For a limited time, July through Aug. 2, Fort Ticonderoga will display one of its most significant objects: Benjamin Warner’s Knapsack.
Carried by Revolutionary War soldier Benjamin Warner and handed down to his descendants, the knapsack has survived with a call to future generations to defend America’s hard-won liberty against all threats.
The 250-year-old knapsack, made of painted linen, was carried by Warner, of New Haven, Connecticut, during service in the Revolutionary War that took him to Boston, Quebec, New York and elsewhere over his years in the ranks.
Later in life, Warner left it to his son as a memento of his service and a reminder of what he fought for, writing: “This Napsack I caryd (sic) Through the War of the Revolution to achieve the American Independence. I Transmit it to my olest sone (sic) Benjamin Warner Jr. with directions to keep it…and whilst one shred of it shall remain never surrender you libertys to a foren envador or an aspiring demegog (sic).”
The letter is signed “Benjamin Warner Ticonderoga March 27, 1837.”
Both the knapsack and its note are carefully preserved in the collection at Fort Ticonderoga, where they have resided for almost a century but have not been on display for over a decade.
“Benjamin Warner’s dedication to American independence and his exhortation to defend it echo across the centuries still rings true today,” Fort Ticonderoga President and CEO Beth L. Hill said in a press release.
“Each individual American brings their own perspective on independence into their personal encounter with Warner’s knapsack. The experience of standing next to this tangible artifact, once carried across the fledgling nation during its most trying times, is a foundational moment found only at Fort Ticonderoga.”
Warner’s knapsack will be displayed alongside the larger, multi-year exhibit at Fort Ticonderoga’s Mars Education Center, “A Revolutionary Anthology.”
The 2026 edition, “Revolutionary Possibilities,” features stories of people and places transformed through the complex, diverse world of the American Revolution.
Firearms, military artifacts, prints, paintings and newspapers feature prominently throughout the exhibit, which asks viewers to consider the ways individual lives and entire nations were thrown into upheaval during the Revolutionary conflict.
“Across exhibits, reenactments and signature events, REAL TIME REVOLUTION brings alive the pivotal moments and people around and within Fort Ticonderoga during the fight for independence,” Dr. Matthew Keagle, Fort Ticonderoga curator, said in the release.
“Benjamin Warner’s knapsack, its message and its owner’s story are just one powerful example among many of the struggles of 1776 and beyond.
“We are proud to preserve the history Benjamin Warner’s knapsack represents and make his message accessible for generations to come, for the next 250 years.”