A number of important things happened at Ticonderoga during the American occupation between Allen’s capture, May 10th, 1775, and St. Clair’s evacuation before Burgoyne, July 6, 1777.
An expedition for the invasion of Canada was planned. By the middle of July, 1775, General Schuyler arrived at Ticonderoga and found but little progress had been made to advance the expedition, few bateaux, no boards, little material and few workmen able to build boats. He repaired the French sawmill, sawed boards, requisitioned carpenters, nails, provisions and teams and forwarded matters with so much dispatch that by the beginning of August regiments which were to form the army began to move toward Ticonderoga. The Continental troops began to arrive by the middle of August, and on the 13th General Richard Montgomery arrived and reviewed the troops. On the 28th the army advanced and after a few skirmishes on the way reached St. Johns on the 6th of September. The army consisted of about 1000 men under command of General Philip Schuyler, almost wholly Connecticut troops excepting about 250 of the first battalion of New Yorkers, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Ritzma. On the 13th of September General Schuyler was forced to return to Ticonderoga on account of illness, leaving General Richard Montgomery in command. The fort at St. Johns held out until November 2nd, when the garrison surrendered to the American invaders. Among the officers who surrendered and who were sent down to Ticonderoga, a prisoner with the rest was Lieutenant John Andre, afterwards executed as a spy.
Major General Richard Montgomery
On Monday morning, November 13th, a detachment from the Continental Army took possession of Montreal. Unfortunately, the time of many of the Connecticut troops had expired and most of them decided to go home. The General offered as a bounty for those who would enlist for only five months, a watch great coat, coat, jacket and breeches, stockings and shoes, shirt, caps, mittens, socks and an English Crown. About 200 volunteered to stay.
General Montgomery shortly afterwards joined Benedict Arnold who was besieging Quebec, and lost his life in the unsuccessful attack on that place. The remnants of two armies reached Ticonderoga in the spring of 1776 in a terrible condition.
It was while serving under General Montgomery that Ethan Allen, advancing toward Montreal to ascertain whether the Canadians were with or against the Americans, was captured, sent to England as a prisoner and not returned and released until May, 1778. He took no further part in the Revolution, though Congress granted him the rank and pay of a colonel.
On the 16th of November General Washington sent the following instruction to Henry Knox, then a Colonel of Artillery:
“You are immediately to examine into the state of the artillery of this army, and take an account of the cannon, mortars, shells, lead and ammunition that are wanting. When you have done that you are to proceed in the most expeditious manner to New York, there to apply to the President of the Provincial Congress and learn of him whether Colonel Reed did anything or left any orders respecting these things, and get him to procure such of them as can possibly be had there. The president, if he can, will have them immediately sent hither; if he cannot, you must put them in a proper channel to be transported to this camp with despatch before you leave New York. After you have procured as many of these necessaries as you can there, you must go to Major-General Schuyler and get the remainder from Ticonderoga, Crown Point, or St. John; if it should be necessary, from Quebec, if in our hands. The want of them is so great that no trouble or expense must be spared to obtain them. I have wrote to General Schuyler, he will give every necessary assistance, that they may be had and forwarded to this place with the utmost despatch. I have given you a warrant to the Paymaster General of the Continental Army for a thousand dollars, to defray the expense attending your journey and procuring these articles, an account of which you are to keep and render upon your return.
