Clair had taken command at Ticonderoga on 12 June, less than a month before the attack. On 20 June, Schuyler and the four generals on the spot decided to hold Ticonderoga as long as possible and then defend Mount Independence. As General Gates pointed out, the boom was an essential feature of the defenses, and unless it was defended at both ends, the enemy could break through and turn Mount Independence. But the popular image of Ticonderoga as impregnable and a symbol of security precluded its immediate abandonment. Schuyler's suggestion that only Mount Independence be occupied was twice approved by Congress. It was apparent to Trumbull and most of the other officers that there was little hope of defending Ticonderoga with such a small force against Burgoyne's army. Clair, the commander, had only one-fifth of the troop strength needed to man existing works properly, and he left Mount Defiance undefended. Trumbull pointed out to his skeptical commander that artillery from a hill known as Mount Defiance would threaten the main defenses, and with Wayne and Arnold he climbed the eight-hundred-foot hill to prove that the crest was accessible. Mount Independence was fortified and a bridge of boats spanned the quarter-mile water gap between it and Ticonderoga, while a barrier of log booms and iron chains was constructed north of the bridge. The old fort was partially repaired and blockhouses were erected, the old French earthworks that barred an approach from the northwest were improved, and a new barbette battery was constructed on Mount Hope. Much of the work was planned by young John Trumbull, and the professional engineering talent was furnished by Thaddeus Kosciuszko. ![]() ![]() ![]() After the Americans evacuated Crown Point in July 1776, they accelerated efforts to strengthen Fort Ticonderoga. Captured by the British during Burgoyne's offensive. TICONDEROGA, NEW YORK, BRITISH CAPTURE OF. Ticonderoga, New York, British Capture of
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