David LaPell
Blackhawk
With a surgery coming up, I have been trying to get in as many things with my son not knowing how long I will be laid up, so yesterday we went to Fort Ticonderoga, previously known as Fort Carillon when the French had it, which was used in two wars, the French & Indian War and the Revolutionary War.
Every year the re-enactors/guides who work there alternate years and different combatants in those conflicts, and this year they're representing the French in 1758.
They do a wonderful series of tours starting in the morning, then they have a musket display and then a cannon demonstration. Then you can take a later tour in the afternoon at Mount Defiance, where cannons were hauled by the British overlooking the fort, giving them the ability to fire down into it.
If you're up this way, it's a great visit, I haven't been for about 20 years and they've gotten so much better from when I was here last.
A row of French 24-pounders on the wall facing Lake Champlain. All these cannons are original bronze pieces from various years made in the early 1700's.
Lake Champlain looking down the barrel of a French 24-pounder.
One of the many mortars on display, my son counted seventeen between on all the ramparts. An original French piece.
My son with one of the other mortars.
My son with one a smaller French cannon, possibly a 12 pounder.
The musket drill was excellent. Very well demonstrated with all the commands in French as that's who they represent this year.
This was a representation of how the French with only 3,000 men beat the British with 13,000 men at the Battle of Carillon at the Fort in 1758. The French put four hundred of their finest shots behind an 8 foot tall wooden wall with eight soldiers reloading muskets for every one firing. The rate of fire was 7-8 shots a minute or better. The British were decimated and until the Battle of Antietam it was the bloodiest day of combat on the continent. The British were so soundly defeated that they left so fast even leaving their wounded and dead behind for the French to take care of.
One of the re-enactor/guides showing my son the workings of the French musket.
The cannon demonstration, like the musket, was a full battery with all the commands in French and performed with a full crew.
The Fort has one of the largest displays on weapons and artifacts, according to the guide, they have two hundred thousand artifacts but can only display around two percent at a time. They had dozens of original muskets, pistols, swords, compasses, uniforms and various things to see.
Some of the many later British made iron cannons.
Lake Champlain from the upper tier looking down one of the iron cannons.
What it must have been like for a boat or ship sailing under the guns of the fort, well within range.
Some of the cannons from the upper tier overlooking Lake Champlain.
This is the top of Mount Defiance where the British hauled cannons to the top to look down on Fort Ticonderoga, which is the grey speck to the lower left. Also a good view of Lake Champlain and the mouth of the La Chute river that connects it to Lake George.
A better view of the fort zoomed in.
My son re-enacting the command to fire on the overlook where the cannons were originally placed overlooking the Fort.
Every year the re-enactors/guides who work there alternate years and different combatants in those conflicts, and this year they're representing the French in 1758.
They do a wonderful series of tours starting in the morning, then they have a musket display and then a cannon demonstration. Then you can take a later tour in the afternoon at Mount Defiance, where cannons were hauled by the British overlooking the fort, giving them the ability to fire down into it.
If you're up this way, it's a great visit, I haven't been for about 20 years and they've gotten so much better from when I was here last.
A row of French 24-pounders on the wall facing Lake Champlain. All these cannons are original bronze pieces from various years made in the early 1700's.
Lake Champlain looking down the barrel of a French 24-pounder.
One of the many mortars on display, my son counted seventeen between on all the ramparts. An original French piece.
My son with one of the other mortars.
My son with one a smaller French cannon, possibly a 12 pounder.
The musket drill was excellent. Very well demonstrated with all the commands in French as that's who they represent this year.
This was a representation of how the French with only 3,000 men beat the British with 13,000 men at the Battle of Carillon at the Fort in 1758. The French put four hundred of their finest shots behind an 8 foot tall wooden wall with eight soldiers reloading muskets for every one firing. The rate of fire was 7-8 shots a minute or better. The British were decimated and until the Battle of Antietam it was the bloodiest day of combat on the continent. The British were so soundly defeated that they left so fast even leaving their wounded and dead behind for the French to take care of.
One of the re-enactor/guides showing my son the workings of the French musket.
The cannon demonstration, like the musket, was a full battery with all the commands in French and performed with a full crew.
The Fort has one of the largest displays on weapons and artifacts, according to the guide, they have two hundred thousand artifacts but can only display around two percent at a time. They had dozens of original muskets, pistols, swords, compasses, uniforms and various things to see.
Some of the many later British made iron cannons.
Lake Champlain from the upper tier looking down one of the iron cannons.
What it must have been like for a boat or ship sailing under the guns of the fort, well within range.
Some of the cannons from the upper tier overlooking Lake Champlain.
This is the top of Mount Defiance where the British hauled cannons to the top to look down on Fort Ticonderoga, which is the grey speck to the lower left. Also a good view of Lake Champlain and the mouth of the La Chute river that connects it to Lake George.
A better view of the fort zoomed in.
My son re-enacting the command to fire on the overlook where the cannons were originally placed overlooking the Fort.
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