Battle of Ticonderoga (1759)

Battle of Ticonderoga
Part of the French and Indian War
Map showing the overlapping French and British claims in New York and Pennsylvania
Date July 26–27, 1759 Location Fort Carillon, near present-day Ticonderoga, New York 43°50′29″N 73°23′17″W / 43.84139°N 73.38806°W / 43.84139; -73.38806 Result British victory
Belligerents
France Colony of Canada	Great Britain British America
Commanders and leaders
François-Charles de Bourlamaque	Jeffery Amherst Richard Montgomery
Strength
400 at Ticonderoga[1] 1,900 at Crown Point	11,376 regulars and provincial troops[2]
Casualties and losses
40 captured[3]	5 killed 31 wounded[1]

The 1759 Battle of Ticonderoga was a minor confrontation at Fort Carillon (later renamed Fort Ticonderoga) on July 26 and 27, 1759, during the French and Indian War. A British military force of more than 11,000 men under the command of General Sir Jeffery Amherst moved artillery to high ground overlooking the fort, which was defended by a garrison of 400 Frenchmen under the command of Brigadier General François-Charles de Bourlamaque.

Rather than defend the fort, de Bourlamaque, operating under instructions from General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and New France's governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, withdrew his forces, and attempted to blow up the fort. The fort's powder magazine was destroyed, but its walls were not severely damaged. The British then occupied the fort, which was afterwards known by the name Fort Ticonderoga. They embarked on a series of improvements to the area and began construction of a fleet to conduct military operations on Lake Champlain.

The French tactics were sufficient to prevent Amherst's army from joining James Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. However, they also tied up 3,000 of their own troops that were not able to assist in Quebec's defense. The capture of the fort, which had previously repulsed a large British army a year earlier, contributed to what the British called the "Annus Mirabilis" of 1759.