The British 26th Regiment of Foot, known as the Cameronians were the only regiment in British history to be issued Bibles as part of their kit and to carry on a tradition of attending church armed to the teeth. This was a throwback to their original days as defenders of the Scottish Covenanters who came to church armed in order to defend themselves from Government attacks on their “illegal” services. It was too bad that May 10 1775 wasn’t “The Lord’s Day” because the Cameronian soldiers guarding Fort Ticonderoga were caught without weapons, with their powder wet and yes, their commander, Captain Delaplace, was literally caught with his pants down when Colonial Militiamen stormed the fort and captured it, in Ethan Allen’s words, for “Jehovah and the Continental Congress”.
Two Battle Plans
The actual battle in which the “Gibraltar of America” was stormed may have been a much more harmonious attack than the events leading up to it would indicate. Two different Colonies had dispatched men on the same mission. Massachusetts had commissioned Colonel Benedict Arnold to do the job. Their sister colony to the south, Connecticut, had sent the 6’4” giant, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys from the Hampshire Grants to accomplish the same purpose. Both Colonies had the same goal in mind. There were dozens of cannon, mortar and cannon balls stored there since the end of the French and Indian War. These would prove invaluable to a war effort that was initially hampered by the mother-country’s ban on iron manufacturing.
Two Commanders
Allen, with his already recruited band of freedom fighters, had the edge. His ready made militia force had initially been raised to combat neighboring New York’s claim to the area we now know as Vermont. Then it was known as the Hampshire Grants because so many folks had been granted property their by the Governor of New Hampshire. New Yorkers took issue with this and tried to force their way in. The Green Mountain Boys made that very difficult. Allen’s troops were already marching toward Fort Ti when Benedict Arnold caught up with them. He was to have recruited his own troops but when he heard how close his mission was to being usurped he decided to make a play for Allen’s men. Of course, they would have nothing to do with that so Arnold had to settle for joint command, knowing that his authority was nebulous at best.
Surprise Attack
Early in the morning on Wednesday, May 10, only two of the expected fleet of boats, commandeered at Skenesborough at the southern edge of Lake Champlain from the nominal British Colonel Philip Skenes, showed up on the shore opposite Fort Ticonderoga. Allen and Arnold decided to make the best of their opportunity for surprise and loaded 83 soldiers for the expedition with more to follow as the boats could ferry them across. It turned out to be plenty. In just minutes the commander of the Fort, holding his pants up with his hands, surrendered to the overwhelming force of personality and size, if not the troop strength, of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold.
Spoils of War
Two officers, 2 Artillerymen, 2 Sergeants, 44 Privates and 24 Women and children were dispatched as Prisoners of War to Hartford CT. “All the effects of George the Third” which Allen demanded included 78 cannon (4 to 24 pounders), 6 mortars, 3 howitzers, thousands of cannon balls, 9 tons of musket balls and 30,000 flints. The cannon would be put to good use the following March when, then Colonel, Henry Knox would heroically bring them through cold and snowy winter conditions to Boston and to drive out the British!
Sources
The War of the Revolution by Christopher Ward, 1952, MacMillan Company
The American Revolution by Bruce Lancaster, 1971, American Heritage Inc.
The Spirit of Seventy-Six by Henry Commager and Richard Morris, 2002, Castle Books
The Real History of the American Revolution by Alan Axelrod, 2007, Sterling Publishing
Roger Saunders - Roger Saunders is a 9th generation American. On his father’s side, his 6th Great Grandfather came to Fairfax Co. VA in the Early ...
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