a man named Arthur St. Clair. He was only at Fort Ticonderoga for three weeks before the British attacked, and he and Colonel Jeduthan Baldwin had just built forts and batteries on Mount Independence to connect Fort Ticonderoga with it. The mix of 7,213 British, Hessians, Brunswickers, Native Americans, and Canadians were led by Major General John Burgoyne. Fort Ticonderoga was built by the French as a passage way to Canada. It was taken over by General Amherst of the British during the French Indian War. In 1775, Benedict Arnold and Colonel Ethan Allen took over Fort Ticonderoga on a surprise attack mission. It was a major bastion to Canada from the Hudson River that resisted British invasions from North to South. It was a vital position for the Americans to hold, but unfortunately could not. **


 * On July 1st, Burgoyne's army arrived North of Fort Ticonderoga, while his light infantry group under command of Brigadier Simon Fraser, moved across a river to the Southern side of the fort. On July 6, the British climbed Sugar Hill which was more elevated than the American Fort. The height difference played a huge role in the easy British victory. The Americans were getting reigned upon and had no chance against the British, who's numbers doubled theirs. St. Clair's only decision was to retreat South and head down towards Skenesborough. They took as many supplies as they could and abandoned Ticonderoga. This was an extremely easy win for the British, and one that could of affected the war tremendously. Ticonderoga was a symbol of safety for the Northern Colonies against the Redcoats. **


 * Surprisingly, the Battle of Ticonderoga was a fairly battle. There were very few casualties, only about a few dozen on each side. General St. Clair was criticized for his questionable retreat by Congress and exonerated. It wasn't really his fault due to the fact that he was only there three weeks before they attacked, Fort Ticonderoga falling apart already, and his men were not properly trained. St. Clair ordered a court martial to state the reason why he abandoned the fort (which was because he wanted to save the lives of valuable troops for the future). People say St. Clair should have battled it out no matter and put up a fight against the British instead of running away like a coward. St. Clair's figure was frowned upon by the American citizens. He tried so hard to justify his life and explain why he retreated, but the people didn't care. The troops were eager to fight and never had the chance. Luckily for St. Clair, Burgoyne over-strained his supply route and went too fast which led to his surrender at Saratoga. Otherwise, Ticonderoga would of played a huge role in bringing in supplies to the British troops. **