Ticonderoga and Saratoga.
Ft. Ticonderoga
Ft. Ticonderoga 1758: Iroquois for-The Junction of Two Waterways
It is that junction that was critical during the French and Indian War, and for that reason that the French Fort Carillon was built in 1757. Ft Carillon, to be renamed Ticonderoga, divided the French-controlled Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence river valley from the British-controlled Hudson River. It was here that the French led by General Montcalm, held off the British led by General Abercromby in 1758. This battle just out of sight from Ft. Ticonderoga would reveal weakness in the greatest army in the world. This battle, fought by officers who later served in the American Revolution, proved that there were chinks in the armor of the great British Military.
British-Americans who fought side by side with British soldiers in 1758 saw Ticonderoga as a window into the hubris of the British. The British leadership seemed to be willing to lead their men to slaughter against an entrenched French military who held the higher ground and were protected by an abatis-a barrier created by felled trees. British-Americans attempted to change General Abercromby’s mind about a head-on attack, but Abercromby would have none of it. 16,000 British soldiers vs 4,000 French should have been an easy win, but the British squandered an easy victory and their incompetant leader Abercromby stayed behind in town while his soldiers became grist for the mill. French General Montcalm did an outstanding service in holding off the British. He noted that the total forces on the continent of British were 60,000 to the French 11,000 and knew that thought the French had won this battle, they would not be able to sustain the war. The British would win this war in 1763, but perceptions formed by young officers in this battle, would come back to haunt the British as those young officers became leaders in the Continental Army some 18 years later.Ticonderoga and Saratoga 1777
The Ft. Ticonderoga saw action again in 1777 when Americans Benedict Arnold Ethan Allen and the Green Mtn Boys from Vermont-just across Lake Champlain- took the fort from the British by surprise. The tug of war continued as Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne led British troops and recovered the fort enroute to Saratoga with Albany in his sights. Burgoyne knew that if he could get to Albany he could effectively cut off the New England rabble and end this silly little war for Independence.
Saratoga
Albany was the goal, if Burgoyne could cross the Mohawk, push the Americans up against the river and stop them this would successfully cut off the New England rabble and end the Revolution. Burgoyne should have learned from the mistakes of overconfidence made by the British Abercromby some 18 years earlier, but instead history repeated itself. Burgoyne thought he would have an easy victory at Saratoga. In England he bet a friend that he would return from the War for Independence victorious. How wrong he was. At Saratoga he would be surrounded by Gates’ Continental Army and have to surrender his 6,000 man army, and face humiliation at home. The key to this surrender is that once the British surrendered at Saratoga the French weighed in and openly supported the American cause. This key turning point would lead ultimately to American victory and a British surrender at Yorktown.
What we have here is a failure to communicate.
Ticonderoga and Saratoga hinged on the underdog being able to strategically place themselves on the higher ground, and uncover the vulnerabilities in the enemy including overconfidence, and stubbornness/an inablilty to listen. Burgoynne and Ambercromby suffered as much from misreading the enemy as they did from failing to listen to their own men. The lessons from these two different battles in two different wars can be a great teaching moment, as both are microcosms for the bigger picture- the British couldn’t imagine that the Americans knew what they were talking about and twice, Americans proved them wrong.
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