Fort Crown Point
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Fort Crown Point (1759-1783) - First established in 1759 by British troops under General Jeffery Amherst on Lake Champlain near the site of the French Fort St. Frederic. Located on present day Crown Point, Essex County, New York. Abandoned in 1783. Also known as Fort Amherst (1).
French & Indian War (1754-1763) Built in 1759 at the end of the French & Indian War by British troops under General Jeffery Amherst as a large pentagon shaped fort with five bastions and over 100 cannons. The whole complex encompassed some six acres. The French & Indian War was really over in 1759 as the British gained complete control in the Great Lakes but the formal end came with the Treaty of Paris signed on 10 Feb 1763. After the end of the war the British maintained only a small garrison at Fort Crown Point.
Revolutionary War (1775-1783)On 12 May 1775, Patriot Captain Seth Warner and about 100 Green Mountain Boys overwhelmed the small garrison and took the Fort in the Revolutionary War battle of Crown Point. The 111 cannons captured from the fort were sent along with the guns captured at Fort Ticonderoga to aid the America siege of the British in Boston. The Fort was used as a staging ground by Benedict Arnold for his navy on Lake Champlain. That navy was destroyed in 1776 during the Battle of Valcour Island. Fort Crown Point was then abandoned by Patriot forces in 1777 to British General John Burgoyne's army who occupied it until the end of the war.
Current Status A part of Crown Point State Historic Site. The earthworks of the fort and the shells of the officers quarters and enlisted barracks remain. The Visitor Center/Museum was not open during our visit.
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Visited: 11 Jul 2012
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