America 250: Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

On May 10, 1775, a small band of American militiamen stunned the most powerful military in the world when they fearlessly wrestled Fort Ticonderoga from British control-delivering the first American offensive victory of the Revolutionary War and proving that the forces of liberty could triumph over the mightiest of empires.

After the outbreak of the Revolutionary War at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April, American forces urgently needed to strengthen their firepower to break the British grip on Boston and secure their position in New England. Answering the call to freedom, the legendary Green Mountain Boys-a militia from the New Hampshire Grants of present-day Vermont-set out on a daring mission to seize Fort Ticonderoga, a vulnerable British outpost in the Colony of New York that commanded a vital waterway and held a massive arsenal of artillery and cannons.

In the early morning hours of May 10, this bold force of revolutionaries, under the joint command of the famed patriot Ethan Allen and the later treacherous Benedict Arnold, launched a surprise attack on the British garrison. Catching the Redcoats off guard as they slept, the patriots seized the fort without firing a single shot, forcing the unprepared British soldiers to surrender with little resistance-marking the first major victory of the Revolutionary War.

The capture of Fort Ticonderoga proved to be an early turning point in the American Revolution. Colonial forces gained critical ammunition, cannons, and mortars, which Colonel Henry Knox famously hauled hundreds of miles across unforgiving terrain to Boston by January of 1776-empowering the Continental Army to force a British retreat and cementing New England as an American stronghold. The courage, ingenuity, and resolve of the patriots who stormed Fort Ticonderoga defined the fighting spirit that would ultimately drive our Nation to victory and secure our long-awaited independence.

On the 251st anniversary of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, we honor the heroes who struck a decisive blow against British forces and earned their place in history as American legends. And as we celebrate 250 glorious years of American independence, we recommit ourselves to preserving the liberty that they fought fearlessly to secure, and we pledge to ensure that the blessings of freedom remain the inheritance of generations to come.