TICONDEROGA — Fort Ticonderoga invites the public to its gripping one-day Winter Quarters living history event, “Proceed to Canada,” on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This immersive REAL TIME REVOLUTION experience transports visitors back to the early days of the American Revolution when the Continental Army rushed supplies and soldiers north to Ticonderoga to try to save their campaign in Canada in the first year of the Revolution.
Highlighted programming throughout the day brings to life this critical moment in the spring of 1776 as Lake Champlain melted and the fight to the north heated up.
— Reinforcements arrive: See a company of Connecticut soldiers arrive, just as it happened 250 years ago. See the rigors of marching as winter slowly waned, but rivers remained choked with ice. Explore the urgency that led the Continental Army to order these extreme winter marches.
— Commanding the fort: Meet Fort Ticonderoga’s commander in March 1776, Captain Joseph McKracken, and learn about his story as a New York officer. Examine the challenges of moving men and supplies northward from Ticonderoga.
— Cozy coats: Discover the blanket coat, the Canadian overcoat that became fashionable among American soldiers in 1776. Feel the warm wool that made soldiers comfortable and the stylish trimmings that defined this coat for generations.
— The human story: Discover the essential, often-overlooked service of the women who served as laundresses and nurses, mending both uniforms and wounded soldiers in the officers’ quarters, highlighting the constant challenge of “remaking” the Continental Army for 1776.
— Boats for spring: Try your hand shaping wood oars with our carpenters. See the army’s need for hundreds of these oars to propel fleets of bateaux when Lake Champlain opened in April.
“This REAL TIME REVOLUTION event captures the struggle and success of the Continental Army in quickly getting soldiers and supplies northward into Canada in March 1776,” Beth L. Hill, Fort Ticonderoga president and CEO, said in a press release. “Our innovative living history shows the lived experience of soldiers as it connected to grand strategies for the Revolutionary War in real time.”
Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for children and free for Fort Ticonderoga members, Ambassador Pass holders and children ages 4 and under.
For a full schedule, visit fortticonderoga.org.