commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Fort George's capture by Patriot forces from the British,

Battlefield Alliance to Commemorate 250th Anniversary of

Fort George Capture by Patriots, May 11

The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance will commemorate the 250th anniversary
of the capture of Fort George from the British with a ceremony at the ruins of the
18th Century fortification on Sunday, May 11 beginning at 10:00 AM. The ruins of
Fort George are located within Lake George Battlefield Park, Fort George Road, Lake
George.
The capture of Fort George occurred on May 11, 1775, one day after the Green
Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen and a commissioned officer from the Massachusetts
militia named Benedict Arnold accepted the British surrender of Fort Ticonderoga.
Captain Bernard Romans led a small force of Patriots who convinced British caretakers,
without bloodshed, to relinquish Fort George. The occupation of Fort George allowed
the nascent American forces to control the key Lake George waterway for its entire 32-
mile length at the outset of the Revolution.
Alliance Trustees Dr. Bruce Venter, author of the award-winning book The Battle of
Hubbardton, and Pat Niles, who’s also President of the Washington County Historical
Society, will trace the actions of Patriot and British forces leading up to Fort George’s
capture and the shifting of occupying forces over the ensuing five years. They will be
joined by re-enactors from Fort William Henry in military attire from the period,
staging the transfer of the fort’s control.
The event is free to the public. The Lake George Battlefield Park Visitor Center at 75
Fort George Road, Lake George, will also have a pre-season opening on May 11 from
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM to welcome guests. The Visitor Center, which always has free
admission, opens for its fourth season on Friday, May 23.

Additional Information:
Was the capture of Fort George on May 11, 1775, part of Ethan Allen's grand strategy
to secure three British forts—Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Fort George--once the

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"shot heard 'round the world" was fired at Lexington and Concord the previous
month? The facts are ambiguous for sure.
LGBP Alliance Trustee Dr. Bruce Venter will sort out fact from fiction about this
momentous string of events: "I've been intrigued by what happened in May 1775 for
some time now. The cast of characters in America's first complete victory should prove
interesting to those who attend our 250th anniversary commemoration of the capture of
Fort George."
Alliance Trustee and Washington County Historical Society President Pat Niles adds:
"Fort George was an intrical part of the military-industrial complex of the Lake George -
Hudson River area during the American Revolution." Indeed, Henry Knox used Fort
George as a makeshift headquarters for several weeks in December 1775 as he
determined how he would transport 60 tons of artillery from the lake to George
Washington’s troops at Boston. The site was the location of the Continental Army’s
largest general hospital in 1776, then reverted to British occupation the following year
and served as a supply depot supporting General Burgoyne’s failed attempt to take
Albany. That invasion effort was halted by the American victory in the Battles of
Saratoga.

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About the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance: The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance
is a not-for-profit organization of volunteers who have an abiding interest in the Lake George
Region’s critical role in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The Alliance
manages the Battlefield Park’s Visitor Center and sponsors events throughout the year that
educate the public about the site and its unique history. It is also working closely with the Town
of Lake George and State of New York on the “Repose of the Fallen” project, which will reinter
in 2026 the remains of 44 Continental Army soldiers and support personnel in the Battlefield
Park. For more information, visit www.lakegeorgebattlefield.org.