Military History

Continentals, British Skirmish at Fort Ticonderoga

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British and American Armies will once again fight for control of Fort Ticonderoga during the Struggle for Liberty re-enactment, Saturday-Sunday, September 10-11, 9:30 am – 5 pm each day. Experience a court martial proceeding, thrill at cannon demonstrations, and be part of the story as visitors are immersed in a skirmish each day, following the commands of the Continental Officers leading on horseback. Visitors can purchase wares from period merchants and worship in an 18th-century Divine Service, Sunday morning at 9:30 am. The ‘Struggle for Liberty’ reenactment September 10 and 11 focuses on the fall of 1776 at Fort Ticonderoga.

Throughout the weekend, Fort Ticonderoga will be alive with re-enactor portraying the Continental Army in 1776 camped in and around the fort walls. Visitors can experience the life of the fast moving soldiers and loyalists of the British advanced guard in their camp adjacent to the beautiful King’s Garden, the site of Fort Ticonderoga’s 18th-century Garrison Garden. Visitors will be immersed along side the staff of the Continental Army as they send patrols of men to find the advancing British Army. Continental officers will discuss the American strategy in 1776, as visitors explore the immense efforts to rebuild the American Army.

Highlighted daily events for September 10 and 11include:

10 am inspection of troops

10:30 am British and American patrols deployed

11 am (Saturday only) Author, James Nelson, presents “With Fire & Sword, Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American Revolution”

11:30 am Artillery Demonstration

12 pm British Court Martial

1:30 pm Skirmish

3 pm Northern Army Program

3:30 pm Musket Demonstration

4 pm (Saturday only) Sutler for the Army

9:30 am (Sunday only) Divine Service on the fort parade ground

11:30 am (Sunday only) Author, Williard Stearne Randall, presents “Ethan Allen, a Life”

Fort Ticonderoga’s story in 1776 is often overlooked. While 1775 featured Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold’s capture of this Fort, and 1777 saw General Burgoyne seize Ticonderoga once more, 1776 was a major rebuilding year for the Continental Army at Fort Ticonderoga. In order to block the British advance down Lake Champlain towards Albany, the Continental Army posted as many as 15,000 soldiers at Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Independence across the lake. This was the largest American garrison of the fort during the American Revolution.

The Struggle for Liberty event is made possible by funding support from Glens Falls National Bank.

Photo: Historic Interpreter, Joel Anderson, is deployed on patrol as part of the Struggle of Liberty Re-enactment.

New Fort Ticonderoga Tour Highlights Artillery

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Fort Ticonderoga’s newest tour “The Usefulness of those fine Cannon” highlights the museums extensive 18th-century artillery collection. The walking tour takes visitors through the armament history of Fort Ticonderoga and is presented as part of the daily schedule for the remainder of the 2011 season.

The tour provides a window into the events where Fort Ticonderoga’s heavy cannons played such a large part in General Montgomery’s siege of Quebec, General Benedict Arnold’s navy, and Henry Knox’s epic efforts to haul these guns to Boston to force a British withdrawal in 1776. With three artillery pieces original to these events in Fort Ticonderoga’s collection, and many others nearly identical to the historic pieces, the tour of the Fort’s cannons allows visitors to experience Fort Ticonderoga’s important place in American history.

Fort Ticonderoga is home to one of America’s largest collections of 18th-century military material culture. The weapons collection is composed of over one thousand muskets, bayonets, pistols, swords and pole arms representing most of the major types of weapons used in the colonial wars and struggle for American Independence. The museum’s collection of 18th-century artillery is considered the largest collection of its type in the western hemisphere.

The special tour is included in the admission price. Visit www.fortitonderoga.org for calendar details or call 518-585-2821.

Fort Ticonderoga offers programs, historic interpretation and tours, garden tours, demonstrations and exhibits daily from 9:30 am &#8211 5 pm, May 20 &#8211 October 20. A full schedule and information on events can be found at www.Fort-Ticonderoga.org or phone (518) 585-2821. Fort Ticonderoga is located at 100 Fort Ti Road Ticonderoga, New York.

Photo: Artillery at Fort Ticonderoga. Photo by John Warren.

Adirondack Gilded Age Tour

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The Adirondack Region offers heritage tours, hiking, unique events and more to make the most of the fall landscape of the Adirondack Park. The Gilded Age Tour allows guests to step back in time and discover an age where captains of industry and socialites brought unimaginable luxury to New York’s vast Adirondack wilderness. This fall, you can rediscover this Adirondack history with rustic heritage events, expeditions, themed entertainment &#8211 as well as the Gilded Age Tour.

The Gilded Age Tour includes:

• A two-hour tour of Great Camp Sagamore in Raquette Lake. This National Historic Landmark, recently featured by Martha Stewart Magazine, is a 27-building estate.

• A lunch or dinner cruise on Raquette Lake aboard the W.W. Durant, a magnificent vessel name for the Gilded Age developer who once claimed one million acres of the Central Adirondacks as his own. Learn the history of the region and see elaborate camps of industrial giants Collis P. Huntington and the Carnegie family.

• A pass to the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. The Adirondack’s historical and cultural treasure center, this exceptional museum offers more than 200 years of Adirondack history, spread throughout 32 acres and offering 22 indoor and outdoor exhibits.

The Adirondack Museum showcases the collective treasures and heritage of the Adirondack Park’s history. Offering continuing education opportunities, workshops, events and annual festivals, the museum aims to engage and inspire interest in Adirondack heritage crafts through experiential exhibits.

Adirondack Heritage Events:

• 24th Annual Rustic Furniture Fair September 10-11 at the Adirondack Museum. Celebrate the refined and distinctive artisan craftsmanship found in Adirondack furnishings, furniture and paintings. Enjoy live music, demonstrations and great food throughout the two day event.

• Adirondack Plein Air Workshop October 2-7 at White Pine Camp. Located on Osgood Pond, this former Great Camp turned four-season lodge once served as President Calvin Coolidge’s Summer White House. Tour the property’s extensive grounds, rustic buildings and Japanese teahouse, then hone your artistic &#8220en plein air&#8221 skills.

Take a walk in the woods with the Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) group for special tours of historic and architectural significant sites. Explore the century-old, remote Otis Mountain Camps in the Bouquet River Valley near Elizabethtown on September 8th.

Additional AARCH Tours Scheduled for this fall include:

• Preserving Camp Santanoni II September 27 in Newcomb. Built in 1892 for an Albany couple, AARCH staff will lead a tour of the 200-acre-farm, Main Camp on Newcomb Lake and the Gate Lodge. Learn more about the ongoing restoration of the camp complex during the 9.8 mile round-trip tour along a gently sloping carriage road.

• The World of Arto Monaco September 10 in Upper Jay. Arto Monaco was one of the most innovative and unique artists to come out of the Adirondacks. Born in 1913, Monaco worked for MGM Studios in Hollywood, before returning home to the Adirondacks to pioneer the Christmas theme park, Santa’s Workshop in Wilmington, NY. He also designed and built a children-sized theme park called the &#8220Land of Makebelieve&#8221 in Upper Jay. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of Monaco’s incredible visions-come-to-life.

Military Reenactments:

• The Battle of Plattsburgh September 3-11 in Plattsburgh. For a week in September, the battle will rage once more on the shores of Lake Champlain &#8211 culminating in the action-packed Commemorative Weekend. Events kick off September 3 and 4th with live music performances at Clinton Community College. Throughout the week, enjoy live music, a parade, kid’s games, guided walks and more.

• Revolutionary War: Struggle for Liberty Reenactment September 10-11 at Fort Ticonderoga. Watch colonial trade demonstrations, interpretive vignettes, experience camp life and a daily battle reenactment. Additionally, through October 20th, Fort Ticonderoga’s Heroic Maze offers a challenge to any history buff.

Adirondack Artistic Heritage Events:

• Murder Mystery Weekend September 9-11 at Great Camp Sagamore. A former Vanderbilt estate in Raquette Lake, the entire weekend is devoted to solving the murder surrounding an auction of Alfred Vanderbilt’s unused Titanic ticket. Join friends and strangers for a weekend of fun as you strive to solve the murder and catch the killer before he &#8211 or she &#8211 gets to you!

• New York, New York! The 20th Century exhibit through September 18 in Glens Falls. Explore the artistic history of New York at the Hyde Collection, where some of the most beloved depictions of NYC will be on display. This major exhibition features over sixty works of art, including photographs, paintings, sculptures and works on paper. Featured artists include Diane Arbus, Edward Hopper, Stuart David, Berenice Abbott, Jim MacMillian and many more.

Fife & Drum Corps Muster at Fort Ti on Saturday

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Fort Ticonderoga celebrates more than eight decades of Fife and Drum Corps performance with its annual Fife and Drum Corps Muster on August 6. The muster will highlight several Fife and Drum Corps from across the northeast and as far away as Michigan performing throughout the day. The muster will crescendo into a combined Fife and Drum Corps performance at 3:30 pm on Fort Ticonderoga’s Parade Ground.

This event highlights the role Fife & Drum music has played in the commemoration of American history. Fife and Drum Corps gained increased popularity during the American bicentennial celebrations. In 18th Century military life, fifes and drums served as one of the primary modes of battlefield communication and camp regulation.

Fort Ticonderoga formed its first Fife and Drum Corps in 1926 on the eve of the 150th anniversary celebrations of American Independence. The Corps performed at the Fort each summer until the beginning of World War II. When the World’s Fair came to New York City in 1939, the Fife and Drum Corps was a featured performer on May 10th, Fort Ticonderoga Day celebrating the 164th anniversary of the capture of the Fort by Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys.

In 1973, in preparation for the bicentennial, Fort Ticonderoga revived the fife and drum corps to perform daily during the Fort’s summer season. The fife and drum corps has performed every year since and has been featured performers at many major public events including the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games, the christening of the US Navy Guided Missile Cruiser USS Ticonderoga CG-47, and several Evacuation Day parades in Boston, Massachusetts.

Today the Fife and Drum Corps is comprised of Ticonderoga area high school students who are paid employees of Fort Ticonderoga, a private non-profit organization. The Fife and Drum Corps is part of Fort Ticonderoga’s Interpretive Department whose focus brings to life Fort Ticonderoga’s specific history through daily interpretive programs, historic trades and special events.

Fort Ticonderoga’s full schedule and information on events can be found online or phone (518) 585-2821. Fort Ticonderoga is located at 100 Fort Ti Road Ticonderoga, New York.

Photo: Fort Ticonderoga’s Fife and Drum Corps Performs at Fort Ticonderoga.

New Windsor: A Revolutionary Camp at Night

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Saturday, August 13 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, at the re-created huts, administered by the Last Encampment of the Continental Army, on the west side of Route 300 and on the north side of Causeway Road, visitors will be able to interact with soldiers and their family members as they prepare, in the late spring of 1783, for the end of the encampment. After 8 years of war, most of the army will finally be allowed to go home, but some soldiers had to remain under arms until the British evacuated New York City. There was tension in the air. Knowing that their time was short, soldiers lashed out at their officers. One, they hung in effigy. Causing further resentment, the soldiers would not receive their long overdue pay, only certificates for three months pay, redeemable in six months.

Visitors will be bale to tour the encampment grounds by the glow of tin lanterns. See military drills and musket firings, maybe even join-in a demonstration with wooden muskets. Following the capture of British forces by the allied armies of France and America, at Yorktown, Virginia, in the fall of 1781, the northern Continental Army returned to the Hudson Highlands. The destruction of the principal British field army in the south broke England’s will to continue the struggle. In the fall of 1782, near New Windsor, 7,500 Continental Army soldiers built a city of 600 log huts near New Windsor. Along with some of their family members, they braved the winter and kept a wary eye on the 12,000 British troops in New York City, just 60 miles away.

The event is co-sponsored by the National Temple Hill Association and New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site. The National Temple Hill Association administers the Last Encampment of the Continental Army for the Town of New Windsor and owns the historic Edmonston House. New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site is part of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission administers 27 parks, parkways and historic sites for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in New York as well as the Palisades Interstate Park and parkway in New Jersey. For more information about New York State parks and historic sites. Visit their website at www.nysparks.com and follow the links for historic sites.

Photo: Two Soldiers of the Massachusetts Line, in a Hut, at the Last Encampment of the Continental Army, New Windsor, New York.

Soldiers Atop Mount Independence Event

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It was 235 years ago this July that American soldiers began building one of the largest Revolutionary War fortifications in the country—on what would become known as Mount Independence in Orwell, Vermont. An event commemorating this anniversary and experience the Revolutionary War and the road to American independence will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 23 and 24, as the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell, Vermont, presents the annual “Soldiers Atop the Mount” living history weekend. Dedicated reenactors recreate this exciting period in American history in an event that is fun for the whole family. Admission is $6.00 for adults and free for children under 15, and includes the museum and all activities.

The public is invited to visit the American and British tent camps, talking with reenactors whose units portray some of the actual units that garrisoned Mount Independence.

On Saturday, the camps open at 10:30 with ongoing demonstrations of camp life, a history scavenger hunt, and special children’s activities. During the day children and the young at heart can learn how to drill, visit the camps, attend Mistress Davenport’s School, and enjoy music from the Seth Warner Mount Independence Fife & Drum Corps. At 1:00 p.m. experience the artillery demonstration and at 2:00 p.m. witness the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. In the afternoon see how the soldiers would have made fascines, bundles of wood used in military construction. At 3:00 p.m. is the narrated military tactical demonstration with military action encircling the audience.

On Sunday the camps open to the public at 10:00 and the history scavenger hunt is on.

At 11:30 or attend Mistress Davenport’s School, and experience the narrated military tactical demonstration at 1:30. The camp closes at 2:00 pm. At 2:30 site interpreter Paul Andriscin will give a short talk in the auditorium on the construction of Mount Independence. Call for details.

American forces built Mount Independence in 1776 and 1777 to defend New England and Lake Champlain from the British enemy in Canada. On the night of July 5 and 6, 1777, the Northern Department of the American Army withdrew from Mount Independence in Orwell and Fort Ticonderoga, as British Lt. Gen. John Burgoyne sailed down the lake pursuing his plan to split New England off from the rest of the United States. Following the Battle of Hubbardton on July 7, the British and Germans occupied Mount Independence until November of that year.

Mount Independence, a National Historic Landmark, is near the end of Mount Independence Road six miles west of the intersection of Vermont Routes 22A and 73 in Orwell. It includes an air conditioned visitor center and museum and nearly six miles of hiking trails. It is open daily through October 10, 9:30 to 5:00. Call (802) 948-2000 for more information or visit www.HistoricVermont.org/sites.

Photo: American Revolutionary War Soldiers firing at Mount Independence. Courtesy Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.

Living History Event at Knox’s Headquarters

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General Washington knew exactly what he was about, in the summer of 1781, by trying to convince the British and his own soldiers that he would attack New York City. Unbeknownst to all but trusted officials, he had agreed to move with the French Army south to Virginia. In Virginia, a French naval force from the Caribbean would join them to complete the encirclement of the British Army at Yorktown.

The soldiers of the 2nd and 3rd Continental Artillery Regiments, encamped at New Windsor, since the previous November, spent their time assembling and training on heavy siege artillery. Without the heavy guns to batter down the fortifications of British General Cornwallis’ Army at Yorktown, the decisive victory achieved there would not have been possible.

On July 24 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM costumed historians will think and act like they were the actual participants, at Knox’s Headquarters, in New Windsor, in July 1781, making the final arrangements for the movement of the artillery to the south. For more information please call (845) 561-1765 ext. 22. Knox’s Headquarters is at 289 Forge Hill Road, in Vails Gate, New Windsor, New York at the intersection of Route 94 and Forge Hill Road, four miles east of Stewart Airport and three miles from the intersection of I-87 and I-84.

As the evening progresses, the masking darkness gives the grounds a surreal experience, adding significantly to the authenticity of the experience. The residents will beguile visitors with tales of past glories, suffering, and share their hopes and aspirations for an uncertain future. Tour the grounds and mansion by the glow of tin lanterns and experience the tense days before Yorktown with the soldiers and civilians, who once made their homes in the area. The “residents” have no knowledge of the fact that Washington wants to take them south instead of to New York.

Visitors will meet few, if any, names that they recognize from history, but instead humble souls whose efforts combined with thousands of others, helped forge a nation. This type of presentation, called “first-person living history,” has developed into a very exciting way to make history more meaningful to visitors. This technique is used at Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts and Colonial Williamsburg, in Virginia.

Photo: New Windsor Cantonment Staff in Front of Knox’s Headquarters, the John Ellison House.

Battle of Hubbardton Anniversary Weekend

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Vermont’s Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site will present a Battle of Hubbardton living history weekend on July 9 and 10 to honor the July 7, 1777, Revolutionary War battle, the only one fought in Vermont. More than 400 re-enactors will be on hand, making it one of the largest events at Hubbardton site in years.

During the Battle of Hubbardton soldiers from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire fought in a decisive rear guard action to halt the British army and allow the main American army under Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair to withdraw southward to safety from Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. Events at Hubbardton saved St. Clair’s troops and led to the American victory in October 1777 at the Battle of Saratoga, considered a turning point in the Revolutionary War and in world history.

The weekend offers activities for all ages and interests, including visiting the museum. Organizers expect a large contingent of re-enactors, who portray American, British, and German soldiers and their families. Vistor will be able to walk through their tent camps, see the tactical and artillery demonstrations, camp life activities, courts martial, learning how to drill, and guided camp and battlefield tours. Mistress Davenport will set up her popular school and storytelling. There will also be a children’s activity tent and many sutlers (the traveling shopkeepers of the time) will set up sutler row, with a colonial shopping experience for the public. Local groups will provide a food concession stand both days.

Saturday afternoon will include a military tactical on the slope of Monument Hill, weather permitting and the weekend highlight will be the battle on Sunday morning, with troops forming-up about 7:30 a.m. The extended tactical demonstration begins at 8 a.m. Around 9 a.m. the start of a symbolic Revolutionary relay across Vermont to Windsor’s Old Constitution House, will celebrate a 234th anniversary of Vermont’s Constitution. The modern relay will carry to the constitutional delegates in Windsor the news about the battle and withdrawal from Mt. Independence and Fort Ticonderoga.

The site opens at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Sunday’s events start about 7:30 a.m. Admission each day is $5 for adults and free for children under 15. There will be plenty of nearby parking and a “people mover” from the parking area to the central location for those who wish to ride. The event is offered by a partnership of the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, Living History Association, and the Hubbardton Historical Society with support from many other Hubbardton organizations and area Scouts and businesses.

The Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site is located on Monument Hill Road 6 miles off VT Route 30 in Hubbardton or 7 miles off exit 5 on US Route 4 in Castleton. Carefully follow the signs. The site is regularly open Thursdays through Sundays and Monday holidays through Oct. 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the Battlefield or this event, call 802- 273-2282.

Photo: British Rangers at Hubbardton in 2006. Photo courtesy Don Walker / 3rd New Hampshire Regiment.

Cayuga Museum: New York in the Civil War

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New York supplied more men, money and material in the Civil War than any other state North or South, but New Yorkers responded to the Civil War in diverse and often contradictory ways. On Sunday, July 10 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cayuga Museum, Robert W. Arnold will present an illustrated lecture on New York during the Civil War.

Concentrating mainly on the home front, Arnold’s presentation will examine a sample of New Yorkers’ responses to the war and some individuals who exemplify them, all in the political, social and military contexts of that turbulent era. Arnold explores the social costs of the war as they played out in the farms and cities of the Empire State, in families, workplaces and neighborhoods.

Arnold is a career public historian, now retired from the New York State Archives. This Speakers in the Humanities event, which is free and open to the public, is made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The lecture is part of the Cayuga Museum’s commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. The Cost of Freedom: Cayuga County in the Civil War is the lead exhibit at the Cayuga Museum through Labor Day weekend.

On Sunday, August 21, at 2:00 the Museum will host a lecture by Dr. Laura Free of Hobart College entitled Bullets, Belles and Bloated Bodies.

On Sunday, August 28 at 2:00, the Museum will host a guided conversation titled The Gettysburg Address Challenges America.

On Thursday, September 1, the Museum’s History Book Club will discuss Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz.

Guided Hikes. Bike Rides at Saratoga Battlefield

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Visitors to the Saratoga Battlefield can join one, or all of a series of free guided walks or bike tours this summer. The bike rides will typically cover approximately 5 miles on each of four Wednesday evenings during the summer – July 6 and 20,and August 3 and 17, from 6 PM to 8 PM. Hike participants should be able to walk at least two miles over uneven ground- hikers should meet at the Visitor Center at 9 am, and bring insect repellent and drinking water.

The hikes are free, but entrance to the Battlefield is $5 per car, or a one-year pass is available for $10. The bicycle tours are free, and take place in the evenings, so no entrance fees are involved.

Hike Tour Dates

Wednesday, July 6th, 9:00 AM: “Why Saratoga?”
Why did the American forces choose to stand and fight here?

Wednesday, July 13th, 9:00 AM: “The First Battle”
The Battle of Freeman’s Farm, September 19, 1777

Wednesday, July 20th, 9:00 AM: “The Second Battle”
The Battle of Bemis Heights, October 7, 1777

Friday, August 5th, 9:00 AM: “Why Saratoga?”
Why did the American forces choose to stand and fight here?

Friday, August 12th, 9:00 AM: “The First Battle”
The Battle of Freeman’s Farm, September 19, 1777

Friday, August 26th, 9:00 AM: “The Second Battle”
The Battle of Bemis Heights, October 7, 1777

For more information about these or other events, please call the Visitor Center at 518-664-9821 ext. 225 or check the park’s website.

Photo: Guided Bicycle Tour at Saratoga National Historical Park (Photo: Saratoga National Historical Park)